System and methods for remotely recovering and purging data from a wireless device in a communications network

• US 20060031541A1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Andres, Robert, Koch, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,849,161 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer

Abstract

A system and methods are provided for remotely recovering and purging data from a wireless device in a communications network. The system includes a wireless device capable of executing a data recovery/purge application program for receiving a message from a communications device in the network. The application program retrieves the data in the wireless device, purges the data from the wireless device, and sends a return message, including the data retrieved from the wireless device, to the communications device.

Claims

1. A method for the remote recovery of data from a wireless device in a communications network, the method comprising:

receiving a message from an invoking party;

parsing the message for request data, the request data including identification data;

determining whether the identification data in the received message matches identification data resident in the wireless device;

if the received identification data matches the identification data resident in the wireless device, then

retrieving the data in the wireless device; and

sending a return message, the return message including the data retrieved from the wireless device, to the invoking party.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request data further includes a data recovery address.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein sending a return message including the data from the wireless device to the invoking party comprises sending a return message including the data from the wireless device to the data recovery address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request data further includes a request to purge the data from the wireless device following the retrieval of the data.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising purging the data from the wireless device, wherein the return message further includes an acknowledgement that the data is purged from the wireless device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request data further includes a request to lock the wireless device.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising locking the wireless device, wherein the return message further includes an acknowledgement that the wireless device is locked.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message further includes a request for location information from the wireless device and wherein the return message further includes the location information for the wireless device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a message from an invoking party comprises:

receiving a voice call in the communications network;

receiving a wireless device ID associated with the wireless device;

accessing a database in the data network to map the wireless device ID with a first address associated with the wireless device and a second address associated with the invoking party; and

receiving the message at the second address associated with the invoking party.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and second addresses are electronic mail addresses.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the message and return messages are electronic mail messages.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the message and return messages are text messages.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the text messages are short message service (SMS) messages.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, will cause the computer to perform a method for the remote recovery of data from a wireless device in a communications network, the method comprising:

receiving a message including a request for data recovery;

parsing the message for request data, the request data including identification data and a data recovery address;

determining whether the identification data in the received message matches identification data resident in the wireless device;

if the received identification data matches the identification data resident in the wireless device, then

retrieving the data in the wireless device; and

sending a return message, the return message including the data retrieved from the wireless device, to the data recovery address.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 further comprising purging the data from the wireless device, wherein the return message further includes an acknowledgement that the data is purged from the wireless device.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the request data farther includes a request to lock the wireless device.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 further comprising locking the wireless device, wherein the return message further includes an acknowledgement that the wireless device is locked.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the message further includes a request for location information from the wireless device and wherein the return message further includes the location information for the wireless device.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein receiving a message from an invoking party comprises:

receiving a voice call in the communications network;

receiving a wireless device ID associated with the wireless device;

accessing a database in the data network to map the wireless device ID with a first address associated with the wireless device and a second address associated with the request for data recovery; and

receiving the message at the second address associated with the request for data recovery.

20. A system for remotely recovering data from a wireless device in a communications network, the system comprising:

a communications device for sending a message to the wireless device; and

a data recovery application resident in the wireless device for;

receiving the message from the communications device;

parsing the message for request data, the request data including;

identification data; and

a request to recover the data from the wireless device;

determining whether the identification data in the received message matches identification data resident in the wireless device;

if the received identification data matches the identification data resident in the wireless device, then

retrieving the data in the wireless device; and

sending a return message, the return message including the data retrieved from the wireless device, to the communications device.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising a data node in communication with the communications device and the wireless device which is operative to:

receive a voice call in the communications network from the communications device;

receive a wireless device ID associated with the wireless device from the communications device;

access a database in communication with the data node to map the wireless device ID with a first address associated with the wireless device and a second address; and

receive the return message at the second address.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first and second addresses are electronic mail addresses.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the message and return messages are electronic mail messages.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the message and return messages are text messages.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the text messages are short message service (SMS) messages.

26. An apparatus for remotely requesting an action to be performed on a wireless device in a communications network, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a message from an invoking party;

means for parsing the message for request data, the request data including identification data and a request for an action to be performed on the wireless device;

means for determining whether the identification data in the received message matches identification data resident in the wireless device; and

if the received identification data matches the identification data resident in the wireless device, then

means for performing the requested action; and

means for sending a return message acknowledging that the requested action was performed to the invoking party.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the requested action comprises recovering data resident in the wireless device.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the requested action comprises purging data resident in the wireless device.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the requested action comprises locking the wireless device.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the requested action comprises a request for location information for the wireless device.

31. A method for remotely securing data in a wireless device in a communications network, the method comprising:

receiving a message including request data in the wireless device;

parsing the message for the request data, the request data including identification data;

determining whether the identification data in the received message matches identification data resident in the wireless device;

if the received identification data matches the identification data resident in the wireless device, then securing data in the wireless device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein securing comprises retrieving data from the wireless device and sending a return message, the return message including the data retrieved from the wireless device.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein securing comprises purging the data from the wireless device based on the request data.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein securing comprises locking the wireless device based on the request data.

35. The method of claim 31 further comprising retrieving location information for the wireless device based on the request data, wherein the return message further includes the retrieved location information for the wireless device.