COMPUTER SECURITY SYSTEM HAVING INTEGRATED GPS

• US 20130305395A1
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dewilde, Frederick C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,665,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/80 in storage media based on magnetic or optical technology, e.g. disks with sectors preventing unauthorised reproduction or copying of disc-type recordable media G11B20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen

Abstract

A computing apparatus having a hard drive storage unit which includes a global positioning system, a non-volatile memory and a compare module. The non-volatile memory stores a permitted zone of operation of the hard drive storage unit while the compare module monitors the current location. If the compare module detects a current location of the hard drive storage unit as tracked by the global positioning system which is outside of the permitted zone of operation as stored in the non-volatile memory, the non-volatile memory contains at least one command implemented by a computer processor that may cause the hard drive storage unit to become disabled.

Claims

1. A computer comprising:

a main computer processor and a volatile memory; and

a hard drive comprising;

a hard-drive housing installed in and removable from the computer, the main processor and the volatile memory being located outside of the hard-drive housing;

a storage device, within the hard-drive housing, to store data and program instructions for execution by the main computer processor via the volatile memory;

a switch within the hard-drive housing to selectively provide operational power to the storage device;

a non-volatile memory, separate from the storage device, within the hard-drive housing to store data indicating a permitted operating location of the hard drive;

another processor within the hard-drive housing;

program instructions, stored in the non-volatile memory for execution by the other processor, to determine if a current location of the hard drive is within the permitted operating location as indicated by the non-volatile memory, and if so, control the switch to provide operational power to the storage device, and if not, control the switch to block power to the storage device and thereby disable the storage device.

2. The computer of claim 1 further comprising a global positioning system (GPS) unit within the hard-drive housing to notify the program instructions of the current location of the hard drive.

3. The computer of claim 1 further comprising a printed circuit board within the hard-drive housing, the non-volatile memory and the other processor being mounted to and interconnected by the printed circuit board.

4. The computer of claim 3 further comprising a mother board for the computer, and wherein the main computer processor and the volatile memory are mounted on the motherboard, and wherein the motherboard is located outside of the hard-drive housing and is separate from the printed circuit board.

5. The computer of claim 1 wherein the non-volatile memory is selected from the group consisting of electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) and magnetosensitive random access memory (MRAM).

6. The computer of claim 1 wherein the permitted operating location is a normal work location or home office location of an owner of the computer.

7. The computer of claim 1 wherein the storage device is a magnetic disk, and the non-volatile memory is a semiconductor memory.

8. The computer of claim 1 wherein the computer is a portable workstation.

9. The computer of claim 1 further comprising a mother board for the computer, and wherein the main computer processor and the volatile memory are mounted on the motherboard, the motherboard being located outside of the hard-drive housing.