Portable host-pluggable appliance tracking system

• US 7,496,201 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Activetrak Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Westintech, Inc.
• Inventors: Westin, Kenneth Vernon
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kimyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAN, APRIL YING
• Application Number:
  US12/044,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20080301291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 380/258, 726/9, 726/29, 726 34- 35
• US Class Current: 380/258
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A recoverable data storage apparatus includes a hand-portable housing configured with an input/output (I/O) port presented outwardly therefrom, a data storage means retained within the housing and operatively coupled with the input/output port, and a client agent embodied as device-executable code residing on the data storage device and configured. When executed on a network-linked host computing device, the client agent is configured to establish communication with a remote server and receive data indicating a possession status of the data storage apparatus. A device tracking system includes a data network means, a hardware portion, and a software portion. The hardware portion includes at least, (1) a server device operatively coupled with the network means, and (2) a data storage device with an externally presented input/output port configured to operatively couple with a host device. The software portion includes at least, (1) a data storage device tracking means configured to identify a data storage device based upon unique identification-relevant data included in a polling message received via the network means, and (2) a client agent configured as device executable code stored at a memory means operatively coupled with the data storage device, wherein the client agent is configured so operatively when coupled with a host device to cause the host device to transmit host device-relevant identifying data via the network means.

Claims

1. A recoverable data storage apparatus, comprising:

a hand-portable housing including an input/output (I/O) port;

a data storage means retained within the housing and operatively coupled with the input/output port; and

a client agent embodied as device-executable code residing on the data storage means and configured, when executed by a host network-linked computing device that is external to the data storage apparatus, to cause the host device to poll a remote server, wherein the polling includes establishing a clandestine communication session with the remote server, transmitting to the remote server unique identification data of the data storage apparatus, and receiving from the remote server data indicating a possession status of the data storage apparatus, and wherein the client agent includes each of an executable file, an autorun file, and an identification file.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the I/O port is configured to operatively couple either directly or indirectly with a corresponding I/O port of the host device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the I/O port comprises a universal serial bus (USB) connector.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data storage means comprises one selected from the group consisting of a solid-state memory device, a hard drive-based memory device, and an optical media-based memory device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the client agent is further configured, upon receiving from the server possession status data indicating a lost or stolen possession status, to transmit host device identity-relevant data to the server.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the recoverable data storage apparatus is configured as any one of or any combination of devices selected from the group consisting of a digital audio player, a digital video player, a telephonic communication device, a solid-state memory-based data storage device, a portable hard drive-based data storage device, an optical media-based data storage device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a digital camera, a digital photo display device, a digital recorder, and a data storage card device.

7. A system for recovering a lost or stolen data storage device, comprising:

a hand-portable data storage device configured to operatively couple with a host device that is external to the data storage device, the data storage device including a client agent embodied as executable code stored at a memory means of the data storage device and configured to poll a server device for possession status-relevant data when the data storage device is either directly or indirectly coupled with the host device, and wherein the code of the client agent is executable by an operation of the host device, wherein polling the server device comprises causing the host device to establish a clandestine data transmission portal and to transmit portable data storage device-identifying data to the server device, wherein the client agent includes each of an executable file, an autorun file, and an identification file, wherein the server device is operatively coupled with a network means and includes a device tracking means embodied as device executable code stored at a memory means of the server device, and wherein the device tracking means is configured, in response to polling by the client agent, to cause the server device to transmit portable data storage device possession status-relevant data to the portable data storage device via the network means.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the portable data storage device operatively couples with the host device by an input/output (I/O) port.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the I/O port is configured as a universal serial bus (USB) connector.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the client agent is configured, in response to receiving possession-relevant data indicating that the storage device is lost or stolen, to cause the network means to transmit host device-relevant identifying data to the server device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the host device-relevant identifying data comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a public IP address corresponding to the host device, a username of a user of the host device, an owner of the host device, an internal network address for the host device, a physical location identifier for the host device, a proprietary network node address for the host device, and a telephonic access number corresponding to the host device location.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the server device is configured, upon receiving host device-relevant identifying data, to access a data source including cross-referencing means configured to identify a host-device location indicator comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of a physical address, a host name, a host device owner, a username of a host device user, a geographical coordinate, and a public IP address owner, corresponding to at least a portion of the host device-relevant identifying data.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the server device is configured, upon receiving host device-relevant identifying data, to transmit data corresponding to the host-device location indicator to one or more of the portable data storage device owner, a law enforcement entity, and a security agency.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the server device is configured to store at a memory means a record of received host device-identifying data and portable data storage device-identifying data.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the client agent is further configured to establish an http connection with the server device via a random I/O port of the host device if the client agent is unable to establish a connection with the server device via internet browser software of the host device.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein the portable data storage device is configured as any one of or any combination of devices selected from the group consisting of a digital audio player, a digital video player, a telephonic communication device, a solid-state memory-based data storage device, a portable hard drive-based data storage device, an optical media-based data storage device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a digital camera, a digital photo display device, a digital recorder, and a data storage card device.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein the portable data storage device is configured to enable wireless data transfer with the host device.