Secure electric anti-theft device, anti-theft system comprising one such electric device and method of matching electric devices

• US 7,832,002 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2003
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Magnolia Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Diehl, Eric, Chevreau, Sylvain, Furon, Teddy
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong; Thanhnga B
• Application Number:
  US10/524,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20060103531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,637 Days
• Field of Search: 726/17, 726 34- 35, 713/189, 713/323, 714/51
• US Class Current: 726/17
• 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: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

The invention particularly relates to an electrical device for connection to a predetermined network containing at least one watchdog device. The electrical device comprises configuration means for authorizing its operation in the presence of said watchdog device, where these configuration means are based on the recording of a watchdog device public identifier in storage means of the electrical device; means for identifying at least one watchdog device when the electrical device is connected to any network containing such a watchdog device, and means for disabling the electrical device if the watchdog device identified does not correspond to the watchdog device for which it was configured or if said network does not contain a watchdog device. The invention also concerns an antitheft system and a method for pairing devices.

Claims

1. Electrical device for connection to a predetermined network containing at least one watchdog device, where said electrical device comprises:

storage means,

configuration means for authorizing its operation of said electrical device in the presence of said watchdog device,

means for identifying at least one watchdog device when the electrical device is connected to any network containing such a watchdog device; and

means for automatically disabling the electrical device if the watchdog device identified does not correspond to the watchdog device for which said electrical device was configured or if said network does not contain a watchdog device, wherein the configuration means are suitable for recording a public identifier of the watchdog device for which the electrical device is configured, in the storage means.

2. Electrical device according to claim 1, wherein the identification means comprise means for interrogating any watchdog device to determine an associated public identifier.

3. Electrical device according to claim 1, wherein the identification means comprise means for authenticating the watchdog device for which the electrical device was configured.

4. Electrical device according to claim 3, wherein the authentication means implement a zero-knowledge challenge/response protocol.

5. Electrical device according to claim 1, wherein said electrical device is in a state chosen from one of the elements of the assembly comprising a virgin state, a configured state for operating in the presence of at least one watchdog device and a blocked state, the configured state being obtained after activation of the configuration means and the blocked state being obtained after activation of the disabling means.

6. Electrical device according to claim 5, wherein said electrical device operates only when said electrical device is in the configured state.

7. Method for connecting an electrical device to a network containing a watchdog device, comprising:

identifying the presence of the watchdog device when the electrical device is connected to the network;

configuring operation of the electrical device, wherein operation of the electrical device is authorized only in the presence of the watchdog device, and the configuring operation comprises recording, in a storage means of the electrical device, a public identifier of the watchdog device; and

automatically disabling the electrical device if the watchdog device identified does not correspond to the watchdog device for which said electrical device was configured or if said network does not contain a watchdog device.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein the electrical device is in a state selected from among:

a virgin state;

a state configured to operated in the presence of at least one watchdog device; and

a blocked state, and in that the configured step comprises changing from the virgin to the configured state.

9. Method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of disabling the electrical device when the electrical device is connected to a watchdog device for which the electrical device was not configured, where the disabling step comprises changing from the configured state to the blocked state.

10. Method according to claim 7, wherein the identifying step is triggered by one of:

a start up of the second device; and

a regular or random identification program.

11. Method according to claim 7, wherein the identifying step comprises authenticating the watchdog device.

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein the authenticating step comprises using a zero-knowledge challenge/response protocol.

13. Method according to claim 7, wherein, the watchdog device comprises means for secure storage of a secret identifier from which a public identifier is generated, and the indentifying step comprises a step of interrogating the watchdog device to determine the public identifier of the watchdog device and the authenticating step comprises use of the zero-knowledge challenge/response protocol by the watchdog device to prove that the watchdog device has the secret identifier.

14. Method according to claim 7, wherein if the identifying step concludes that the network contains the watchdog device for which the second device was configured, but the electrical device is in the blocked state, the electrical device changes state from the blocked state to the configured state.

15. Electrical device, comprising:

a memory storing identifier data associated with an authorized watchdog device;

a network interface coupling said electrical device to a communications network; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the network interface, the processor determining whether the authorized watchdog device is connected to the communications network, an authorizing operation of said electrical device if the authorized watchdog device is connected to the communications network, wherein the processor automatically disables the electrical device if the network does not include the authorized watchdog device, or a detected watchdog device does not correspond to the authorized watchdog device.

16. Electrical device according to claim 15, wherein the identifier corresponds to a public identifier of the authorized watchdog device.

17. Electrical device according to claim 15, wherein said electrical device is in a state chosen from one of the elements of the assembly comprising a virgin state, a configured state for operating in the presence of at least one watchdog device and a blocked state, the configured state being obtained after activation of the configuration means and the blocked state being obtained after activation of the disabling means.