Remotely Locating and Commanding a Mobile Device

• US 20100279675A1
• Filed: 03/30/2010
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Slack, Stuart, Sharp, Christopher Brooke, McCarthy, Brendan A., Guenther, Carsten
• Granted Patent: US 8,670,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• 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 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus are presented for processing a remote lock command message. In one aspect, a method includes receiving, by a mobile device, a remote lock command message comprising a lock command and specifying a passcode to be set by the mobile device, locking the mobile device in response to the received remote lock command message, setting an unlock passcode associated with the mobile device to the specified passcode, and generating an acknowledgement message in response to the remote lock command message. Further, receiving the remote lock command message can include accessing a subscribed topic hosted on a notification service, the subscribed topic being associated with a lock command, and retrieving the remote lock command message from the subscribed topic. Additionally, locking the mobile device can include locking a display such that access to information stored on the mobile device and device functionality are blocked.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile device, a remote lock command message comprising a lock command and specifying a passcode to be set;

locking the mobile device in response to the received remote lock command message;

setting an unlock passcode associated with the mobile device to the specified passcode; and

generating an acknowledgement message in response to the remote lock command message.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving further comprises:

accessing a subscribed topic hosted on a notification service, the subscribed topic being associated with a lock command; and

retrieving the remote lock command message from the subscribed topic.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the subscribed topic is uniquely associated with the mobile device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, prior to setting the unlock passcode, that the specified passcode complies with an implemented security constraint of the mobile device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

publishing the acknowledgement message to a notification service.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

publishing the acknowledgement message in substantially real time.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating an acknowledgement message further comprises:

including a time stamp indicating a time at which the remote lock command message was received.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein locking the mobile device further comprises:

locking a display associated with the mobile device such that access to one or more of information stored on the mobile device and functionality of the mobile device is blocked.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein setting an unlock passcode further comprises:

initializing an unlock passcode associated with the mobile device.

10. A computer-readable medium, tangibly encoding a computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

accessing a subscribed topic hosted on a notification service, the subscribed topic corresponding to a mobile device;

retrieving a remote lock command message included in the subscribed topic;

locking the mobile device in response to the remote lock command message; and

publishing an acknowledgement message to the notification service.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

identifying a passcode specified by the remote lock command message;

detecting that the specified passcode does not comply with a security constraint implemented by the mobile device; and

determining, in response to the detecting, not to reset an unlock passcode associated with the mobile device.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

including a passcode error message in the acknowledgement message.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

locking the mobile device by locking a display such that access to one or more of information stored on the mobile device and functionality of the mobile device is blocked.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

including a time stamp in the acknowledgement message indicating a time at which the remote lock command message was executed.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

including an indication that the mobile device was locked in the acknowledgement message.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

establishing a connection to the notification service over a wireless data connection.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the subscribed topic is included in a command collection associated with the notification service that uniquely corresponds to the mobile device.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

resetting an unlock password associated with the mobile device based on the specified passcode.

19. A system comprising:

a server hosting a notification service including a plurality of topics; and

a mobile device including processor electronics configured to perform operations comprising;

accessing a subscribed topic hosted on the notification service, the subscribed topic corresponding to the mobile device;

opening a remote lock command message included in the subscribed topic, the remote lock command message comprising a lock command and a specified passcode;

locking the mobile device in response to the remote lock command message;

setting an unlock passcode associated with the mobile device to the specified passcode; and

publishing an acknowledgement message to the notification service.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor electronics are further configured to perform operations comprising:

including in the acknowledgement message an indication confirming that the unlock passcode has been set to the specified passcode and a time stamp identifying a time at which the remote lock command message was received.