USB AUTORUN DEVICE

• US 20110179204A1
• Filed: 01/06/2011
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Visible Computing Limited
• Original Assignee: Visible Computing Limited
• Inventors: Bishop, Durell Grant Bevington, Hulbert, Thomas Steven
• Application Number:
  US12/985,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20110179204A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/74
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/20 for access to input/output bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/77 in smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/85 interconnection devices, e.g. bus-connected or in-line devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0042 Universal serial bus [USB]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0838 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/047 using payment protocols involving electronic receipts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/065 using e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/349 : Rechargeable cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 : using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 : Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 : After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 : Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 : Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0838 : using one-time-passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 : using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 : using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 : Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 : using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0278 : of USB type details relating to connectors H01R27/00

Abstract

A portable, application-specific USB autorun device, following connection to a computer terminal, automatically initialises or presents itself as a known type of device and then automatically sends to the terminal a sequence of data complying with a standard protocol, that sequence of data automatically causing content to be accessed or a task to be initiated. The device (i) includes a standardised USB module that includes a USB microcontroller, the standardised module being designed to be attached to or embedded in multiple types of different, application specific packages but (ii) excludes mass memory storage for applications or end-user data.

Claims

1. A portable USB autorun device operable to communicate with a computer terminal, the device including a USB microcontroller;

and in which the autorun device is detachable from a surrounding support, in which the thickness of at least some sections of the perimeter of the device is substantially the same as the thickness of adjacent portions of the surrounding support.

2. The portable USB autorun device of claim 1 in which the device is die-cut from the surrounding support.

3. The portable USB autorun device of claim 1 in which the sections of the perimeter of the device exclude a USB interface plug portion of the device.

4. The portable USB autorun device of claim 1, in which the device include portions made of paper, card or plastic.

5. The portable USB autorun device of claim 4, in which the surrounding support comprises paper, card or plastic.

6. The portable USB autorun device of claim 5 in which the device is printed with graphics.

7. The portable USB autorun device of claim 5 in which the surrounding support is printed with graphics.

8. The portable USB autorun device of claim 1 which is operable to cause the computer terminal to auto-connect to a web site.

9. The portable USB autorun device of claim 1 which is operable to cause the computer terminal to auto-connect to a web site and open a specific page in that web site.

10. The portable USB autorun device of claim 1 which initialises or presents itself as a HID keyboard and then sends to the terminal a first predefined sequence of keycodes automatically without manual interaction;

the keycodes complying with HID keyboard standard protocol, and in which the HID keycode sequence alone automates the direct access to remotely stored content, and/or or the initiation of a main task or other process performed by the terminal.

11. The portable USB autorun device of claim 1 which, following connection to a computer terminal, automatically initialises or presents itself as a known type of device and then automatically sends to the terminal a sequence of data, the data complying with a standard protocol, that sequence of data automatically causing content to be accessed or a task to be initiated;

wherein the device (i) includes a standardised USB module that includes a USB microcontroller, the standardised module being designed to be attached to or embedded in multiple types of different, application specific packages but (ii) excludes mass memory storage for software applications or end-user data and wherein the device, following connection to the terminal, initialises or presents itself as a HID keyboard and then sends to the terminal a first predefined sequence of keycodes automatically without manual interaction;

the keycodes complying with the human interface device (HID) keyboard standard protocol, and in which the HID keycode sequence alone automates the direct access to remotely stored content, and/or or the initiation of a main task or other process performed by the terminal.

12. The portable USB autorun device of claim 11, in which the USB autorun module is a smart card USB Integrated Circuit Card module.

13. The portable USB autorun device of claim 11, which (a) is operable as an application-specific USB autorun device because it is designed for solely a single application and (b) includes less than 64 MB memory.

14. The portable USB autorun device of claim 11, in which the data automatically sent from the device to the terminal causes a URL to be sent by that terminal to open a specific website address and in which a unique device or user ID and password (or passcode) is appended to the URL and passed as parameters to a web server, so that the device and/or user can be identified.

15. The portable USB autorun device of claim 11, which is specific to the application of accessing a user customised or personalised website, the device including a unique ID that acts as a permanent and portable cookie;

so that, when the USB autorun device is connected to the terminal, it autoruns and opens a URL to user-customised or personalised pages on that website.

16. The portable USB autorun device of claim 11, which is specific to the application of smart product tags, in which the device is adapted to be temporarily attached to a product and, when connected to the terminal, autoruns and opens a URL to a web site with information on the product.

17. The portable USB autorun device of claim 11, which is specific to the application of loyalty cards, in which the device autoruns and open the URL of a retailer'"'"'s website or online store to enable the user to check, redeem or collect loyalty points.

18. The portable USB autorun device of claim 11, which is specific to the application of credit cards, in which the device autoruns and acts as a credit card.

19. The portable USB autorun device of claim 11, which is specific to the application of membership cards, in which the device autoruns and acts as a membership card.