Indexed sequential lock

• US 10,133,315 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2016
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gault, Joseph Benjamin, Bowers, Scott Douglas, Hillyerd, Anthony E., Aldehayyat, Yazan, Evans, Duane Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Son M
• Application Number:
  US15/346,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20180129251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 15/0046 Ratchet mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 2047/0016 with linearly reciprocating motion
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 47/0001 with electric actuators; Constructional features thereof for vehicles E05B81/04
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 47/0009 with thermo-electric actuators, e.g. heated bimetals
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 65/0067 for portable computers, e.g. for locking the screen panel to the keyboard panel
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings

Abstract

A lock for actively locking an electronic device includes an engagement member that is movable by an actuator. The actuator moves the engagement member to the locked position with a first amount of power from the power source and from the locked position to an unlocked position with a second amount of power from the power source. The engagement member will passively remain in the unlocked position or the locked position.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a first body;

a second body in electrical communication with the first body, the first body or the second body having a display;

an engagement member connected to the first body and the second body and configured to move between a locked position and an unlocked position to lock and unlock the first body and the second body; and

an actuator instantiated by a power source, the actuator configured to move the engagement member to the locked position with a first amount of power from the power source, to transition the engagement member from the locked position to an unlocked position with a second amount of power from the power source, and to retain the engagement member in the unlocked position and the locked position with less than a third non-zero amount of power from the power source, the third amount being less than the first amount and less than the second amount.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the third amount of power is less than 2,000 mW.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the actuator further comprises a stepper motor, a piezo motor, a squiggle motor, a solenoid, or a combination thereof.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the actuator further comprises a shape memory material (SMM) wire to move the engagement member.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the SMM wire is connected to the engagement member by a sequential device.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the sequential device is a wheel.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the wheel further comprises an encoder arm that communicates the state of the wheel to the actuator the encoder arm determines the state of the wheel by the encoder arm contacting one or more contacts.

8. A method of locking a computing device with a locking mechanism, the method comprising:

receiving a demand status from the computing device, the computing device including;

a first body;

a second body in electrical communication with the first body, the first body or the second body having a display;

an engagement member connected to the first body and the second body and configured to move between a locked position and an unlocked position to lock and unlock the first body and the second body; and

an actuator instantiated by a power source, the actuator configured to move the engagement member to the locked position with a first amount of power from the power source, to transition the engagement member from the locked position to an unlocked position with a second amount of power from the power source, and to retain the engagement member in the unlocked position and the locked position with less than a third non-zero amount of power from the power source, the third amount being less than the first amount and less than the second amount;

checking a lock status;

actuating the locking mechanism to move the locking mechanism to a locked state or an unlocked state based at least partially upon the demand status; and

updating the lock status after actuating the locking mechanism.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the demand status is received from a central processing unit (CPU).

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the demand status is received from a graphical processing unit (GPU).

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the demand status includes a GPU load status.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the demand status includes at least one active thread in the computing device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the demand status includes a sleep state of the computing device.