TRACKING, IDENTIFICATION, AND SECURITY SYSTEM FOR A PORTABLE DEVICE

• US 20090315714A1
• Filed: 06/20/2008
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yevgeniy Il'Ich Sher
• Original Assignee: Yevgeniy Il'Ich Sher
• Inventors: Sher, Yevgeniy Il'ich
• Granted Patent: US 7,872,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0213 System disabling if a separation threshold is exceeded disabling electrical appliances in case of unplugging G08B13/1409
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0233 System arrangements with pre-alarms, e.g. when a first distance is exceeded
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/025 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses absence of reply signal after an elapsed time

Abstract

A system for providing security for an electronic device comprising an embeddable security device and a remote portable device. In operation, when the embeddable security device and the remote portable device are proximate to each other, the embeddable security component will not trigger an external alarm system. However, when the two devices are not proximate, the embeddable security device is configured to emit a signal that activates the external alarm system.

Claims

1. A method for providing security for a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device including an embeddable security device, the method comprising:

an act of transmitting a first signal to a remote portable device to determine whether the embeddable security device and the remote portable device are proximate one another;

in response to determining that the embeddable security device and the remote portable device are not proximate, an act of determining an amount of time that the embeddable security device and the remote portable device are not proximate one another; and

an act of transmitting a second signal in response to the embeddable security device and the remote portable device being not proximate for a predetermined amount of time, the second signal being configured to activate an external alarm system to thereby cause the external alarm system to emit an alarm signal.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an act of initializing the embeddable security device such that the embeddable security device includes user identification information and/or information linking the embeddable security device with the remote portable device.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the act of initializing the embeddable security device includes:

an act of coupling the embeddable security device to an external machine configured to program the embeddable security device.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an act of ceasing to transmit the second signal upon determining that the embeddable security device and the remote portable device are proximate once again.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an act of causing the portable electronic device to become inoperable upon determining that the embeddable security device and the remote portable device have not been proximate for a second predetermined amount of time.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the act of causing the portable electronic device to become inoperable comprises:

causing the embeddable security device to act as a power switch that disconnects a power supply from other circuitry of the portable electronic device.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of determining an amount of time comprises:

an act of incrementing a counter.

8. A system for providing security for an electronic device in an environment, the system comprising:

an embeddable security device configured to be embedded in a device, the embeddable security device including at least a transmitter, a receiver, and logic configured to transmit and/or receive a first signal and a second signal;

a portable device that is remote from the embeddable security device configured to be linked to the embeddable security device, the remote portable device including at least a transmitter, a receiver, and logic, wherein the remote portable device transmits the first signal to or receives the first signal from the embeddable security device so as to determine that the embeddable security device is proximate the remote portable device; and

an alarm system that is external to the embeddable security device, wherein the alarm system is configured to produce an alarm signal upon receiving the second signal when the embeddable security device is proximate the alarm system, the second signal being transmitted when the remote portable device is not proximate the embeddable security device.

9. The system in accordance with claim 8, wherein the embeddable security device includes a memory having user identification information thereon, the system further comprising:

a second remote device configured to read the security information in the memory of the embeddable security device to thereby ascertain an owner of an electronic device containing the embeddable security device.

10. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the alarm system is configured to read the user identification information and the second remote device is further configured to obtain the user identification information from the alarm system.

11. The system in accordance with claim 8, further comprising:

a programming machine configured to program user information into the embeddable security device and/or the remote portable device and configured to link the embeddable security device and the remote portable device.

12. The system in accordance with claim 8, wherein the remote portable device includes a display configured to display a mode of operation of the embeddable security device and one or more buttons configured to at least partially control the mode of operation.

13. The system in accordance with claim 8, wherein embeddable security device is further configured to transmit a third signal configured to notify a second portable device that the embeddable security device is not proximate the remote portable device.

14. A portable device comprising:

a body;

a power supply within the body; and

a security device embedded within the body, the security device comprising;

an antenna;

a memory;

control logic;

a power supply; and

transmission and reception circuitry, wherein the security device is configured to transmit a first signal to a remote portable device when operating in a first mode and to transmit a second signal configured to activate an external alarm system when operating in a second mode, the second mode of operation being entered upon a determination that the portable device is not proximate the remote portable device for a predetermined amount of time.

15. The portable device in accordance with claim 14, wherein the second signal is one of an 8.2 MHz, 4.6 MHz, 3.25 MHz, 1.99 and 2.0 MHz, 1.81 MHz, 500 MHz, 58 KHz, and 9.5 MHz signal.

16. The portable device in accordance with claim 14, wherein the memory has thereon user identification information and/or information linking the security device with the remote portable device.

17. The portable device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the portable device is configured to be coupled to an external programming machine that is configured to place the user identification information and/or information linking the security device on the memory.

18. The portable device in accordance with claim 14, wherein a current induced in the antenna by a received signal provides at least some of the power for the portable device.

19. The portable device in accordance with claim 14, wherein the security device is part of a circuit between the power supply of the portable device and other circuitry of the portable device and wherein during a third mode of operation the security device acts as a power switch that disconnects the power supply of the portable device from the other circuitry of the portable device to thereby cause the portable device to become inoperable.

20. The portable device in accordance with claim 14, wherein the security device further includes a counter configured to determine the predetermined amount of time that the portable device is not proximate the remote portable device.