Alert for real-time risk of theft or loss
First Claim
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1. A computer-implemented method of alerting electronic device users of theft risk, comprising:
- monitoring the locations of a plurality of electronic devices, wherein monitoring said locations comprises receiving identification and location information reported by said electronic devices regarding their current locations;
monitoring theft statuses of the electronic devices, at least some of said theft statuses being based on theft events reported by users of the electronic devices;
determining, based on the monitored locations and monitored theft statuses of the electronic devices, that a first electronic device of said plurality of electronic devices is in a high theft risk zone, said determining comprising automatically classifying the zone as currently having a high theft risk based as least partly on a detected presence within the zone of a second electronic device that is reported as stolen; and
in response to determining that the first electronic device is in the high theft risk zone, causing an alert to be provided to a user of the first electronic device;
said method performed automatically by a computerized system.
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Abstract
Devices, methods, systems and a computer readable medium for the provision of alerts to electronic devices in response to real-time, location based analysis of the risk of theft or loss of such devices are provided. A continually updated database of locations of thefts, losses and/or stolen or lost electronic devices is accessed in order to provide the alerts to the electronic devices.
52 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method of alerting electronic device users of theft risk, comprising:
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monitoring the locations of a plurality of electronic devices, wherein monitoring said locations comprises receiving identification and location information reported by said electronic devices regarding their current locations; monitoring theft statuses of the electronic devices, at least some of said theft statuses being based on theft events reported by users of the electronic devices; determining, based on the monitored locations and monitored theft statuses of the electronic devices, that a first electronic device of said plurality of electronic devices is in a high theft risk zone, said determining comprising automatically classifying the zone as currently having a high theft risk based as least partly on a detected presence within the zone of a second electronic device that is reported as stolen; and in response to determining that the first electronic device is in the high theft risk zone, causing an alert to be provided to a user of the first electronic device; said method performed automatically by a computerized system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A first mobile electronic device comprising a processor and memory, said first mobile electronic device configured to alert a user of a real-time risk of theft by at least:
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transmitting information indicative of a current location of the first mobile electronic device to a server, receiving information from the server that identifies the current location as corresponding to an elevated theft risk, said information, received from the server, based at least partly on a detected presence, within a selected distance of the current location, of a second mobile electronic device that is reported as stolen, and in response to receiving said information, outputting an alert to a user of the first mobile electronic device. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon executable program code that directs a computer system to at least:
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monitor locations of mobile electronic devices, including mobile electronic devices that are reported as stolen; define, based at least partly on the monitored locations of the mobile electronic devices that are reported as stolen, a zone in which a theft risk is elevated, wherein the elevated theft risk zone is defined based at least partly on a detected current or recent location of a mobile electronic device that is reported as stolen; detect that a mobile electronic device that is not reported as stolen is in said zone in which the theft risk is elevated; and
generate an alert in response to detecting that the mobile electronic device is in said zone. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification