Stolen computer detection and protection
AssigneeDell Products L.P.
InventorJames E. Dailey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stolen computer detection and protection method and system. The method and system detect a communication to at least a first data processing system from at least a second data processing system. In response to detection of the communication from the at least a second data processing system, determination is made as to whether the at least a second data processing system is stolen. If it is determined that the at least a second data processing system is stolen, the at least a second data processing system is disabled.
Claims47
A method comprising:
- detecting a communication to at least a first data processing system from at least a second data processing system;
- in response to said detecting, determining whether the at least a second data processing system is stolen;
- and
- in response to said determining, disabling the at least a second data processing system when the at least a second data processing system is determined stolen wherein said disabling the at least a second data processing system further comprises disabling the at least a second data processing system by one or more actions selected from the group comprising changing the system password, changing the disk access password, erasing memory, erasing disk drive storage, encrypting data stored, and destroying at least one system component.
An apparatus comprising:
- means for detecting a communication to at least a first data processing system from at least a second data processing system;
- means, responsive to said detecting, for determining whether the at least a second data processing system is stolen;
- and
- means, responsive to said determining, for disabling the at least a second data processing system when the at least a second data processing system is determined stolen wherein the means for disabling the at least a second data processing system further comprises a means for sending from the at least a first data processing system to the at least a second data processing system a disable-yourself message selected from the group comprising change system password message, change disk dive password message, erase memory message, erase disk drive message, encrypt data message, and destroy data message.
A program product comprising:
- means for detecting a communication to at least a first data processing system from at least a second data processing system;
- means, responsive to said detecting, for determining whether the at least a second data processing system is stolen;
- means, responsive to said determining, for disabling the at least a second data processing system when the at least a second data processing system is determined stolen wherein said means for disabling comprises a means for disabling the at least a second data processing system by one or more actions selected from the group comprising changing the system password, changing the disk access password, erasing memory, erasing disk drive storage, encrypting data stored, and destroying at least one system component;
- and
- signal bearing media bearing said means for detecting, means for determining, and means for disabling.
The program product of 45, wherein said means for retrieving a status associated with the unique identifier from the database further comprises:
- means for retrieving a status, associated with the unique identifier from the database, from the group comprising status stolen and status okay.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.