Method for remote lockdown of a mobile computer

• US 20050221800A1
• Filed: 03/31/2004
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kumar, Muthu K., Jackson, Riley W., Huckins, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US10/816,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20050221800A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

A method, machine readable medium, and system are disclosed. In one embodiment the method comprises sending a message on a wireless network to a mobile computer and disabling the mobile computer upon receipt of the message.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sending a message on a wireless network to a mobile computer; and

disabling the mobile computer upon receipt of the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending a message on a wireless network to a mobile computer further comprises:

pre-setting and storing a security code on the mobile computer;

sending a security code message to the mobile computer using the wireless network; and

determining the authenticity of the sender of the message by comparing the sent security code message to the pre-set security code stored on the mobile computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein disabling the mobile computer upon receipt of the message further comprises:

initiating a system shutdown on the mobile computer once the message has been received; and

requiring a BIOS password to be provided prior to booting the operating system for any system reboot subsequent to the receipt of the message.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising queuing the message if the mobile computer is unable to immediately receive the message.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving the queued message upon power up if the mobile computer was powered down when the message was received.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving the queued message upon waking if the mobile computer was in a suspended state when the message was received.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving the queued message upon entering the wireless network if the mobile computer was outside of the range of the wireless network when the message was received.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

ascertaining the current location of the mobile computer upon receipt of the message; and

sending the location back to the originator of the message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein ascertaining the location of the mobile computer further comprises receiving GPS location information on the mobile computer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein disabling the mobile computer upon receipt of the wireless signal further comprises formatting a storage device on the mobile computer.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network further comprises a cellular network.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a confirmation back to the message sender upon successfully disabling the wireless computer.

13. The method of claim 2 wherein the security code comprises a Short Message Service message.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein queuing the message further comprises storing the message on a message server located on the wireless network.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein queuing the message further comprises storing the message in an always-on wireless subsystem located within the wireless computer.

16. The method of claim 3, further comprising allowing the BIOS password requirement to be removed once a valid BIOS password has been given and the system has returned to normal operating state.

17. A machine readable medium having embodied thereon instructions, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform a method comprising:

sending a message on a wireless network to a mobile computer; and

disabling the mobile computer upon receipt of the message.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 17 wherein sending a message on a wireless network to a mobile computer further comprises:

pre-setting and storing a security code on the mobile computer;

sending a security code message to the mobile computer using the wireless network; and

determining the authenticity of the sender of the message by comparing the sent security code message to the pre-set security code stored on the mobile computer.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 17 wherein disabling the mobile computer upon receipt of the message further comprises:

initiating a system shutdown on the mobile computer once the message has been received; and

requiring a BIOS password to be provided prior to booting the operating system for any system reboot subsequent to the receipt of the message.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises queuing the message if the mobile computer is unable to immediately receive the message.

21. The machine readable medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

ascertaining the current location of the mobile computer upon receipt of the message; and

sending the location back to the originator of the message.

22. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises sending a confirmation back to the message sender upon successfully disabling the wireless computer.

23. A system, comprising:

a bus;

a processor coupled to the bus;

a network interface card coupled to the bus; and

memory coupled to the processor, the memory adapted for storing instructions, which upon execution by the processor sends a message on a wireless network to a mobile computer and disables the mobile computer upon receipt of the message.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the system:

pre-sets and stores a security code on the mobile computer;

sends a security code message to the mobile computer using the wireless network; and

determines the authenticity of the sender of the message by comparing the sent security code message to the pre-set security code stored on the mobile computer.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the system:

initiates a system shutdown on the mobile computer once the message has been received; and

requires a BIOS password to be provided prior to booting the operating system for any system reboot subsequent to the receipt of the message.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the system queues the message if the mobile computer is unable to immediately receive the message.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the system:

ascertains the current location of the mobile computer upon receipt of the message; and

sends the location back to the originator of the message.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the system sends a confirmation back to the message sender upon successfully disabling the wireless computer.