METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRACKING MOBILE ELECTRONIC DEVICES WHILE CONSERVING CELLULAR NETWORK RESOURCES

• US 20120003991A1
• Filed: 07/01/2011
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Absolute Software Corporation
• Original Assignee: Absolute Software Corporation
• Inventors: Loveland, Damien Gerard
• Granted Patent: US 8,712,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• 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 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/121 for groups of terminals or users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 Management of setup rejection or failure

Abstract

A system and associated methods are disclosed for tracking mobile electronic devices while conserving cellular network resources used for such tracking. The tracking may be performed for purposes of facilitating recovery of lost or stolen devices. To conserve network resources, different telephone numbers may be assigned depending upon the location of each device and the time of each call, and individual calls may be made only after a determination has been made that a telephone call is required. A determination that a telephone call is required may be made depending upon whether a protected electronic device had been reported lost or stolen, and/or whether an internet communication between the protected electronic device and a monitoring center has been made within a selected previous period of time. A dynamic schedule permits reserved telephone call slots to be freed up if not needed so that they can be used for devices that need the communication time.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon an executable agent component that directs a mobile electronic device to communicate with a monitoring center according to a protocol in which:

during a first time period, the mobile device attempts to establish a communication session with the monitoring center over a computer network without use of a cellular network;

during a second time period that is later in time than the first time period, a call is placed over the cellular network between the mobile device and the monitoring center if the attempt to establish the communication session over the computer network is unsuccessful; and

when a communication session is established between the mobile device and the monitoring center over the computer network or the cellular network, information is conveyed between the mobile device and the monitoring center to enable the monitoring center to track at least a location of the mobile device.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the call is placed over the cellular network between the mobile device and the monitoring center if the mobile device has been reported lost or stolen, whether or not the attempt to establish the communication session over the computer network is unsuccessful.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the second time period is assigned by the monitoring center to the mobile device prior to the attempt to establish the communication session over the computer network.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the call is placed by the mobile device to the monitoring center.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the mobile device places the call using a telephone number specified to the mobile device by the monitoring center, said telephone number selected based at least partly on a location of the mobile device.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the call is placed by the monitoring center to the mobile device.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, in combination with the monitoring center, wherein the monitoring center comprises a computer system that is configured to monitor a location of the mobile device, and based thereon, to assign telephone numbers to the mobile device for placing calls over the cellular network.

8. The computer-readable medium and monitoring center of claim 7, wherein the monitoring center is additionally configured to assign the first and second time periods to the mobile device.

9. The computer-readable medium and monitoring center of claim 7, wherein the monitoring center is additionally configured to instruct the agent in the mobile device to perform an anti-theft function.

10. A monitoring center, comprising:

a computer system configured to communicate with, and to monitor the locations of, a plurality of mobile electronic devices, the computer system programmed to;

assign to the mobile devices, based at least partly on the respective locations of the mobile devices, telephone numbers for calling the monitoring center over a cellular network, said telephone numbers assigned based at least partly on call rate information; and

assign time periods to the mobile devices for placing calls to the monitoring center.

11. The monitoring center of claim 10, wherein the computer system is programmed to assign the time periods to enable like telephone numbers to be time shared by multiple mobile devices.

12. The monitoring center of claim 10, wherein the computer system is additionally configured to communicate with the mobile devices over a computer network, without use of the cellular network.

13. The monitoring center of claim 12, wherein the computer system is additionally configured to implement a protocol in which:

during a first time period assigned by the monitoring center, a mobile device attempts to establish a communication session with the monitoring center over the computer network; and

if the attempt is unsuccessful, the mobile device places a call to the monitoring center over the cellular network during a second time period assigned by the monitoring center.

14. A method for controlling communications between a plurality of mobile electronic device and a monitoring centre to facilitate recovery of any of the mobile devices if lost or stolen, the method comprising the processor implemented steps of:

for each of the plurality of mobile devices, determining a first time for an internet communication between the monitoring centre and that mobile device;

for each of the plurality of mobile devices, determining a second time, later than said first time, for a cellular communication between the monitoring centre that mobile device;

if an internet communication is made prior to the second time by any one of the plurality of mobile devices, determining an updated time for the cellular communication between the monitoring centre and that mobile device; and

,

if an internet communication is not made prior to the second time by any one of the plurality of mobile devices, initiating a cellular communication during the second time between the monitoring centre and that mobile device.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising initiating an anti-theft function in any one of the plurality of mobile devices if that mobile device has been reported lost or stolen.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the duration of a cellular communication between the monitoring centre and a particular one of the plurality of mobile devices is extended into time freed up by the making of an internet communication by another one of the plurality of mobile devices.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of mobile electronic devices temporarily register with a cellular network for making a cellular communication with the monitoring center.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

determining the location of each of the plurality of mobile devices;

determining a telephone number for each device to use based upon the location of that device; and

communicating said telephone number to use to that device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the telephone number is selected based at least partly on call rate information.