Process for capturing and transmitting window screen display data

• US 9,245,156 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2014
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Absolute Software Corporation
• Original Assignee: Absolute Software Corporation
• Inventors: Cox, Trevor, Loveland, Damien
• Primary Examiner(s): Nabi, Reza
• Application Number:
  US14/190,038
• Publication Number:
  US 20140182002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 715/740
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32

Abstract

A process is disclosed for capturing screenshots on an electronic device of a user, and for transmitting representations of the captured screenshots to a monitoring system for storage. The captured screenshot data may, for example, be used to recover a device that is lost or stolen.

Claims

1. A method performed by an electronic host device to facilitate recovery thereof when the electronic host device is stolen, the method comprising:

capturing, in a memory of the electronic host device, multiple sequences of screen displays, each sequence corresponding to a different window displayed on a display of the electronic host device, each screen display captured in response to an action performed by a user of the electronic host device;

generating a compressed representation of each sequence of screen displays; and

transmitting the compressed representations of the sequences of screen displays over a network from the electronic host device to a computer system;

wherein said capturing comprises;

keeping a respective file open for each of the windows, and updating the respective file with screen display data captured from the corresponding window when a screen display of the corresponding window changes; and

in response to a first of said files reaching a predetermined size, closing the first file while the corresponding window is still open and starting a new file for said corresponding window.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting each compressed representation comprises transmitting the closed first file while the corresponding window is still open.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising closing a second of said files in response to the window corresponding to said second file being closed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of files is kept open for one of the windows, each of said plurality of files corresponding to a different website accessed via said one window.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmission of a compressed representation is started in response to closure of a corresponding window.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, by execution of instructions by the electronic host device, logging, and transmitting to the computer system, keystrokes detected on the electronic host device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the keystrokes are recorded in one or more files which are different from the files corresponding to the windows.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed in response to the electronic host device receiving, over a network, a message generated in response to a reported theft of the electronic host device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed in response to detection of a threshold number of unsuccessful password entry attempts on the electronic host device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, by execution of instructions by the electronic host device, transmitting location information to the computer system, said location information reflecting a current location of the electronic host device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said capturing, generating and transmitting are performed by the electronic host device under control of executable instructions that run on the electronic host device in a stealth mode.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the executable instructions comprise a module that is operative to begin running on the electronic host device at startup, before an operating system of the electronic host device begins running.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the sequences of screen displays comprises:

detecting a click or keystroke action performed by the user in a first window;

determining whether the click or keystroke action caused the first window to become closed; and

in response to determining that the click or keystroke action did not cause the first window to become closed, generating a screen capture corresponding to the click or keystroke action.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting a subsequent click or keystroke action that causes the first window to become closed; and

in response to determining that the subsequent click or keystroke action caused the first window to become closed, initiating said transmission of a file corresponding to the first window.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein each screen display is captured in response to a respective user action performed on the electronic host device by a user whose actions are being monitored by executable software that runs on the electronic host device in a stealth mode.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores executable instructions that direct an electronic host device to perform a method for facilitating recovery of the electronic host device when the electronic host device is stolen, the method comprising:

concurrently maintaining open on the electronic host device at least a first file that corresponds to a first window and a second file that corresponds to a second window;

updating the first file with window shot data captured from the first window in response to user actions that cause a display in the first window to change;

updating the second file with window shot data captured from the second window in response to user actions that cause a display in the second window to change; and

in response to the first file reaching a threshold size, and while the first window remains open;

closing the first file and transmitting the first file on a computer network to a computer system, to thereby communicate to the computer system a representation of a sequence of window shots taken from the first window; and

opening a third file that corresponds to the first window.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the representation of the sequence of window shots is compressed.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising closing and transmitting the second file in response to the second window being closed.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first file is one of a plurality of files maintained open for said first window, each of said plurality of files corresponding to a different respective website accessed via the first window.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method comprises capturing an initial window shot of the sequence at a first resolution, and capturing at least one subsequent window shot of the sequence at a second resolution that is lower than the first resolution.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein updating the first file comprises:

detecting a click or keystroke action performed by the user in the first window;

determining whether the click or keystroke action caused the first window to become closed; and

in response to determining that the click or keystroke action did not cause the first window to become closed, generating a window shot corresponding to the click or keystroke action.