Locking mechanism for locking electonic devices

• US 20030218383A1
• Filed: 05/21/2002
• Published: 11/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Messer, Alan, Milojicic, Dejan S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,756,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/10.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1418 Removal detected by failure in electrical connection between the appliance and a control centre, home control panel or a power supply

Abstract

A locking system for securing an electronic device includes a locking signal transmitter anchored at a physical location away from the electronic device to transmit a locking signal. A receiver resides in the electronic device to receive the locking signal. A controller is coupled to the receiver and circuitry of the electronic device to virtually lock the electronic device at its location when the receiver keeps receiving the locking signal, and to disable the electronic device from being accessed after the receiver has stopped receiving the locking signal for a predetermined time period. The locking does not have any effect on functioning of the electronic device as long as the locking signal is received. When the device is unlocked, failure of the device lock to receive the locking signal also does not have any effect on the electronic device.

Claims

1. A locking system for securing an electronic device, comprising:

a locking signal transmitter anchored at a physical location away from the electronic device to transmit a locking signal;

a receiver in the electronic device to receive the locking signal;

a controller coupled to the receiver and circuitry of the electronic device to virtually lock the electronic device when the receiver keeps receiving the locking signal, and to disable the electronic device from being accessed after the receiver has stopped receiving the locking signal for a predetermined time period.

2. The locking system of claim 1, wherein the controller is activated by an activation signal, and deactivated when receiving a deactivation signal.

3. The locking system of claim 1, wherein the controller locks the electronic device after the receiver receives the locking signal and unlocks the electronic device after the receiver receives an unlocking signal.

4. The locking system of claim 3, wherein the transmitter further comprises

a locking signal generator that generates the locking signal after being activated by an external signal;

an unlocking signal generator that generates the unlocking signal after being activated by another external signal.

5. The locking system of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises

a disabling module coupled to circuitry of the electronic device to disable the electronic device;

a control module coupled to the receiver and the disabling module to control the disabling module to disable the electronic device when the receiver has stopped receiving the locking signal for a predetermined time period.

6. The locking system of claim 5, further comprising a alarm signal transmitter in the electronic device and coupled to the control module, wherein the control module also causes the alarm signal transmitter to send an alarm signal when the receiver has stopped receiving the locking signal for a predetermined time period.

7. The locking system of claim 5, further comprising a locking confirmation signal transmitter in the electronic device and coupled to the control module, wherein the control module causes the locking confirmation signal transmitter to send a locking confirmation signal to the locking signal transmitter when the receiver receives the locking signal, wherein the locking signal transmitter generates an alarm signal whenever it does not receive the locking confirmation signal for a predetermined time period.

8. The locking system of claim 7, wherein the locking signal transmitter further comprises

a locking confirmation signal receiver that receives the locking confirmation signal;

a locking signal generator that generates the locking signal;

an alarm signal generator that generates the alarm signal when the locking confirmation signal receiver does not receive the locking confirmation signal, wherein the alarm signal is transmitted by the locking signal transmitter.

9. The locking system of claim 1, wherein the locking signal transmitter is a wireless signal transmitter with a predetermined transmission range.

10. The locking system of claim 1, wherein the locking signal transmitter is one of a Infrared signal transmitter, a laser signal transmitter, a short-range radio frequency signal transmitter, and a microwave frequency signal transmitter.

11. The locking system of claim 1, wherein the locking signal has a predetermined transmission range within which the locking signal can be received.

12. The locking system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined transmission range for the locking signal transmitter can range from approximately two feet to six feet.

13. The locking system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined time period can range from approximately ten to sixty seconds.

14. A locking system for securing a mobile electronic device, comprising:

a locking signal transmitter fastened to a movable object away from the electronic device to transmit a locking signal;

a receiver in the electronic device to receive the locking signal;

a controller coupled to the receiver to virtually lock the electronic device when the receiver keeps receiving the locking signal, and to disable the electronic device from being accessed after the receiver has stopped receiving the locking signal for a predetermined time period.

15. The locking system of claim 14, wherein the controller is activated by an activation signal, and deactivated when receiving a deactivation signal.

16. The locking system of claim 14, wherein the controller locks the electronic device after the receiver receives the locking signal and unlocks the electronic device after the receiver receives an unlocking signal.

17. The locking system of claim 16, wherein the transmitter further comprises

a locking signal generator that generates the locking signal after being activated by an external signal;

an unlocking signal generator that generates the unlocking signal after being activated by another external signal.

18. The locking system of claim 14, wherein the controller further comprises

a disabling module coupled to circuitry of the electronic device to disable the electronic device;

a control module coupled to the receiver and the disabling module to control the disabling module to disable the electronic device when the receiver has stopped receiving the locking signal for a predetermined time period.

19. The locking system of claim 18, further comprising a alarm signal transmitter in the electronic device and coupled to the control module, wherein the control module also causes the alarm signal transmitter to send an alarm signal when the receiver has stopped receiving the locking signal for a predetermined time period.

20. The locking system of claim 18, further comprising a locking confirmation signal transmitter in the electronic device and coupled to the control module, wherein the control module causes the locking confirmation signal transmitter to send a locking confirmation signal to the locking signal transmitter when the receiver receives the locking signal, wherein the locking signal transmitter generates an alarm signal whenever it does not receive the locking confirmation signal for a predetermined time period.

21. The locking system of claim 20, wherein the locking signal transmitter further comprises

a locking confirmation signal receiver that receives the locking confirmation signal;

a locking signal generator that generates the locking signal;

an alarm signal generator that generates the alarm signal when the locking confirmation signal receiver does not receive the locking confirmation signal, wherein the alarm signal is transmitted by the locking signal transmitter.

22. The locking system of claim 14, wherein the locking signal transmitter is a wireless signal transmitter with a predetermined transmission range.

23. The locking system of claim 14, wherein the locking signal transmitter is one of a Infrared signal transmitter, a laser signal transmitter, a short-range radio frequency signal transmitter, and a microwave frequency signal transmitter.

24. The locking system of claim 14, wherein the locking signal has a predetermined transmission range within which the locking signal can be received.

25. The locking system of claim 24, wherein the predetermined transmission range for the locking signal transmitter is approximately two feet to several hundred yards.

26. The locking system of claim 14, wherein the predetermined time period can range from approximately ten to sixty seconds.