Method and device for configuring functional capabilities in a data processing system

• US 8,253,552 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slingshot IOT LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Axnix, Christine, Eckert, Martin, Probst, Juergen
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US12/478,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20090303030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 340/501, 340/506, 340/3.1, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 340/501
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS

Abstract

Configuring functional capabilities in a data processing system comprising entitlement data in a non-volatile storage. The position of the data processing system is determined. Based on said position, functional capabilities are changed based on position information comprised in the entitlement data. Changing functional capabilities consists of enabling functional capabilities, disabling functional capabilities, and both enabling and disabling functional capabilities.

Claims

1. A method for configuring functional capabilities in a data processing system comprising entitlement data in a non-volatile storage, the method comprising:

determining the position of said data processing system;

based on said position, changing functional capabilities based on position information comprised in said entitlement data, wherein changing is selected from the group consisting of enabling, disabling, and a combination thereof; and

wherein said entitlement data comprises at least one flag, a resource limit field, a time limit field, and a token field.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the determining step, Global Positioning Signal (GPS) services are used.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the determining step, or a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) services are used.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the disabling is controlled by violation data in said entitlement data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein an alert is generated if specified by said violation data.

6. The method claim 4, wherein the disabling is delayed by an amount of time if specified by said violation data.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein a penalty billing request is generated if specified by said violation data.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein functions are disabled based on said violation data.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein resources are disabled based on said violation data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said position is provided in encrypted form by a receiver and wherein the validity of said position is determined based on the success of the decryption of said position.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the changing step is controlled by system automation software.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said system automation software can modify said entitlement data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the changing step is mainly performed by a firmware component of said data processing system.

14. A computer program product for configuring functional capabilities in a data processing system comprising entitlement data in a non-volatile storage, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising computer usable program code configured to;

determining the position of said data processing system;

based on said position, changing functional capabilities based on position information comprised in said entitlement data, wherein changing is selected from the group consisting of enabling, disabling, and a combination thereof; and

wherein said entitlement data comprises at least one flag, a resource limit field, a time limit field, and a token field.

15. A device for configuring functional capabilities in a data processing system, said data processing system comprising:

entitlement data in a non-volatile storage, wherein said entitlement data comprises at least one flag, a resource limit field, a time limit field, and a token field;

position detecting means for determining the position of said data processing system; and

means responsive to said position detecting means for changing functional capabilities based on position information comprised in said entitlement data, wherein changing is selected from the group consisting of enabling, disabling, and a combination thereof.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein said position detecting means comprise a private key in a tamper-resistant non-volatile storage;

and wherein the device further comprises means for encrypting said position with said private key.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the disabling is controlled by violation data in said entitlement data.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said position is provided in encrypted form by a receiver and wherein the validity of said position is determined based on the success of the decryption of said position.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the changing step is controlled by system automation software.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the changing step is mainly performed by a firmware component of said data processing system.