# US 12,225,433 B2 · Tracking device functionality restriction in a lost context > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,225,433 B2 - Document ID: US12225433B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/622,731 - Filed: 2024-03-29 - Published: 2024-07-18 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2018-01-04 - Assignees: Tile, Inc. - Applicants: Tile, Inc. - Inventors: Dan Danknick - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12225433B2 ## CPC - H04W 4/029: Location-based management or tracking services - H04L 67/52: specially adapted for the location of the user terminal - H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)} - H04M 1/72412: using two-way short-range wireless interfaces - H04M 1/72415: for remote control of appliances - H04W 4/021: Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences - H04W 4/023: {using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds} - H04W 4/50: Service provisioning or reconfiguring - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - H04W 12/126: Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning - H04W 12/37: Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications - H04W 12/63: Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract One or more features of a tracking device can be disabled if the tracking device is lost. A tracking device is associated with a first mobile device, which can remotely control the tracking device via a tracking server. The tracking server receives an instruction from the first mobile device to disable a feature of the tracking device. The tracking server also receives a notification from a second mobile device that the second mobile device is within a communication range of the tracking device. In response to receiving the instruction and the notification, the tracking server transmits the instruction for the tracking device to disable the feature to the second mobile device. The tracking device receives the instruction to disable the feature from the second mobile device. In response to receiving the instruction to disable the feature, the tracking device disables the feature according to the instruction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for disabling a feature of a tracking device, comprising: determining, by a tracking server, that the tracking device is lost, the tracking server configured to determine that the tracking device is lost based at least in part in response to determining that a mobile device associated with the tracking device has not communicatively coupled to the tracking device for more than a threshold amount of time, the tracking device comprising a camera with one or more camera functions and one or more wireless communication functions; in response to determining that the tracking device is lost, disabling, by the tracking server, one or more of the camera functions of the tracking device using a disable signal sent to the tracking device via a second mobile device within a communicative range of the tracking device; in response to a passage of a second threshold interval of time after determining that the tracking device is lost without communicatively coupling to the mobile device, disabling, by the tracking server, one or more of the wireless communication functions tracking device; and in response to subsequently communicatively coupling to the mobile device, automatically enabling, by the tracking server, all disabled camera functions and communication functions of the tracking device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking server is further configured to determine that the tracking device is lost based on a communication received from the second mobile device in communicative range of the tracking device, the second mobile device different from the first mobile device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the communication from the second mobile device includes a flag indicating that the tracking device has been marked as lost by a user associated with the tracking device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein marking the tracking device as lost comprises indicating, by the user to the tracking server that the tracking device is lost, the tracking device configured to receive information from the second mobile device indicating that the tracking device is lost. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking device comprises a software development kit (SDK) implemented within the camera. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold amount of time is selected by a user associated with the tracking device. ### Claim 7 A tracking server, comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the tracking server to perform steps comprising: determining, by the tracking server, that the tracking device is lost, the tracking server configured to determine that the tracking device is lost based at least in part in response to determining that a mobile device associated with the tracking device has not communicatively coupled to the tracking device for more than a threshold amount of time, the tracking device comprising a camera with one or more camera functions and one or more wireless communication functions; in response to determining that the tracking device is lost, disabling, by the tracking server, one or more of the camera functions of the tracking device using a disable signal sent to the tracking device via a second mobile device within a communicative range of the tracking device; in response to a passage of a second threshold interval of time after determining that the tracking device is lost without communicatively coupling to the mobile device, disabling, by the tracking server, one or more of the wireless communication functions tracking device; and in response to subsequently communicatively coupling to the mobile device, automatically enabling, by the tracking server, all disabled camera functions and communication functions of the tracking device; and a processor configured to execute the instructions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The tracking server of claim 7, wherein the tracking server is further configured to determine that the tracking device is lost based on a communication received from the second mobile device in communicative range of the tracking device, the second mobile device different from the first mobile device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The tracking server of claim 8, wherein the communication from the second mobile device includes a flag indicating that the tracking device has been marked as lost by a user associated with the tracking device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The tracking server of claim 9, wherein marking the tracking device as lost comprises indicating, by the user to the tracking server that the tracking device is lost, the tracking device configured to receive information from the second mobile device indicating that the tracking device is lost. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The tracking server of claim 7, wherein the tracking device comprises a software development kit (SDK) implemented within the camera. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The tracking server of claim 7, wherein the threshold amount of time is selected by a user associated with the tracking device. ### Claim 13 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for disabling a feature of a tracking device, the instructions, when executed by a processor of a tracking server, configured to cause the processor to perform steps comprising: determining, by the tracking server, that the tracking device is lost, the tracking server configured to determine that the tracking device is lost based at least in part in response to determining that a mobile device associated with the tracking device has not communicatively coupled to the tracking device for more than a threshold amount of time, the tracking device comprising a camera with one or more camera functions and one or more wireless communication functions; in response to determining that the tracking device is lost, disabling, by the tracking server, one or more of the camera functions of the tracking device using a disable signal sent to the tracking device via a second mobile device within a communicative range of the tracking device; in response to a passage of a second threshold interval of time after determining that the tracking device is lost without communicatively coupling to the mobile device, disabling, by the tracking server, one or more of the wireless communication functions tracking device; and in response to subsequently communicatively coupling to the mobile device, automatically enabling, by the tracking server, all disabled camera functions and communication functions of the tracking device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the tracking server is further configured to determine that the tracking device is lost based on a communication received from the second mobile device in communicative range of the tracking device, the second mobile device different from the first mobile device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the communication from the second mobile device includes a flag indicating that the tracking device has been marked as lost by a user associated with the tracking device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein marking the tracking device as lost comprises indicating, by the user to the tracking server that the tracking device is lost, the tracking device configured to receive information from the second mobile device indicating that the tracking device is lost. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the tracking device comprises a software development kit (SDK) implemented within the camera. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the threshold amount of time is selected by a user associated with the tracking device.