Method of monitoring a portable electronic device and a server for monitoring same

摘要

A system for locating and monitoring electronic devices utilizing a security system that is secretly and transparently embedded within the computer. This security system causes the client computer to periodically and conditionally call a host system to report its serial number via an encoded series of dialed numbers. A host monitoring system receives calls from various clients and determines which calls to accept and which to reject by comparing the decoded client serial numbers with a predefined and updated list of numbers corresponding to reported stolen computers. The host also concurrently obtains the caller ID of the calling client to determine the physical location of the client computer. The caller ID and the serial number are subsequently transmitted to a notifying station in order to facilitate the recovery of the stolen device. The security system remains hidden from the user, and actively resists attempts to disable it.

主权项

1. A method for monitoring a portable electronic device having a location, comprising:
determining in a monitoring computer that communication to a portable electronic device should be established; preparing a message in the monitoring computer; sending the message from the monitoring computer to the portable electronic device; silently and invisibly receiving the message in the portable electronic device, wherein the portable electronic device performs a security action based on the message; the monitoring computer receiving, from the portable electronic device, information indicating the location of the portable electronic device; and the monitoring computer sending said information to one or more of an email inbox, a mobile telephone, a pager and a fax machine.