Software-Controlled Mechanical Lock for Portable Electronic Devices

• US 20080209965A1
• Filed: 07/18/2006
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Maack, Hanns-Ingo
• Application Number:
  US11/995,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20080209965A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 70/262
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/60 Systems

Abstract

A security system for preventing unauthorised removal of a portable electronic device, such as a portable X-ray detector (106) or the like, from a docking station (100). The docking station (100) is provided with an electromagnetic lock (102) which is activated by means of a software command (112) issued by a screensaver function (110) running on a remote host PC (108). When triggered after some predetermined period of user inactivity, the screensaver function (110) locks the screen and keyboard of the host PC (108) to prevent unauthorised use thereof, and also issues the above-mentioned software command (112) to activate the electromagnetic lock (102) and prevent removal of the detector (106) from the docking station (100).

Claims

1. A security system for an electronic device (106), the security system comprising a software-based security function (110) operable to disable one or more functions of a remote host computing device (108) and to enable said one or more functions in response to entry of valid security data, said security function (110) comprising means (116) for generating, when said one or more functions are disabled or enabled, an electrical signal (112) for transmission to a mechanical lock (102) associated with said electronic device (106) to respectively activate or deactivate said mechanical lock (102).

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said software-based security function (110) comprises a screensaver (116).

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said screensaver (116) is triggered to disable said one or more functions after a predetermined period of user inactivity in respect said host computing device (108).

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said mechanical lock (102) comprises an electromagnetic lock, arranged to lock said electronic device (106) in a base station (100).

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said mechanical lock (102) is activated when said host computing device (108) is off.

6. An electronic device (106) comprising means for docking said device within a base station (100), a mechanical lock (102) for securing said device (106) within said base station (100), and means for receiving electrical signals (112) from a remote host computing device (108) so as to activate said mechanical lock (102) when one or more functions of said host computing device (108) are disabled by a software-based security function (110) and to deactivate said mechanical lock (102) when said one or more functions of said host computing device (108) are enabled in response to entry of valid security data.