Portable computing device communication system and method

• US 7,047,426 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2000
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intermedia Software Corporation, Asurion, LLC (NEW Asurion Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Warranty Corporation of America (NEW Asurion Corporation)
• Inventors: Bolton, Corwyn C., Andrews, Randy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): JUNG, DAVID YIUK
• Application Number:
  US09/560,873
• Time in Patent Office: 2,210 Days
• Field of Search: 713200-202, 713150-158, 713/168, 713/176, 713/179, 380255-257
• US Class Current: 713/155
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party

Abstract

A method of communicating between a portable computing device and a host computer is provided. The method typically includes storing a responsive action to be taken in the event that the portable computing device becomes missing. Typically, the responsive action is stored at a location accessible by the host computer, such as on an associated database. The method also includes registering the portable computing device as having a missing status, establishing contact between the portable computing device and the host computer via a communication network, and instructing the portable computing device to take the responsive action. The method may include before registering the portable computing device as having a missing status, receiving a report from an interest holder in the portable computing device that the portable computing device is missing, and storing the missing status in a database associated with the host computer. The responsive action may be retrieving or deleting data from the portable computing device, restricting user access to the portable computing device, and/or tracking the location of the portable computing device.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between a portable computing device and a host computer, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of possible responsive actions that may be taken by the portable computing device in the event that the portable computing device is reported missing, the responsive actions being stored at a location accessible by the host computer and remote from the portable computing device;

at the host computer, receiving from an interest holder in the portable computing device, a report indicating that the portable computing device is missing;

at the host computer, in response to the report, registering the portable computing device as having a missing status;

at the host computer, designating at least one responsive action, from the plurality of responsive actions, to be taken by the portable computing device upon registration of the missing status, wherein the designated responsive action includes retrieving data from the portable computing device;

establishing contact between the portable computing device and the host computer via a communication network; and

sending an instruction from the host computer to the portable computing device, instructing the portable computing device to take the responsive action;

at the portable computing device, executing at least a portion of the designated responsive action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the designation of the designated responsive action is made in response to an instruction from an interest holder of the portable computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the instruction to take the responsive action is received via a telephone call from the interest holder.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the instruction to take the responsive action is received via a request sent over a computer network from the interest holder.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the responsive action is stored in a database associated with the host computer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the report is received before registering the portable computing device as having a missing status.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein registering includes storing the missing status in a database associated with the host computer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the missing status is lost.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the missing status is stolen.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before establishing contact, determining a contact schedule; and

configuring the portable computing device to contact the host computer via the communications network periodically according to the contact schedule.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a next scheduled contact time according to the contact schedule.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising detecting whether the portable computing device is connected to the communications network at the next scheduled contact time.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising if the portable computing device is connected to the communications network at the next scheduled contact time, then establishing a connection between the host computer and the portable computing device via the communications network.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising if the portable computing device is not connected to the communications network at the next scheduled contact time, then waiting an attempt interval, and again detecting whether the portable computing device is connected to the communications network.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the portable computing device is configured to contact the host computer from a plurality of geographic locations, according to the contact schedule.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network is a telephone network, and establishing contact includes placing a call from the portable computing device to a telephone access number associated with the host computer via the telephone network.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network is a wireless communication network and the portable computing device includes a wireless modem.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the wireless communication network is a satellite communication network, and the wireless modem is a satellite modem.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing contact is accomplished without user intervention.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing contact includes configuring the modem of the portable computing device to operate silently.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before establishing contact, receiving from an interest holder in the portable computing device an indication of data to be retrieved from the portable computing device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

