System and method for controlling access to mobile devices

• US 7,251,473 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2005
• Issued: 07/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Alrabady, Ansaf I., Debouk, Rami I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild; Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US11/208,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20070040706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/418, 455/438, 340/991, 340/426.16, 340/426.1
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/243 with more than one way to gain access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

A system and method for controlling access to, and especially protecting against unauthorized attempts to provide input to, e.g., program, or elicit output from, a vehicular or other mobile device (14), such as an electronic control unit (ECU), wherein a determined location of the device (14) or an inputted user acknowledgment provides a basis or an additional basis for allowing or denying the attempt at access.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an attempt to access an electronic control unit (14), the method comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting at least one attempt to access the unit (14) at a gateway coupled to the device, and temporarily denying the attempt;

(b) determining a current location of the unit (14), and communicating the current location to the gateway;

(c) electronically comparing the determined current location to a database of authorized locations (18); and

(d) permanently denying the attempt to access the unit (14) if the determined current location does not match an entry in the database of authorized locations (18).

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the unit (14) is a vehicular device.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the access involves providing input to the unit (14).

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the access involves programming the unit (14).

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the access involves eliciting output from the unit (14).

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein an attempt at a first type of access results in comparing the determined current location with a first set of entries in the database of authorized locations (18), and an attempt at a second type of access results in comparing the determined current location with a different set of entries in the database of authorized locations (18).

7. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the first type of access involves programming the unit (14), and the second type of access involves eliciting output from the unit (14).

8. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the first type of access involves eliciting a first type of information from the unit (14), and the second type of access involves eliciting a second type of information from the unit (14).

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, further including the step of requiring satisfaction of at least one other substantially independent access-control mechanism before allowing access to the unit (14).

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein said other mechanism is an electronic password or cryptographic access-control mechanism.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the attempt to access is wireless.

12. A method of controlling an attempt to access an electronic control unit (14) in a vehicle (10), the method comprising the steps of:

(a) autonomously detecting an attempt to access the electronic control unit (14), so as to program, elicit output from, or download content to the unit (14), and temporarily denying the attempt;

(b) autonomously determining a current location of the electronic control unit (14) at the vehicle (10);

(c) storing a database of authorized locations (18) at the vehicle (10), and electronically comparing the determined current location to the database of authorized locations (18);

(d) permanently denying the attempt to access the electronic control unit (14) if the determined current location does not match an authorized location entry in the database of authorized locations (18); and

(e) permanently denying access to the unit (14) by at least one other substantially independent access-control mechanism, if the attempt does not also satisfy the mechanism.