Apparatus and system for lost/stolen data storage device recovery

Abstract

A recoverable data storage apparatus including a hand-portable housing configured with an input/output (I/O) port presented outwardly therefrom, a data storage means retained within the housing and operatively coupled with the input/output port, and a client agent embodied as device-executable code residing on the data storage device and configured. When executed on a network-linked computing device, the client agent is configured to establish communication with a remote server and receive data indicating a possession status of the data storage apparatus. A device tracking system including a data network means, a hardware portion, and a software portion. The hardware portion includes at least, (1) a server device operatively coupled with the network means, and (2) a data storage device with an externally presented input/output port configured to operatively couple with a host device, and a software portion including. The software portion includes at least, (1) a data storage device tracking means configured to identify a data storage device based upon unique identification-relevant data included in a polling message received via the network means, and (2) a client agent stored as device executable code stored at a memory means operatively coupled with the data storage device, wherein the client agent is configured so operatively when coupled to cause a host device to transmit host device-relevant identifying data via the network means.

1 . A recoverable data storage apparatus, comprising:
 a hand-portable housing including an input/output (I/O) port;   a data storage means retained within the housing and operatively coupled with the input/output port; and   a client agent embodied as device-executable code residing on the data storage device and configured, when executed on a network-linked computing device, to establish communication with a remote server and to receive data indicating a possession status of the data storage apparatus.   
     
     
         2 . The recoverable data storage apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the I/O port is configured to operatively couple with a corresponding I/O port of a host device. 
     
     
         3 . The recoverable data storage apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the I/O port comprises a universal serial bus (USB) connector. 
     
     
         4 . The recoverable data storage apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the data storage means comprises a solid-state memory device. 
     
     
         5 . The recoverable data storage apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the client agent includes at least one selected from among an executable file, an autorun file, and an identification file. 
     
     
         6 . The recoverable data storage apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the executable file has a file name configured to induce an unauthorized user to execute the file via a host device. 
     
     
         7 . The recoverable data storage apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the client agent is configured, when executed by a host device, to transmit identification-relevant data to a remove server via a network means. 
     
     
         8 . The recoverable data storage apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the client agent is further configured, upon receiving from the server data indicating a lost or stolen possession status, to transmit host device identity-relevant data to the server. 
     
     
         9 . The recoverable data storage apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the client agent is further configured to cause a browser software of the host device to transmit a client agent-specified data transmission. 
     
     
         10 . The recoverable data storage apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the client agent is further configured to conceal the data transmission visually from a user of the host device. 
     
     
         11 . The recoverable data storage apparatus of  claim 1 , configured as a data storage card device. 
     
     
         12 . A data storage device tracking apparatus comprising;
 a server device operatively coupled with a network means, the server further operatively coupled with a memory means configured for data storage and retrieval; and   a device tracking means embodied as server device-executable code stored at the memory means, the code configured to associate data storage device-relevant identification data with corresponding data storage device possession status-relevant data and further configured to cause the server to transmit via the network means to a data storage device data indicating the possession status of the data storage device.   
     
     
         13 . The data storage device tracking apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the network means is at least partially configured for wireless data transmission, for data transmission by electrically or optically conductive media, or for data transmission by any combination thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The data storage device tracking apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 means for associating identity-relevant data of a host device operatively coupled with the data storage device with host device-relevant geolocation data.   
     
     
         15 . The data storage device tracking apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the device tracking means is further configured to cause the server to transmit data storage device-relevant geolocation data to at least one of a data storage device owner or a security enforcement entity when a client agent of the storage device is executed by a host device and a possession status of the data storage device indicates unauthorized use thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The data storage device tracking apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the data tracking means is configured to cause the server to transmit the data storage device possession status-relevant data to the data storage device in response to processing polling data received from the data storage device. 
     
     
         17 . A system for recovering a lost or stolen data storage device, comprising:
 a server device operatively coupled with a network means, the server device including a device tracking means embodied as executable code stored at a memory means of the server device; and   a hand-portable data storage device configured to operatively couple with a host device, the data storage device including a client agent embodied as executable code stored at a memory means of the data storage device and configured to poll the server device for possession status-relevant data while coupled with a host device.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a host device operatively coupled with a data network means and configured to transfer data via the network means, and including network interface means embodied as executable code stored at a memory means of the host device.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the portable data storage device operatively couples with the host device by an input/output (I/O) port. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the I/O port is configured as a universal serial bus (USB) connector. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the client agent includes at least one of an executable file, an autorun file, and an identification file. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the server device is configured to receive and store data corresponding to a possession status assigned to the portable data storage device. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the client agent is further configured, when accessed by the host device, to cause the network interface means of the host device to transmit a polling message to the server device via the network means. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the polling message includes portable data storage device-identifying data. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the device tracking means is configured, in response to polling by the client agent, to cause the server device to transmit portable data storage device possession-relevant data to the portable data storage device via the network means. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the client agent is configured, in response to receiving possession-relevant data indicating that the storage device is lost or stolen, to cause the network interface means to transmit to the server device host device-relevant identifying data. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the host device-relevant identifying data is at least one selected from among a public IP address corresponding to the host device, a username of a user of the host device, an owner of the host device, an internal network address for the host device, a physical location identifier for the host device, a proprietary network node address for the host device, and a telephonic access number corresponding to the host device location. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the server device is configured, upon receiving host device-relevant identifying data, to access a data source including cross-referencing means configured to identify at least one selected from among a physical location, a host name, a host device owner, a username of a host device user, and a public IP address owner, corresponding to at least a portion of the host device-relevant identifying data. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the server device is configured with a geolocation means embodied as computer executable code stored at a memory means of the server device. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the server device is configured, upon receiving host device-relevant identifying data, to transmit to the portable data storage device owner data corresponding to at least a portion of the host device-relevant identifying data. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the server device is configured, upon receiving host device-relevant identifying data, to transmit to either or both of a law enforcement entity and security agency at least a portion of the host device-relevant identifying data. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the server device is configured to store at a memory means a record of received host device-identifying data and portable data storage device-identifying data. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the network interface means comprises internet browser software. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the client agent is further configured to transfer data with the server device via the network interface means without providing a visible indication of the transfer to a host device user. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the client agent is further configured to establish an http connection with the server device via a random I/O port of the host device if the client agent is unable to establish a connection with the server via internet browser software of the host device. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the portable data storage device is configured as a data storage card device. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the hand-portable data storage device is configured to enable wireless data transfer with the host device. 
     
     
         38 . A device tracking system comprising:
 a data network means;   a hardware portion comprising:
 a server device operatively coupled with the network means, and 
 a data storage device with an externally presented input/output port configured to operatively couple with a host device; and 
   a software portion comprising;
 a data storage device tracking means stored as server device-executable code at a memory means operatively coupled with the server device, wherein the tracking means is configured to identify a data storage device based upon unique identification-relevant data included in a polling message received via the network means, and 
 a client agent stored as device executable code stored at a memory means operatively coupled with the data storage device, wherein the client agent is configured so operatively when coupled to cause a host device to transmit host device-relevant identifying data via the network means.