Systems and methods for device broadcast of location information when battery is low

• US 8,682,400 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F-Secure Corporation (F-Secure Oyj)
• Original Assignee: Lookout Incorporated
• Inventors: Mahaffey, Kevin Patrick, Hering, John Gunther, Burgess, James
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US13/842,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20130237191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• Field of Search: 455/572, 455/411, 455/456.1, 455418-420, 709/206, 709/223, 709/225, 726/1, 429/101, 340/5.83, 340/636.1
• US Class Current: 455/572
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/026 using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/30 Security of mobile devices; Security of mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Location information associated with a computing device may be transmitted from the computing device to a server. The transmitting of the location information may be performed in response to the battery of the computing device being at a low level. The location information may comprise a location of the computing device or information to identify the location of the computing device. As such, when the battery of the computing device approaches a low level, the location of the computing device may be transmitted from the computing device to a server. Thus, if the battery of the computing device is depleted, a user may obtain the last known location of the computing device that was transmitted when the battery was at a low level. The location information may also be used to identify the last known location for and to apply a security policy to the computing device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

on a mobile communications device, identifying that a battery level of the mobile communications device is below a threshold value;

obtaining, by the mobile communications device, location-related information associated with the mobile communications device at the time that the battery is level is identified as below the threshold value; and

at the mobile communications device, transmitting the location-related information to a server, the transmission initiated in response to the identification that the battery level of the mobile communications device is below the threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-related information comprises information related to a physical location of the mobile communications device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold value is before the battery is depleted.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at the mobile communications device an indication to recover the mobile communications device, and further wherein the step of identifying that the battery level is below the threshold value is performed in response to receiving the indication to recover the mobile communications device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-related information comprises Global Positioning System (GPS) information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-related information comprises cell tower information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-related information comprises Wi-Fi access point information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the location-related to the server in response to the identification that the battery level of the mobile communications device is below the threshold value is performed on a periodic basis.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

on a mobile communications device, identifying that a battery level of the mobile communications device is below a threshold value;

obtaining, by the mobile communications device, location-related information associated with the mobile communications device at the time that the battery is level is identified as below the threshold value; and

at the mobile communications device, transmitting the location-related information to a server, the transmission initiated in response to the identification that the battery level of the mobile communications device is below the threshold value.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the location-related information comprises information related to a physical location of the mobile communications device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the threshold value is before the battery is depleted.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise receiving at the mobile communications device an indication to recover the mobile communications device, and further wherein the operation of identifying that the battery level is below the threshold value is performed in response to receiving the indication to recover the mobile communications device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the location-related information comprises Global Positioning System (GPS) information.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the location-related information comprises cell tower information.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the location-related information comprises Wi-Fi access point information.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the transmitting of the location-related to the server in response to the identification that the battery level of the mobile communications device is below the threshold value is performed on a periodic basis.

17. A system comprising:

at least one processor on a mobile communications device that perform operations instructed by;

a module to identify, on a mobile communications device, that a battery level of the mobile communications device is below a threshold value;

a module to obtain, by the mobile communications device, location-related information associated with the mobile communications device at the time that the battery is level is identified as below the threshold value; and

a module to transmit, at the mobile communications device, the location-related information to a server, the transmission initiated in response to the identification that the battery level of the mobile communications device is below the threshold value.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the location-related information comprises information related to a physical location of the mobile communications device.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the threshold value is before the battery is depleted.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising a module to receive at the mobile communications device an indication to recover the mobile communications device, and further wherein the identifying that the battery level is below the threshold value is performed in response to receiving the indication to recover the mobile communications device.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the location-related information comprises Global Positioning System (GPS) information.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the location-related information comprises cell tower information.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the location-related information comprises Wi-Fi access point information.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the transmitting of the location-related to the server in response to the identification that the battery level of the mobile communications device is below the threshold value is performed on a periodic basis.