LOCKING MOBILE DEVICE CRADLE

• US 20090158423A1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Bang, William R., Orlassino, Mark, Sarker, Ataul
• Application Number:
  US11/957,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20090158423A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints

Abstract

Systems, devices and/or methods that facilitate an improved locking system are presented. An improved locking system can employ biometric sensing to facilitate improved mobile device security, more specificity in user access, specificity in levels of access, user accountability, selection of available devices, or combinations thereof, among many others. An improved locking system can employ remote oversight, multiple layers of locking, and inferential determinations to further facilitate a more transparent, effective, and substantial locking system for mobile devices. The improved locking system can be employed in devices, cradles, docking stations, and/or aftermarket products, and the like, among many others.

Claims

1. A system for determining access to a mobile asset comprising:

an interrogation component that can at least determine a user identity based in part on a received biometric input; and

a securing component that can at least unlock a device based at least in part on the determined user identity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the interrogation component can further receive a non-biometric key to facilitate determining access to a mobile asset.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the non-biometric key is a mechanical key, an alpha-numeric sequence, a magnetic swipe card, a dongle, combination code, or combinations thereof.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one biometric component that can at least in part determine a unique identifier based on a fingerprint, facial recognition, voice recognition, genetic information, hand configuration, retinal information, iris information, biofeedback, or combinations thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an inferential component that can determine an inference relating to the user identity based at least in part on historic device use, historic feature preference, weather, time, date, day, available assets, historic permissions, or combinations thereof.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electromechanical lock, a magnetic lock, an electromagnetic lock, a software lock, a hardware lock, a combination hardware and software lock, a data access lock, or combinations thereof.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the lock is part of the mobile asset, part of a mate to the mobile asset, part of a cradle, part of a multiport cradle, part of a docking station, part of an equipment locker, part of an equipment drawer, part of a security tether, part of an aftermarket security device, or combinations thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is selectively communicatively coupled to remote components to facilitate a distributed system for determining access to a mobile asset.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is selectively communicatively coupled with other mobile asset systems or other mobile assets to facilitate determining access to a mobile asset of any communicatively coupled system.

11. An electronic device comprising the system of claim 1.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the electronic device comprises at least one of a computer, a laptop computer, barcode reader, network equipment, a media player, a media recorder, a television, a smart card, a phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, an electronic organizer, a personal digital assistant, a portable email reader, a digital camera, an electronic game, an electronic device associated with digital rights management, a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) card, a trusted platform module (TPM), a Hardware Security Module (HSM), set-top boxes, a digital video recorder, a gaming console, a navigation system, a secure memory device with computational capabilities, a device with at least one tamper-resistant chip, an electronic device associated with industrial control systems, or an embedded computer in a machine, or a combination thereof, wherein the machine comprises one of an airplane, a copier, a motor vehicle, or a microwave oven.

9. The system of 8, wherein the remote components are one or more servers serving information related to determining access to a mobile asset.

13. A method that facilitates determining access to a mobile asset comprising:

determining a locking condition wherein at least the identity of a user can be determined or inferred; and

setting the locking state based at least in part on the determined locking condition, wherein the locking state can be a mobile asset is locked, a mobile asset is unlocked, a data access level is set in a mobile asset, or combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein biometric information can be determined or inferred as part of determining a locking condition.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein user permissions can be determined or inferred as part of determining a locking condition.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein mobile asset features can be determined or inferred as part of determining a locking condition.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein mobile asset conditions can be determined or inferred as part of determining a locking condition.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the quantity of mobile assets, types of mobile assets, attributes of mobile assets, or combination thereof can be determined or inferred as part of determining a locking condition.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the locking state can be determined or inferred based at least in part on determinations, inferences, or combinations thereof, relating to the locking condition.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the locking state can be set as mobile asset locked, mobile asset unlocked, mobile asset data access level set, or combinations thereof, based at least in part on the determined or inferred locking state.