storing in a database associated with the host, a path of the indicated data on the portable computing device, wherein retrieving the indicated data includes transferring from the portable computing device to the host computer the data located at the path.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein a file is located at the path.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein a folder is located at the path.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the designated responsive action includes deleting data from the portable computing device.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising, before establishing contact, receiving from an interest holder in the portable computing device an indication of data to be deleted from the portable computing device.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising, storing in the database associated with the host, a path of the indicated data on the portable computing device, wherein deleting the indicated data includes deleting the data located at the path.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein a file is located at the path.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein a folder is located at the path.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the designated responsive action includes restricting access to the portable computing device.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein restricting user access includes requiring a password to gain access to the portable computing device.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein restricting user access to the portable computing device includes executing a screen-blocking program on the portable computing device.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the portable computing device includes an operating system having a graphical user interface, and the screen-blocking program is configured to capture the focus of the graphical user interface.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising, before executing the screen-blocking program, executing a launch program configured to trigger execution of the screen-blocking program, wherein executing the screen-blocking program includes executing the screen-blocking program from the launch program.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the screen-blocking program and launch program are downloaded from the host computer to the portable computing device after establishing contact.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein restricting user access includes, if the screen-blocking program is exited by a user, restarting the screen-blocking program from the launch program.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the launch program is executed automatically upon start-up by an operating system of the portable computing device.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the launch program is registered as a service of an operating system of the portable computing device.

39. The method of claim 1, wherein the designated responsive action is determining a location of the portable computing device.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein determining a location of the portable computing device includes detecting an origination telephone number from which the portable computing device includes calling the host computer.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein determining a location of the portable computing device includes determining the location using the detected telephone number.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the portable computing device includes a global positioning satellite receiver, and determining a location of the portable computing device includes detecting the geographic location of the portable computing device using the global positioning satellite receiver.

43. A method of communicating between a portable computing device and a host computer, the method comprising:

determining a contact schedule;

configuring the portable computing device and host computer to establish contact via a communication network periodically according to the contact schedule;

receiving from an interest holder in the portable computing device an indication of a responsive action to be taken in the event that the portable computing device has a missing status;

storing the responsive action in a location accessible by host computer and remote from the portable computing device;

receiving from the interest holder a report that the portable computing device has the missing status;

registering the portable computing device as having the missing status in a database associated with the host computer;

establishing contact between the portable computing device and the host computer via a communication network according to the contact schedule; and

sending instructions from the host computer to the portable computing device instructing the portable computing device to take the responsive action, wherein the portable computing device at least partially executes the responsive action, and wherein the responsive action includes retrieving data from the portable computing device.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the responsive action includes deleting data from the portable computing device.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein the responsive action includes restricting access to the portable computing device.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein the responsive action includes determining a geographic location of the portable computing device.

47. The method of claim 43, where the status is delinquent.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the responsive action includes displaying a payment reminder on the portable computing device.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the responsive action includes restricting access to the portable computing device.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the responsive action includes determining a geographic location of the portable computing device.

51. The method of claim 43, where the status is payment due.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the responsive action includes displaying a bill on the portable computing device.

53. The method of claim 43, wherein the responsive action includes displaying a message on the portable computing device.

54. The method of claim 53, further comprising:

before displaying the message, receiving user demographic information from a user of the portable computing device; and

selecting the message based on the user demographic information.

55. The method of claim 53, wherein the message includes an advertisement.

56. The method of claim 53, further comprising:

receiving confirmation at the portable computing device that the user has viewed the message; and

transmitting the confirmation to the host computer via the communication network.

57. The method of claim 43, wherein the responsive action includes downloading a file to the portable computing device.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the responsive action further includes opening the downloaded file with an associated application program on the portable computing device.

59. The method of claim 57, wherein the downloaded file is an executable application program file, and the responsive action further includes executing the downloaded file on the portable computing device.

60. The method claim 43 wherein the portable computing device including an operating system having a graphical user interface with a task bar, and wherein the responsive action includes downloading a file to the portable computing device, the method further comprising:

downloading a file from the host computer to the client computing device via a communication network; and

opening the file directly to the task bar without user intervention.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein during downloading and opening the file directly to the task bar, the file is never viewable in an unminimized window on the graphical user interface of the client computing device.

62. The method of claim 60, wherein the file is opened by a browser on the client computing device.