Patent ID: 8812476

Claim:
An apparatus configured for locating an object owner, the apparatus comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including computer-readable program code stored therein; a processor operatively coupled to the computer readable storage medium and configured to execute the computer readable program code to: provide a microchip database having one or more microchip records stored therein, wherein the microchip database is queried using one or more general search engines for use in querying a worldwide network, and wherein the one or more general search engines are not internally associated with the microchip database; provide a microchip identification code such that the microchip identification code is associated with a microchip, wherein the microchip is implanted into an object; create a microchip record to be stored in the microchip database, wherein the microchip record is associated with the microchip identification code, wherein the microchip record comprises contact information associated with the object owner, and wherein the one or more general search engines are queried using a search term associated with the microchip record, and wherein creating the microchip record further comprises repeatedly posting the microchip record to a plurality of third party websites not associated with the microchip database in order to influence the ranking of the microchip record to be higher within one or more search results of the general search engines such the microchip record can be queried to be listed in one or more search results of the general search engine; receive, via a user interface associated with the microchip database, contact information from an individual, other than the object owner, that has located the object, wherein the individual's contact information is received via input into a contact form displayed on the user interface, and wherein the contact information associated with the object owner is not visible to the individual via the contact form; generate a message comprising the individual's contact information and a location of a lost object; and send the message to the object owner based at least in part on the contact information associated with the object owner, whereby the contact information associated with the object owner remains anonymous to the individual that has located the object.