Patent Application
20100229220
The present invention relates in general, to theft prevention and data recovery for lost portable devices, and more particularly, to tracking, theft prevention, data recovery, and privacy protection for lost or stolen portable devices with IP (Internet protocol) connectivity such as cell phones, laptops, personal digital assistants, other portable consumer electronics, and other portable commercial electronics.
The introduction of smartphones such as iPhone and Google phones (e.g., G1) has fundamentally changed the landscape of the mobile phone and PC (personal computer) related industries. On one hand, a smartphone has become a mini-PC; a user can install all kinds of application software. In addition to the common functions in a feature phone, users nowadays store personal data, browse the Web, read and write emails, and take and view pictures and videos. On the other hand, a portable PC such as a laptop or a special-purpose portable device such as a PDA (personal digital assistant) or a PMP (portable media player) is sometimes equipped with mobile voice functionality. The consumer prefers to carry only a single portable all-in-one device; this trend is obvious and inevitable.
As the devices become smaller and the features become richer, the value of lost portable devices becomes greater. There are two kinds of value in a lost or stolen portable device. One is obviously the economic value of replacing the lost device, and the other is the loss of intangible private data.
Hereafter, a mobile phone device is meant to be a device that is equipped for mobile voice service (cellular or voice over IP). In such a device, a personal contact list is always present. In a more elaborate device, emails, personal profiles, family pictures and videos, and other private data are often present. If the individual user is a business executive, the stored data can be highly valuable.
Even for ordinary consumers, if a lost portable device contains irreplaceable private data, the intangible cost can be very high. Therefore, it is easy to build a business case for theft prevention, data recovery, and privacy protection for lost portable devices.
The present invention, called gTrack, provides a system and methods to prevent theft, recover data, and protect privacy for any lost or stolen portable device that is either costly to replace or costly in the loss of private data.
The functions provided by gTrack are divided into three groups: theft recovery (TR), data recovery (DR), and privacy protection (PP). The DR functions can also be used as backup synchronization (BS) functions.
In all these operations, communications between a lost device and an authorized user are done through an IP or Internet connection. A key differentiator of the present invention is that all communications are conducted in two possible ways: either P2P (peer-to-peer) or client-server. In particular, the IP location of a lost device can be obtained through a P2P search algorithm based on DHT (distributed hash table). Such an algorithm has the distinction that the needed distributed infrastructure is either serverless or server-based.
Theft recovery is a well-known concept; in the car industry, the famous example is the LoJack vehicle recovery system. This idea has been extended to all kinds of devices and assets, including cell phones and PCs. One differentiator of the present invention is that the anti-theft functions uniquely leverage on IP connections via a P2P or client-server infrastructure.
Data recovery is another well-known concept; however, in the context of the present invention, the reason for data recovery is not device damage, but the loss of a device due to theft or inadvertent events. A key differentiator of gTrack is that the data recovery operations are designed as a subset of backup synchronization operations. Therefore, DR operations, according to the present invention, are BS operations after the loss of a device.
Privacy protection is yet another classic concept in the Internet era. A key differentiator of the present invention is that the gTrack TR-DR-PP software cannot be uninstalled by an ordinary means; the software will re-install itself in the background if the uninstall is not done by an authorized user. The PP operations are either automatic or started by an authorized user.
Yet another key differentiator of the present invention is that in a group of embodiments, gTrack TR-DR-PP functionality is offered in conjunction with a property insurance product that protects against loss or theft of a portable device. This combination makes sense as the TR-DR-PP functionality creates strong incentives for a non-owner to return a stolen or lost portable device.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention, through a system called gTrack, to accomplish three classes of operations: theft recovery (TR), data recovery (DR), and privacy protection (PP), for a portable device with an IP connection that is stolen or inadvertently lost.
A device suitable for the gTrack system is one that is portable and IP connectable. Therefore, the set of applicable devices includes any portable device with or without mobile voice service, portable PCs, portable consumer electronic devices, and portable commercial electronic devices.
The three sets of operation (TR, DR, and PP) are activated automatically once a device is operated without proper authorization. All communications between an authorized user and a lost device are done through a P2P or client-server infrastructure, or both.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the IP address discovery and tracking of a lost device is optionally accomplished through a DHT-based distributed P2P infrastructure, with or without servers.
