Countermeasure system triggered by movement of a display of a computing device

• US 7,812,724 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2007
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boss, Gregory J., Waters, Timothy M., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Langlais, George R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phung
• Application Number:
  US11/843,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20090051531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 340/571, 340/568.1, 340/686.1, 340/687, 340/686.2, 340/545.6
• US Class Current: 340/568.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1418 Removal detected by failure in electrical connection between the appliance and a control centre, home control panel or a power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1436 with motion detection

Abstract

An anti-theft system for portable computing devices, and more particularly, to a countermeasure system and method triggered by movement of a computing screen to prevent the theft of a computing device. The device comprises a base portion, a display portion hingedly attached to the base portion and a sensor configured to detect a motion of the display portion with respect to the base portion. The device further includes a system activated when the sensor detects a motion of the display portion outside a predetermined location.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a base portion;

a display portion hingedly attached to the base portion;

a sensor configured to detect a motion of the display portion with respect to the base portion; and

a system configured to be activated when the sensor detects a motion of the display portion outside a predetermined location.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the system is an alarm.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the system is a countermeasure module or program code configured to perform a countermeasure in response to the motion of the display portion.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein a service provider deploys the countermeasure module or program code.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the countermeasure includes an alarm.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the countermeasure is at least one of:

BIOS lock activation;

hard drive lock activation;

power on password activation;

automatic shutdown;

erasure and formatting of hard drive;

activate audible alarm; and

CPU lock activation; and

/or disable power off capability.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a rheostat configured to determine a sweep angle of the display portion, wherein the rheostat includes a resistive element and a contact, the resistive element and the contact being equipped with a terminal connected to an electrical source.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes contacts provided on hinge portions which hingedly attach the base portion to the display portion, the contacts being part of the hinge portions, with remaining portions of the hinge portions being coated with a non-metallic coating.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes staggered contacts provided on a hinge, which make contact with a contact portion.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the staggered contacts are one or more contacts per band.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the contact portion is one of:

pressed against the hinge by an internal spring force of the contact;

a width of the hinge; and

a width of a spacing of the two farthest staggered contacts.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a wireless-transmitting device.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a sweep angle of the display portion.

14. A device, comprising:

a base portion;

a display portion;

a hinge attaching the base portion to the display portion;

a sensor configured to detect a closing motion of the display portion with respect to the base portion, wherein the sensor is a rheostat configured to determine a sweep angle of the display portion; and

circuitry for responding to the detection of the closing motion of the display portion.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the circuitry is an audible alarm triggered when the sensor detects that the display portion moved beyond a predetermined limit.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the circuitry provides a countermeasure when the sensor detects that the display portion moved beyond a predetermined limit.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the countermeasure is at least one of:

BIOS lock activation;

hard drive lock activation;

power on password activation;

automatic shutdown;

erasure and formatting of hard drive;

activate audible alarm; and

CPU lock activation; and

/or disable power off capability.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the sensor includes contacts provided on hinge portions of the hinge.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the sensor includes several staggered contacts provided on the hinge, which make contact with a contact portion and the staggered contacts are positioned in a repeating pattern arranged in bands on the hinge.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the staggered contacts are one or more contacts per band, and the contact portion is one of a width of the hinge and a width of a spacing of the two farthest staggered contacts.

21. The device of claim 14, further comprising a wireless-transmitting device.

22. A method, comprising:

detecting an open position of a display portion of a computing device;

sensing a motion of the display portion outside a predefined range with respect to a base portion of the computing device; and

performing at least one countermeasure after a predetermined time has elapsed after the sensed motion.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one countermeasure is maintained, deployed, maintained or managed by a service provider for a fee.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing an audible alarm in response to the sensed motion of the display portion.

25. A method, comprising:

detecting an open position of a display portion of a computing device;

sensing a motion of the display portion outside a predefined range; and

performing at least one countermeasure after a predetermined time has elapsed after the sensed motion,

wherein the motion is a sweep angle of the display portion.

26. A system comprising at least one of a hardware and software component which provides theft deterrence for a user of a portable computing device, the at least one of a hardware and software component configured to:

detect an open position of a display portion of a computing device;

sense a motion of the display portion to be outside a predefined range; and

perform a countermeasure after a predetermined time has elapsed after the sensed motion.