Enabling a service to return lost laptops

• US 8,317,878 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Chhabra, Jasmeet, Prakash, Gyan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hailu, Teshome
• Application Number:
  US12/317,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 726/17, 726/35, 713/2, 713/184, 709/217
• US Class Current: 726/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss

Abstract

A method, system, and computer-readable storage medium for providing a unique identifier for a computer system and a message from a service external to the computer system, such as a laptop return service, for display when the computer system is powered on. The computer system is configured to restrict functionality until the service authorizes restoration of full functionality of the computer system. The message includes contact information for the laptop return service and, when the service is contacted, the service sends an instruction to return the computer system to full functionality. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, by a manageability engine of a computer system, a unique identifier for the computer system;

receiving, by the manageability engine, a message from a service external to the computer system for display when the computer system is powered on;

storing, by the manageability engine, the generated unique identifier and the message received from the service external to the computer system in an encrypted data region of memory of the computer system accessible to the manageability engine, the encrypted data region of memory being inaccessible to other components of the computer system;

providing, by the manageability engine, the generated unique identifier and the message stored in the encrypted data region of memory for display in response to receiving a request to display the generated unique identifier and the message; and

configuring the computer system to restrict functionality of the computer system until the service authorizes restoration of full functionality of the computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier for the computer system and the message are selectively provided for display only after receiving a communication from the service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the computer system to restrict the functionality of the computer system comprises disabling the computer system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the computer system to restrict the functionality of the computer system comprises restricting the functionality of the computer system in accordance with an instruction from the service.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein restricting the functionality of the computer system in accordance with the instruction from the service comprises disabling access to the unique identifier after an operating system is loaded.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the computer system to restore the full functionality of the computer system in response to an instruction authorizing the restoration from the service.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, by a service, a notification over a network from a manageability engine of a computer system that the computer system is at least one of lost and stolen, the notification comprises a unique identifier generated by the manageability engine of the computer system;

retrieving, by the service, information associated with the computer system from a data repository of the service with the unique identifier in response to receiving the notification; and

sending, by the service, (i) a message that comprises the retrieved information associated with the computer system and (ii) an instruction over the network to the manageability engine of the computer system, the message for display and the instruction to restrict functionality of the computer system prior to loading an operating system on the computer system.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a second notification, wherein the second notification indicates that the computer system is found; and

sending another instruction to the computer system to authorize restoration of full functionality of the computer system.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

retrieving user contact information associated with the unique identifier; and

using the user contact information to contact a user of the computer system.

10. A system comprising:

a first processor;

a memory; and

a chipset module that comprises a second processor that operates independently of the first processor, the chipset module to (i) generate a unique identifier for the system, (ii) receive a message from a service external to the system for display when the system is powered on, (iii) store the generated unique identifier and the message received from the service external to the system in an encrypted data region of the memory accessible to the chipset module and inaccessible to other components of the system, (iv) provide the generated unique identifier and the message stored in the encrypted data region for display in response to a request to display the generated unique identifier and the message, and (v) configure the system to restrict functionality of the system until the service authorizes restoration of full functionality of the system.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the chipset module further to selectively provide the unique identifier for the system and the message for display only after receiving a communication from the service.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the chipset module further to restrict the functionality of the system by disabling the system.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein to restrict the functionality of the system comprises to restrict the functionality of the system in accordance with an instruction from the service.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein to restrict the functionality of the system in accordance with the instruction from the service comprises to disable access to the unique identifier after an operating system is loaded.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the chipset module further to configure the system to restore the full functionality of the system in response to an instruction authorizing the restoration from the service.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to be executed, result in a computer system;

generating a unique identifier for the computer system in a manageability engine of the computer system;

receiving a message from a service external to the computer system for display when the computer system is powered on;

storing the generated unique identifier and the message received from the service external to the computer system in an encrypted data region of memory of the computer system accessible to the manageability engine of the computer system, the encrypted data region of memory being inaccessible to other components of the computer system;

providing the generated unique identifier and the message stored in the encrypted data region of memory for display in response to receiving a request to display the generated unique identifier and the message; and

restricting functionality of the computer system until the service authorizes restoration of full functionality of the computer system.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein providing the unique identifier for the computer system and the message for display comprises providing the unique identifier for the computer system and the message for display only after receiving a communication from the service.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein restricting the functionality of the computer system comprises disabling the computer system.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein restricting the functionality of the computer system comprises restricting the functionality of the computer system in accordance with an instruction from the service.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein restricting the functionality of the computer system in accordance with the instruction from the service comprises disabling access to the unique identifier after an operating system is loaded.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the computer system restoring the full functionality of the computer system in response to an instruction authorizing the restoration from the service.