The set of theft recovery operations includes: locking a lost portable device, reporting the location of a lost device, and reporting private user data.
The set of data recovery operations includes: data transfers between a lost device and an authorized storage system, and backing up sensitive data from a lost device.
The set of privacy protection operations includes: deletion of sensitive data, sending alerts to the law enforcement authorities and an authorized user, logging out from online accounts, and preventing unauthorized uninstalls.
The gTrack system can be integrated with a property insurance product that protects against loss or theft of portable devices. The gTrack features provide a strong incentive for a non-owner to return a lost portable device, thus reducing the operational expenditure of the insurance business.
The above and other objects and features in accordance with the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions of embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and in which:
The present invention enables a system called gTrack, which deals with devices that can be easily stolen or misplaced. Thus, such a device is one that is lightweight enough to be hand-carried. In addition, the device must have IP connectivity.
Optionally, the device should be trackable: it could be tracked approximately with location coordinates such as {latitude, longitude} pairs. Such trackability is usually accomplished by a GPS (global position system) receiver. However, a device can also be tracked to within proximity using the IP address to which the device is attached. The gTrack system works with a device with or without GPS trackability. Hereafter, the devices suitable for gTrack will be called portable devices.
A particular class of devices suitable for gTrack is those equipped with mobile voice capability. In sum, gTrack-suitable devices include, while not being restricted to, PCs (laptops, palmtops, desktops, tablets, and ultra mobile PCs), feature phones, smartphones, PDAs, PMPs, game stations, switches, routers, other consumer electronic devices, and other commercial electronic devices.
The description of the gTrack system is divided into two parts: communications and data.
First, communications between a portable device and other IP devices are conducted according to either the P2P or client-server model, or both. A key differentiator of gTrack in communications is the use of DHT-based overlay networks for storing and retrieving IP addresses of connected portable devices.
A DHT-based overlay infrastructure is a P2P network of peer nodes; each peer node acts both as a server and as a client. A peer or overlay node does not have to be computing or communication resourceful; it only has to perform basic computing and communications functions, while it can attach to or detach from an overlay network intermittently.
A DHT-system is set up as a distributed database. A key is used as the inquiry input to retrieve a data item from the distributed database, using a DHT mapping in the store and retrieval mechanism. In the present invention, a search key is the identifier of a portable device, and a primary data item for retrieval is the active IP address of a portable device.
To use a DHT-based overlay, it is required that each portable device has a unique global identifier. For a mobile phone device, it is most natural to use the phone number (the international standard is E.164) as its unique identifier. For a non-phone device, or a mobile phone device using a VoIP (voice over IP) number—which identifies the user than the device—the natural choice is the MAC (media access control) address, which is globally unique. While MAC addresses are a good choice, they are not a user-friendly. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an email address or a phone number is used as the primary identifier for the set of gTrack-protected devices owned by a user. Then a user employs a secondary identifier to differentiate between his different devices. As the secondary identifier is chosen by individual users; these identifiers are user-friendly. Thus a gTrack system allows a composite identifier for a portable device in the form of {email address or phone number, secondary identifier}.
Hereafter, the terms portable device and node will be used interchangeably.
Message transactions between nodes inside and outside of a gTrack overlay are illustrated in
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a user can retrieve data using a laptop 205 that runs a client version of gTrack, referred as gTrack-CL. The gTrack-CL module will issue a LOOKUP message L 202 to the overlay network containing a node identifier PN1 with an associated password PW1. The DHT search algorithm ensures correctness in that the LOOKUP message L 202 of the information stored by ADVERTISEMENT message A 200 will be forwarded to node N where message A had previously being stored. Upon receiving L, node N checks password PW1 against the identifier PN1 (in
It should be noted that, while a gTrack-CL module may be part of a gTrack overlay, it can also reside outside of a gTrack overlay. A gTrack-CL module can communicate with a gTrack overlay from outside through a gateway of the intended overlay; this situation is illustrated in
In most embodiments of the present invention, all messages—ADVERTISEMENT, LOOKUP, and RESPONSE—are delivered via an encrypted medium such as a secure socket layer (e.g., HTTPS).
