Securely Locating a Device

• US 20090098857A1
• Filed: 11/12/2007
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: De Atley, Dallas
• Granted Patent: US 8,977,294 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer-readable medium for securely locating a mobile device. In one implementation, a method is provided. The method includes receiving first information from a first device, where the first information is usable to identify a geographic location of the first device. The first information is verified as originating from the first device. A first request for the geographic location of the first device is received, where the first request includes second information associated with a user associated with the first device. The geographic location of the first device is provided to the user at a second device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving first information from a first device, the first information usable to identify a geographic location of the first device;

verifying that the first information originated from the first device;

receiving a first request for the geographic location of the first device, the first request including second information associated with a user associated with the first device; and

providing the geographic location of the first device to the user at a second device.

2. The method of claim 1, where the second information associated with the user is an identifier of the user, and the method further comprises:

after verifying that the first information originated from the first device, storing the geographic location of the first device in a repository; and

in response to receiving the first request, indexing into the repository using the second information to retrieve the geographic location of the first device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving the first request, transmitting a second request to the first device for an updated geographic location of the first device; and

receiving third information from the first device, the third information usable to identify an updated geographic location of the first device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving third information from the first device, the third information identifying the first device, where the third information is used to verify that the first information originated from the first device.

5. The method of claim 4, where the first information and the third information are received from the first device in a DNS message.

6. The method of claim 1, where

the first information is included in a text message that is digitally signed with a private key of the first device;

and

verifying that the first information originated from the first device further comprises authenticating the digitally signed text message.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a map of the geographic location of the first device to the user at the second device.

8. The method of claim 1, where the first device is a mobile device that includes a telephony application.

9. The method of claim 1, where the first device is a mobile device that includes a multi-touch-sensitive display.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the geographic location of the first device is outside a region specified by the user and, if the geographic location of the first device is outside the region, causing data stored on the first device to be erased, where the data to be erased is specified by the user.

11. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving first information from a first device, the first information usable to identify a geographic location of the first device;

verifying that the first information originated from the first device;

receiving a first request for the geographic location of the first device, the first request including second information associated with a user associated with the first device; and

providing the geographic location of the first device to the user at a second device.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, where the second information associated with the user is an identifier of the user, and the instructions cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

after verifying that the first information originated from the first device, storing the geographic location of the first device in a repository; and

in response to receiving the first request, indexing into the repository using the second information to retrieve the geographic location of the first device.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, where the instructions cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

in response to receiving the first request, transmitting a second request to the first device for an updated geographic location of the first device; and

receiving third information from the first device, the third information usable to identify an updated geographic location of the first device.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, where the instructions cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

receiving third information from the first device, the third information identifying the first device, where the third information is used to verify that the first information originated from the first device.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the first information and the third information are received from the first device in a DNS message.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, where

the first information is included in a text message that is digitally signed with a private key of the first device;

and

verifying that the first information originated from the first device further comprises authenticating the digitally signed text message.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, where the instructions cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

providing a map of the geographic location of the first device to the user at the second device.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, where the first device is a mobile device that includes a telephony application.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, where the first device is a mobile device that includes a multi-touch-sensitive display.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, where the instructions cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

determining if the geographic location of the first device is outside a region specified by the user and, if the geographic location of the first device is outside the region, causing data stored on the first device to be erased, where the data to be erased is specified by the user.

21. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the processor and including instructions, which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving first information from a first device, the first information usable to identify a geographic location of the first device;

verifying that the first information originated from the first device;

receiving a first request for the geographic location of the first device, the first request including second information associated with a user associated with the first device; and

providing the geographic location of the first device to the user at a second device.

22. The system of claim 21, where the processor performs operations further comprising:

receiving third information from the first device, the third information identifying the first device, where the third information is used to verify that the first information originated from the first device.

23. The system of claim 22, where the first information and the third information are received from the first device in a DNS message.

24. The system of claim 21, where

the first information is included in a text message that is digitally signed with a private key of the first device;

and

verifying that the first information originated from the first device further comprises authenticating the digitally signed text message.

25. The system of claim 21, where the processor performs operations further comprising:

providing a map of the geographic location of the first device to the user at the second device.