Electronic system location determination

• US 7,942,936 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Golden, Stuart A
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand; Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUIRGUIS, MICHAEL M
• Application Number:
  US11/527,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20080091939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,693 Days
• Field of Search: 726/35, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.6, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 726/35
• 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 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A lost or stolen computing device is recovered. A trusted server is requested to locate the computing device. The trusted server requests coarse location information from the computing device, and the computing device reports its coarse location. The trusted server then requests that the computing device transmit wireless local area networks signal so that it may be recovered.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request to locate a computing device;

requesting from a wireless wide area network (WWAN) coarse location information for the computing device in response to the received request to locate the computing device;

receiving from the WWAN coarse location information that describes a coarse location of the computing device, the received coarse location information being determined by the WWAN;

identifying a wireless local area network (WLAN) corresponding to the received coarse location information for the computing device;

sending to the computing device through the identified WLAN a request to transmit wireless WLAN signals; and

monitoring the wireless WLAN signals transmitted by the computing device in the identified WLAN with a WLAN monitoring device to determine a fine location of the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request to locate the computing device comprises receiving a request to locate a stolen or missing computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sending to the computing device comprises sending a presence request frame to the computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein sending the presence request frame to the computing device comprises sending the frame over the WWAN.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein sending the presence request frame to the computing device comprises sending the frame over the WLAN.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the WLAN monitoring device comprises a passive monitoring device that does not communicate with the computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining a direction from the WLAN monitoring device to the computing device.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining a distance between the WLAN monitoring device and the computing device.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein sending to the computing device comprises sending a presence request frame to the computing device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein sending the presence request frame to the computing device comprises sending the frame over the WWAN.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein sending the presence request frame to the computing device comprises sending the frame over the WLAN.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the WWAN comprises a code division multiple access (CDMA) 2000 network, a wideband CDMA network, or a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network, and the WLAN comprises an IEEE 802.11 network.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining a direction from the WLAN monitoring device to the computing device.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining a distance between the WLAN monitoring device and the computing device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the WLAN monitoring device comprises a passive monitoring device that does not communicate with the computing device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining a direction from the WLAN monitoring device to the computing device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining a distance between the WLAN monitoring device and the computing device.