TECHNIQUES FOR RECOVERING MISSING DEVICES

• US 20140298491A1
• Filed: 04/02/2013
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: D'sa, Cailen
• Granted Patent: US 9,710,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss

Abstract

Techniques are provided for assisting owners to recover missing devices. The missing device automatically performs certain actions proactively in response to detecting conditions that indicate that the device has been lost or stolen. Conditions that indicate the device has been lost or stolen (“triggering conditions”) may include that a password failure has occurred more than a predetermined number of times. Any number and type of recovery-assisting actions may be taken, in response to triggering conditions, to assist owners in recovering a missing device. For example, a device may generate a record that indicates the current location of the device, and synchronize the record with an online service or some other device. The generation and synchronization of such records may be repeated on a periodic basis until either (a) the device becomes disabled, or (b) a user enters an appropriate password.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a particular device, that a certain number of attempts to power down the particular device have been unsuccessful; and

in response to detecting that the certain number of attempts to power down the particular device have been unsuccessful, automatically performing one or more recovery-assisting actions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting that the certain number of attempts to power-down the particular device includes detecting that a password, required by the particular device to power down the particular device, was incorrectly entered the certain number of times.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the certain number is greater than one.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically performing one or more recovery-assisting actions includes the particular device obtaining information about a current location of the particular device, and communicating the information to an online service or one or more other devices.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein communicating the information includes storing a content item containing the information in a collection that is automatically synchronized with the online service or the one or more other devices.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically performing one or more recovery-assisting actions includes causing the particular device to enter a recovery-assisting state.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the particular device automatically performs a particular recovery-assisting action on a periodic basis while in the recovery-assisting state.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the particular recovery-assisting action includes obtaining a current location of the particular device.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein, while in the recovery-assisting state, the particular device determines whether the particular device is moving, and only performs the particular recovery-assisting action if the particular device is not moving.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein, while in the recovery-assisting state, the particular device enters a low power mode in which one or more function of the particular device are disabled.

11. A method comprising:

detecting, by a particular device, that triggering conditions are satisfied;

wherein the triggering conditions are conditions indicating a likelihood that the particular device is lost or stolen; and

in response to detecting that the triggering conditions are satisfied, the particular device storing a content item in a collection of the particular device that is automatically synchronized with an online service or one or more other devices.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein detecting that triggering conditions are satisfied includes detecting that the particular device has experienced an abrupt movement.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein detecting that triggering conditions are satisfied includes detecting that an attempt was made to open or dismantle the particular device.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein detecting that triggering conditions are satisfied includes detecting that a certain number of attempts to power down the particular device have failed.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

in response to detecting that the triggering conditions are satisfied, the particular device, the particular device obtaining information about a current location of the particular device;

wherein the content item includes the information about the current location.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

after storing the content item, the particular device detecting occurrence of a device-found event; and

in response to detecting occurrence of the device-found event, automatically deleting the content item from the collection.

17. A method comprising

receiving, at a particular device, user input that associates each triggering condition, of a plurality of triggering conditions, with a corresponding alert level, of a plurality of alert levels;

wherein each triggering conditions is a condition indicating a likelihood that the particular device is lost or stolen;

receiving, at the particular device, user input that associates each alert level, of the plurality of alert levels, with one or more recovery-assisting actions; and

in response to the particular device detecting that a particular triggering condition, of the plurality of triggering conditions, is satisfied, the particular device automatically performing the steps of

determining which alert level that corresponds to the particular triggering condition; and

performing the one or more recovery-assisting actions that are associated with the alert level that corresponds to the particular triggering condition.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

after performing the one or more recovery-assisting actions, the particular device detecting occurrence of a device-found event; and

in response to detecting occurrence of the device-found event, automatically performing a garbage collection action to recover at least one resource consumed by performing the one or more recovery-assisting actions.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the one or more recovery-assisting actions include creation of a particular content item on the particular device, and the garbage collection action includes deletion of the particular content item.

20. A device configured to:

detect that a certain number of attempts to power down the device have been unsuccessful; and

respond to detecting that the certain number of attempts to power down the device have been unsuccessful, automatically performing one or more recovery-assisting actions.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein the device is configured to detect that the certain number of attempts to power-down the device by detecting that a password, required by the device to power down the device, was incorrectly entered the certain number of times.

22. The device of claim 20 wherein the device is configured to automatically perform the one or more recovery-assisting actions by obtaining information about a current location of the device, and communicating the information to an online service or one or more other devices.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein the device is configured to communicate the information by storing a content item containing the information in a collection that is automatically synchronized with the online service or the one or more other devices.

24. The device of claim 20 wherein the device is configured to automatically performing the one or more recovery-assisting actions by entering a recovery-assisting state.

25. The device of claim 24 wherein the device is configured to automatically perform a particular recovery-assisting action on a periodic basis while in the recovery-assisting state.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein the particular recovery-assisting action includes obtaining a current location of the particular device.