Remote application installation and control for a mobile device

• US 9,544,396 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2011
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lookout Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Lookout Incorporated
• Inventors: Richardson, David, Grubb, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAHEED, KHALID W
• Application Number:
  US13/295,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20120214451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,887 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/456.1, 455/414.1, 455/466
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/12 Protecting executable software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

In many cases, it is desirable to remotely install a software application on a mobile device that performs a function without requiring user intervention on the device, such as in the case where a device is lost or stolen. In one embodiment, a method implemented on the mobile device after installation of the software includes: determining an identifier for a computing device associated with the user; performing a function of the mobile device to obtain information regarding the mobile device; and sending the information for delivery to the computing device using the identifier. In one embodiment, software can be remotely installed on a device that, when installed, locates the device and transmits the location to an email address associated with the device so that a user can recover the device if it is lost or stolen.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing thereon software including computer-readable instructions to cause a mobile device of an authorized user to:

monitor the mobile device for an event, wherein the event is receipt of a first message sent by the authorized user to the mobile device, and the first message comprises a predetermined text string provided to the authorized user via a computing device other than the mobile device;

in response to detecting the event, automatically launching and executing the software to;

automatically determine a text or email address of the authorized user of the mobile device, wherein the text or email address is obtained from the mobile device;

perform, without requiring user intervention on the mobile device, a function of the mobile device to obtain information regarding the mobile device; and

send, from the mobile device, without notification of the sending to an unauthorized user in possession of the mobile device, a second message including the information to the text or email address of the authorized user.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the software is installed by the mobile device in response to a user request of the authorized user made prior to the performing the function of the mobile device.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the installation comprises downloading the software to the mobile device as an application from a marketplace server.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein a messaging server stores a messaging account corresponding to the text or email address of the authorized user, and the second message is sent to the messaging account.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the second message is selected from the group consisting of a text message and an email message.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second message comprises a link to a map that includes an indication of the geographic location of the mobile device.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein installation of the software is implemented by installation software running on the mobile device, and the installation software is configured to remotely install applications from a marketplace server.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the information is a geographic location of the mobile device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the information is first information, and the computer-readable instructions further cause the mobile device to display a message for the unauthorized user on a user interface of the mobile device, wherein the displayed message includes second information provided by the authorized user on a computing device other than the mobile device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the computing device other than the mobile device is a web server, the software is installed by the mobile device in response to a user request of the authorized user made prior to the performing the function of the mobile device and the second information is provided by the authorized user to the web server prior to installation of the software by the mobile device.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing thereon software including computer-readable instructions to cause a mobile device to:

in response to detecting an event by the mobile device, obtain a text or email address of an authorized user from the mobile device, wherein the event is receipt of a first message sent by the authorized user to the mobile device, the first message comprises a predetermined text string provided to the authorized user via a computing device other than the mobile device, and the predetermined text string is provided to the authorized user prior to receipt of the first message by the mobile device;

perform a function of the mobile device to obtain information regarding the mobile device; and

send a second message including the information to the text or email address of the authorized user, wherein the sending comprises sending the information to a server configured to send the second message to the authorized user.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the software is configured to launch automatically after installation by the mobile device in response to detecting the event, the software launching by declaring itself as a background application or as wanting to receive one or more defined events.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the software is an application configured for installation by the mobile device via a marketplace server, and the installation is initiated by a request received by the marketplace server from the authorized user to perform the installation.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the obtaining comprises using a software interface on the mobile device to obtain the address.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the server is configured to relay the second message to a computing device associated with the authorized user.

16. A system, comprising:

memory to store a plurality of applications for mobile devices including a first application; and

at least one processor coupled to access the memory and configured to;

receive a selection of the first application from a user; and

send the first application for installation by a mobile device of the user, wherein the first application is configured to, after installation;

automatically launch in response to detecting an event on the mobile device, wherein the event is receipt of a message sent by the user to the mobile device, and the message comprises a predetermined text string provided to the user via a computing device other than the mobile device,

automatically obtain, in response to detecting the event, a text or email address of the user from the mobile device,

execute, in response to detecting the event and without requiring user intervention on the mobile device, a function of the mobile device to obtain information regarding the mobile device, and

send, from the mobile device in response to detecting the event, a message including the information to the text or email address of the user.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the receiving the selection comprises receiving input provided by the user via a web page, and wherein each of the plurality of applications is an application for installation by one of the mobile devices.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a mobile device of a user, an application for installation by the mobile device, wherein the user need not be in possession of the mobile device during the installation;

installing, via the mobile device, the application by the mobile device, wherein the application is configured to launch automatically after the installation in response to detecting an event, the event is receipt of a first message sent by the user to the mobile device, and the first message comprises a predetermined text string provided to the user via a computing device other than the mobile device;

monitoring the mobile device for the event;

in response to detecting the event, automatically launching the application; and

in response to the launching the application, executing the application by the mobile device to;

automatically determine a text or email address of the user, wherein the text or email address is obtained from the mobile device;

perform, without requiring user intervention on the mobile device, a function of the mobile device to obtain information regarding the mobile device; and

send, from the mobile device, a second message including the information to the text or email address of the user.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the mobile device comprises a position identification unit, the function is the obtaining of location data using the position identification unit, and the information is based, at least in part, on the location data.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the executing of the application further comprises silently composing the second message without user notification or manual user action.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the information is a geographic location, and the sending the information comprises sending additional messages, each of the additional messages including a link to a map indicating an updated location of the mobile device.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the text or email address is obtained using a software interface on the mobile device.