Providing electronic device security and tracking information

• US 8,361,166 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Softex LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Softex Incorporated
• Inventors: Bhansali, Apurva Mahendrakumar, Jain, Manoj Kumar, Dube, Shradha, Rangarajan, Gayathri, Patel, Mehul Ramjibhai, Raikar, Rayesh Kashinath, Dhanani, Kamal Mansukhlal, Kapila, Ranjit, Varghese, Elza Abraham, Tucker, Thomas David
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tolentino, Roderick
• Application Number:
  US11/929,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20080141383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,918 Days
• Field of Search: 726/34, 726/35, 379 37- 45, 340287-291
• US Class Current: 726/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning

Abstract

A system and method for presenting electronic device security and tracking information. A method includes but is not limited to making accessible at least one first webpage capable of presenting a category for an electronic device registered with an electronic device security and tracking system and method (ESTSM) service; making accessible at least one second webpage capable of accepting a report that the electronic device has been stolen; and making accessible at least one third webpage capable of accepting at least one item of information pertaining to enablement of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A system for presenting security and tracking information for an electronic device, comprising:

a non-viewable component;

an application component connected to the non-viewable component, said application component capable of communicating with the non-viewable component, wherein said application component executes within an operating system environment;

a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) component connected to the non-viewable component; and

a server system capable of communicating through a secure medium with the application component,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to determine whether the non-viewable component is present and whether the non-viewable component has been tampered with,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to check integrity of the application component during a boot process for the electronic device,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to automatically cause the electronic device to restore the integrity of the application component, in response to a negative integrity check of the application component,

wherein the application component is substantially distinct from the BIOS component and the non-viewable component,

wherein the non-viewable component is configured to determine whether the application component is present and whether the application component has been tampered with, and

wherein the system is operable to make accessible

at least one first webpage capable of presenting a category for the electronic device, wherein the category includes a condition of the electronic device,

at least one second webpage capable of accepting a report that the electronic device has been stolen, and

at least one third webpage capable of accepting at least one item of information pertaining to enablement of the electronic device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the category includes a condition of normal activity or a condition of being disabled.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the category includes a condition of reported stolen.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the category includes a condition of being tracked.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the category includes a condition of being reported recovered and requiring an item of information pertaining to an enabling of a system boot.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one first webpage is capable of presenting a task button for performing an operation.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one second webpage is capable of accepting information of a location of a theft, information of a date and time of a theft, or a description of a theft incident.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one second webpage is capable of accepting a description of the electronic device or information of a monetary value of the electronic device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one third webpage is capable of accepting a password.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one third webpage is capable of accepting an item of information pertaining to an enabling of a system boot.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system is operable to make accessible

the at least one first webpage;

the at least one second webpage; and

the at least one third webpage.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is operable to support the operating system environment and operable to communicate with the server system, wherein the application component is configured to cause the electronic device to send, to the server system, a message that contains information of a location of the electronic device, and wherein the application component is configured to determine whether the electronic device has been reported stolen, based on information received from the server system.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-viewable component includes a validator module capable of determining whether the application component is present and whether the application component has been tampered with.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the BIOS component is configured to prevent the electronic device from booting to an operating system of the electronic device, in response to receiving notification that the electronic device has been reported stolen.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the application component is configured to notify the BIOS component that the electronic device has been reported stolen, in response to determining that the electronic device has been reported stolen.

16. A method for presenting security and tracking information for an electronic device, by an electronic device security and tracking system, the method comprising:

making accessible at least one first webpage capable of presenting a category for the electronic device;

making accessible at least one second webpage capable of accepting a report that the electronic device has been stolen; and

making accessible at least one third webpage capable of accepting at least one item of information pertaining to enablement of the electronic device,

wherein the system includes a non-viewable component, an application component that is connected to the non-viewable component, that is capable of communicating with the non-viewable component, and that executes within an operating system environment, a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) component connected to the non-viewable component, and a server system capable of communicating through a secure medium with the application component,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to determine whether the non-viewable component is present and whether the non-viewable component has been tampered with,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to check integrity of the application component during a boot process for the electronic device,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to automatically cause the electronic device to restore the integrity of the application component, in response to a negative integrity check of the application component,

wherein the application component is substantially distinct from the BIOS component and the non-viewable component, and

wherein the non-viewable component is configured to determine whether the application component is present and whether the application component has been tampered with.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the operation of making accessible the at least one first webpage comprises:

making accessible a task button for performing an operation.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the operation of making accessible the at least one third webpage comprises:

making accessible an interface feature for accepting a password.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the operation of making accessible the at least one third webpage comprises:

making accessible an interface feature for accepting an item of information pertaining to an enabling of the electronic device to complete a system boot.

20. A computer system for presenting security and tracking information for an electronic device, comprising:

a memory;

a processor;

a non-viewable component;

an application component that is connected to the non-viewable component, that is capable of communicating with the non-viewable component, and that executes within an operating system environment; and

a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) component connected to the non-viewable component,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to determine whether the non-viewable component is present and whether the non-viewable component has been tampered with,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to check integrity of the application component during a boot process for the electronic device,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to automatically cause the electronic device to restore the integrity of the application component, in response to a negative integrity check of the application component,

wherein the application component is substantially distinct from the BIOS component and the non-viewable component,

wherein the non-viewable component is configured to determine whether the application component is present and whether the application component has been tampered with, and

wherein the processor is operably coupleable to the memory to

present at least one first webpage capable of presenting a category for the electronic device, wherein the category includes a condition of the electronic device,

present at least one second webpage capable of accepting a report that the electronic device has been stolen, and

present at least one third webpage capable of accepting at least one item of information pertaining to enablement of the electronic device.

21. A non-transitory machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a computer system, cause said computer system to perform operations comprising:

making available for access at least one first webpage capable of presenting a category for an electronic device;

making available for access at least one second webpage capable of accepting a report that the electronic device has been stolen; and

making available for access at least one third webpage capable of accepting at least one item of information pertaining to enablement of the electronic device,

wherein said computer system includes;

a non-viewable component,

an application component that is connected to the non-viewable component, that is capable of communicating with the non-viewable component, and that executes within an operating system environment, and

a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) component connected to the non-viewable component, and

a server system capable of communicating through a secure medium with the application component,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to determine whether the non-viewable component is present and whether the non-viewable component has been tampered with,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to check integrity of the application component during a boot process for the electronic device,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to automatically cause the electronic device to restore the integrity of the application component, in response to a negative integrity check of the application component,

wherein the application component is substantially distinct from the BIOS component and the non-viewable component, and

wherein the non-viewable component is configured to determine whether the application component is present and whether the application component has been tampered with.