Wireless device content information theft protection system

• US 8,078,216 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2004
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Pon, Harry Q., Sackman, Shawn C.
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US10/965,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20060079204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,617 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/410, 455/411, 340/5.2
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment

Abstract

A wireless device, such as a laptop computer or a cellular phone, may contain confidential information which may be secured by an internal security system. When the device is stolen, the user can provide a portion of a kill code to a wireless service provider. The wireless service provider provides its own portion of the kill code and combines it with the user'"'"'s supplied code. Then, the service provider may transmit the combined kill code to the wireless device. Upon receipt, the wireless device may erase all confidential information on the device. In other embodiments, it may erase any unlocked block of memory. As still another alternative, the system may also, upon receipt of the combined kill code, disable the operating system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a two-portion kill code, said kill code including a first portion provided to a user of the wireless device and a second portion, different from said first portion, provided to a wireless service provider that provides wireless service for the wireless device, the combination of said first and second portions forming said kill code; and

automatically setting a flag to prevent further execution of an operating system of said wireless device when said kill code is detected by said wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1 including automatically erasing certain portions of a memory of said device when said kill code is detected.

3. A system comprising:

a controller; and

a storage coupled to said controller, said storage storing a two-portion kill code including a first portion provided to a user of said system and a second portion, different from said first portion, provided to a wireless service provider that provides wireless service to the system, the combination of the first and second portions forming said kill code to automatically set a flag to prevent further execution of an operating system of said system when said kill code is detected, said controller to enable the service provider to remotely turn said system on so that said flag may be set.

4. The system of claim 3, said storage to store code activated by receipt of said kill code to automatically erase portions of said storage.