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, ADVERTISEMENT messages are sent periodically. In particular, an ADVERTISEMENT message is sent every time the IP address or the location of the portable device changes, with a preset minimum time between transmissions. A summary of example messages is depicted in
In another embodiment of the present invention, a gTrack system is implemented via a server-based infrastructure, as illustrated in
In a particular embodiment of the present invention, both gTrack-MD and gTrack-CL modules are installed on the same portable device; thus, a user can identify the current location of a portable device using the same device or another device running these modules.
The data part of the gTrack operations are divided into three groups: theft recovery (TR), data recovery (DR), and privacy protection (PP).
The set of theft recovery operations includes: (1) locking a lost portable device, (2) reporting the location of a lost device, and (3) reporting private user data.
For TR operations, an unauthorized use of a portable device is characterized by one of the following: (1) failure to authorize for operating the device, (2) failure to authorize for uninstalling the gTrack software, (3) attempt to use the device after it has been set to “user locked mode” by an authorized user. If an authorized user has decided that a missing portable device has been lost, he can use a gTrack-CL module to instruct the missing device to lock. Such a locked mode is called “user locked” to be distinguished from the “automatic locked mode.” A gTrack portable device will enter into the “automatic locked mode” once the device has been operated without authorization.
A gTrack portable device in the locked mode (either user or automatic mode) will forward the location coordinates (when available) of the locked portable device on a periodic basis or upon request from an authorized user, to preselected accounts through a gTrack-CL module. Upon request, a gTrack portable device in the automatic locked mode will also send private user data (such as contact list, emails, etc.) from a lost device to preselected accounts. This action will expose an unauthorized user's private data, making a stolen device dangerous to use.
Usually, data recovery operations are performed during a locked mode to recover private data stored in a lost portable device. However, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the same operations are also allowed in the non-locked mode. In the non-locked mode, these operations are part of the normal backup synchronization process.
The present invention enables automatic file transfers between a gTrack portable device and a selected storage system. The storage system can be attached to a PC, or another computing device, or a Web-based storage system. The files have to be preselected by a gTrack user in automatic transfers. A gTrack device will start an automatic transfer, after a set minimum wait time between backups, or upon detection of sufficient modifications to the selected files. In the manual file transfer mode, an authorized user selects the files to be transferred between a portable device and a storage system. The gTrack file transfer functions can also be used as a restoration measure—if some files have been lost or damaged, gTrack-MD can be used to restore affected files via transferring from a storage system.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the privacy protection operations are all performed in a locked mode. These operations include: deletion of sensitive private data, sending alerts to the law enforcement authorities and authorized users, logging out from online accounts, and preventing unauthorized uninstalls of the gTrack software.
Again, these operations can be done in an automatic or manual mode. In the automatic mode, all specifications (which files or data to delete, where to send alerts, which accounts to logout, etc.) are set either by default or an authorized user. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, in the manual mode, an authorized user is enabled to take effective control of the lost device, whenever the device is online, through an IP connection.
As part of theft recovery features, the present invention also provides a unique method to prevent unauthorized uninstall of critical software such as the gTrack applications. To operate a portable device, a user is often required to be authenticated through a login process via a password or biometric verification. However, it is rare to require an authentication to uninstall critical applications. As gTrack provides a critical defense against malicious users, as an option, the gTrack software comes with an anti-theft uninstall protection mechanism.
The uninstall protection mechanism in accordance with one aspect of the present invention is a general process that is applicable to all software; not just the gTrack software. This general process is illustrated in
It is clear that the combined features offered by the TR-DR-PP operations will strongly inhibit a non-owner to use or sell a lost or stolen portable device. Thus, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a gTrack system is combined with property insurance products that protect against loss or theft of portable devices. The use of gTrack will greatly reduce the systemic risks of people stealing or not returning a lost portable device. The Track system is operated either by an insurance business or a third party vendor.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/209,053, filed Mar. 3, 2009, the disclosure of which is herein expressly incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61209053 | Mar 2009 | US |
