CONSUMER ABUSE DETECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20090195394A1
• Filed: 02/01/2008
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: TAN, TANG Y., DINH, RICHARD H. M., JOHNSON, TIMOTHY M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,880,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/584
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/18 Telephone sets specially adapted for use in ships, mines, or other places exposed to adverse environment H04M1/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A technique is provided for detecting whether consumer abuse has occurred in an electronic device. In accordance with this technique, a system is provided for detecting the occurrence of a consumer abuse event and storing a record thereof. In one embodiment, the system provides one or more sensors coupled to an abuse detection circuitry for detecting the occurrence of an abuse event. The system may further provide a memory, wherein upon detecting an abuse event, the abuse detection circuitry may store a record of the abuse event into the memory. The system may further provide an interface by which a diagnostic device may access the memory and analyze the abuse event records to determine if an abuse event occurred in the electronic device.

Claims

1. A system for detecting consumer abuse in an electronic device, the system comprising:

one or more sensors configured to detect an occurrence of an abuse event;

abuse detection circuitry configured to receive indication of the occurrence of the abuse event from the one or more sensors and to generate a record corresponding to the occurrence of the abuse event upon receiving the indication;

a memory device configured to store the record; and

an interface configured to facilitate communication between the electronic device and an external device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the abuse event detected by the one or more sensors includes at least one of a liquid ingress event, a thermal event, a shock event, and a tamper event.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the record generated by the abuse detection circuitry includes a timestamp generated by a clock device, the timestamp indicating a time value corresponding to when the abuse event was detected.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the record further includes at least one of data identifying which of the one or more sensors detected the occurrence of the abuse event and data indicating the state of the electronic device at the time the abuse event was detected.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the abuse detection circuitry is further configured to, upon receiving the indication of the occurrence of the abuse event, disable the electronic device and enter into a standby mode.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the abuse detection circuitry is further configured to return from the standby mode after a predetermined amount of time and, upon returning from the standby mode, to determine if any of the one or more sensors still indicate the occurrence of the abuse event and, if any of the one or more sensors still indicate the occurrence of the abuse event, to return to the standby mode for the predetermined amount of time or else, if none of the one or more sensors indicate the occurrence of the abuse event, to re-enable the electronic device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the abuse detection system is further configured, upon re-enabling the electronic device, to initiate a self test to detect the presence of damage in the electronic device and, if the self test detects the presence of damage, to notify a user to obtain service for the electronic device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface is configured to provide two or more modes of communication between the electronic device and the external device, wherein the two or more modes include a first and a second communication mode.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

communication selection circuitry configured to select the first communication mode if the external device is a diagnostic device or to select the second communication mode if the external device is a non-diagnostic device;

wherein the diagnostic device is configured to access and interpret the record stored in the memory device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein accessing the record stored in the memory device is restricted by at least one means of authentication.

11. A system for detecting consumer abuse in an electronic device, the system comprising:

one or more sensors each configured to indicate a sensor state, wherein the sensor state is one of a normal state or a tripped state, wherein each of the one or more sensors is configured to indicate a normal state if no abuse event is detected and to transition to the tripped state upon detecting the occurrence of an abuse event;

abuse detection circuitry configured to monitor the state of each of the one or more sensors; and

an interface configured to facilitate communication between the electronic device and an external device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the abuse detection circuitry is further configured to disable the electronic device if any of the one or more sensors indicates the tripped state.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the abuse detection circuitry is further configured, subsequent to disabling the electronic device, to notify a user to obtain service for the electronic device.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the interface is configured to provide two or more modes of communication between the electronic device and the external device, wherein the two or more modes include a first and a second communication mode.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

communication selection circuitry configured to select the first communication mode if the external device is a diagnostic device and to select the second communication mode if the external device is a non-diagnostic device;

wherein the diagnostic device is configured to read the state of each of the one or more sensors.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more sensors, after transitioning to the tripped state, are capable of being reset to the normal state.

17. A circuit board comprising:

one or more sensors configured to detect the occurrence of an abuse event in an electronic device;

abuse detection logic configured to disable the electronic device if any of the one or more sensors indicates the occurrence of the abuse event, each of the one or more sensors being electronically coupled to the abuse detection logic

an input and output port configured to interface the circuit board with a diagnostic device.

18. The circuit board of claim 17, wherein the one or more sensors includes a plurality of sensors generally positioned along at least one edge of the circuit board.

19. The circuit board of claim 17, further comprising a memory device, wherein the abuse detection logic is configured to generate and store a record of the abuse event into the memory device.

20. An electronic device comprising:

a processor configured to execute instructions;

a storage device configured to store data, the data at least partially comprising instructions to be executed by the processor;

a user interface configured to receive data for use by the processor from a user; and

an abuse detection system comprising;

one or more sensors configured to detect the occurrence of an abuse event;

abuse detection circuitry configured to disable the electronic device if any of the one or more sensors indicates the occurrence of the abuse event;

an interface configured to facilitate communication between the electronic device and a diagnostic device.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the abuse detection system further comprises a memory device, wherein if any of the one or more sensors detects the occurrence of the abuse event, the abuse detection circuitry is further configured to generate and store a record corresponding to the detected abuse event into the memory device, and wherein the diagnostic device accesses and interprets the record stored in the memory device.

22. A method for operating an electronic device, the method comprising the acts of:

detecting the occurrence of an abuse event;

generating a record of the abuse event;

storing the record;

disabling the electronic device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the abuse event includes at least one of a liquid ingress event, a thermal event, a shock event, or a tamper event.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

determining if the abuse event is still occurring; and

re-enabling the electronic device if it is determined the abuse event is no longer occurring.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein re-enabling the electronic device includes first performing a self test to detect the presence of damage in the electronic device and, if the self test indicates the presence of damage, notifying a user to obtain service for the electronic device.