Wireless device content information theft protection system

• US 20060079204A1
• Filed: 10/13/2004
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sackman, Shawn C., Pon, Harry Q.
• Granted Patent: US 8,078,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment

Abstract

A wireless device, such as a laptop computer or a cellular phone, may contain confidential information which may be secured by an internal security system. When the device is stolen, the user can provide a portion of a kill code to a wireless service provider. The wireless service provider provides its own portion of the kill code and combines it with the user'"'"'s supplied code. Then, the service provider may transmit the combined kill code to the wireless device. Upon receipt, the wireless device may erase all confidential information on the device. In other embodiments, it may erase any unlocked block of memory. As still another alternative, the system may also, upon receipt of the combined kill code, disable the operating system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a two-portion kill code, said kill code including a first portion provided to the user of the wireless device and a second portion provided to a wireless service provider who provides wireless service for the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1 including storing said kill code in a flash memory.

3. The method of claim 2 including storing said kill code in a locked block of said flash memory.

4. The method of claim 1 including providing a code that is activated by said kill code to automatically erase certain portions of a memory of said device.

5. The method of claim 4 including providing code that automatically erases unlocked blocks of flash memory.

6. The method of claim 5 including providing a code which automatically disables an operating system of said device when said kill code is detected by said wireless device.

7. The method of claim 1 including providing software on said wireless device that prompts the user to enter at least one part of said two part kill code and automatically stores said at least one part of said two part kill code.

8. The method of claim 7 including automatically prompting the user to enter both parts of said two part kill code and automatically storing both parts of said two part kill code.

9. The method of claim 8 including automatically transmitting the service provider'"'"'s part of said two part kill code to said service provider.

10. A storage for a wireless device comprising:

a memory storing a two-portion kill code including a first portion provided to the user of a wireless device and a second portion provided to a wireless service provider that provides wireless service for the wireless device.

11. The storage of claim 10 wherein said memory is a flash memory.

12. The storage of claim 11 wherein said flash memory includes locked blocks and unlocked blocks.

13. The storage of claim 12 wherein said kill code is stored in locked blocks of said flash memory.

14. The storage of claim 13 wherein confidential information is stored in unlocked blocks of said flash memory.

15. The storage of claim 13 wherein said operating system is stored in locked blocks of said flash memory.

16. The storage of claim 10 wherein said apparatus stores code activated by receipt of a kill code to automatically erase certain portions of said memory.

17. The storage of claim 15, said code to automatically erase unlocked blocks of said memory.

18. The storage of claim 17, said code to automatically disable an operating system of said device when said kill code is detected.

19. A system comprising:

a controller;

a storage coupled to said controller storing a two-portion kill code including a first portion provided to the user of the system and a second portion provided to a wireless service provider that provides wireless service to the system; and

a wireless interface coupled to said controller.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said memory is a flash memory.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said flash memory includes locked blocks and unlocked blocks.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said kill code is stored in locked blocks of said flash memory.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein confidential information is stored in said unlocked blocks of said flash memory.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein said operating system is stored in locked blocks of said flash memory.

25. The system of claim 19 wherein said storage stores code activated by receipt of a kill code to automatically erase certain portions of said storage.

26. The system of claim 25, said code to automatically erase unlocked blocks of said storage.

27. The system of claim 19, said code to automatically disable an operating system of said system when said kill code is detected.

28. A method comprising:

receiving a two-portion kill code including a first portion provided by the user and a second portion provided by a wireless service provider;

comparing said received two-portion kill code to a kill code stored in a receiver; and

if said kill codes match, disabling at least a portion of a storage device in said receiver.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein disabling at least a portion of a storage device includes disabling unlocked blocks of a flash memory.

30. The method of claim 28 further including disabling the operating system in response to receipt of a kill code.

31. The method of claim 28 including automatically erasing confidential information in response to receipt of said kill code.

32. An article comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a processor-based system to:

detect a two-portion wireless kill code including a first portion provided by the user and a second portion provided by a wireless service provider;

compare said received two-portion kill code to a kill code stored in said system; and

if said kill codes match, disable at least a portion of a storage device in said system.

33. The article of claim 32 further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the processor-based system to disable unlocked blocks of a flash memory.

34. The article of claim 32 further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the processor-based system to disable the operating system in response to receipt of the two-portion kill code.

35. The article of claim 32 further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the processor-based system to automatically erase confidential information in response to receipt of said kill code.