Smart harness for electronic devices

• US 8,427,328 B1
• Filed: 03/09/2010
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Leblang, Jonathan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US12/719,927
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 340/568.1, 340/635, 340/571, 340/539.23, 340/539.15, 340/10.1, 340/7.2, 455/421, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 340/635
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 7/024 with provisions for preventing unauthorised removal show cases with devices for prevention of theft A47F3/002; devices for locking portable objects against unauthorised removal E05B73/0017
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• 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

Abstract

A smart harness may be coupled to an electronic device. The smart harness may communicate with the electronic device by an exchange of signals when the harness is secured to the electronic device. The electronic device and/or smart harness may operate in various modes based on the communications or lack of communications, such as when the exchange of signals is interrupted. The various modes may be selected from a non-exhaustive group of a limited functionality mode, an alarm mode, a full feature mode, and a non-active mode.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a harness to securely attach to an electronic device, the harness including;

a tether to physically secure the harness to an anchor to prevent displacement of the harness and an attached electronic device from a predetermined location; and

a data connector to enable transmission of a signal from the harness and to the attached electronic device; and

an electronic device configured to be securely attached to the harness, the electronic device including;

a processor;

memory to store instructions executable by the processor; and

a data port to receive the signal from the harness, the instructions causing the electronic device to (1) operate in a first mode of operation when the data port connects to the data connector such that the electronic device receives the signal from the harness, and (2) operate in a second mode of operation that is different than the first mode when the data port does not connect to the data connector such that the electronic device does not receive the signal from the harness.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first mode of operation is a full-feature mode of operation and the second mode of operation is a reduced functionality mode of operation.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes a display, and wherein the first mode of operation or the second mode of operation includes rendering content on the display indicating a presence or absence of the signal.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes a speaker, and wherein the first mode of operation or the second mode of operation includes emitting a sound using the speaker to indicate a presence or absence of the signal.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the data connector is a universal serial bus (USB) connector.

6. A method performed at least in part by an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving a signal from a harness securely coupled to the electronic device, the signal to indicate a security status of the electronic device;

operating in a first mode for a predetermined duration after receiving the signal from the harness; and

operating in a second mode upon expiration of the predetermined duration and an omission of another instance of the signal during the predetermined duration, the operating in the second mode reducing a quantity of available functions of the electronic device as compared to a quantity of available functions of the electronic device operating in the first mode.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the predetermined duration is extended by a receipt of another instance of the signal from the harness.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the second mode includes at least one of:

transmitting a signal to a third party to indicate a status of the harness or the electronic device,

sounding an alarm, or

displaying a message to request a user to reset the functionality of the electronic device.

9. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the signal is transmitted via a wired connection between the harness and the electronic device.

10. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising transmitting a response signal to the harness to confirm a current operational mode of the electronic device.

11. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the second mode includes deleting at least one of data, programs, or modules from memory of the electronic device.

12. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the electronic device is an electronic book (eBook) reader device capable of communicating with the harness via wired or wireless data transmissions.

13. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the predetermined duration is greater than zero seconds.

14. A method comprising:

transmitting a signal from a harness to an electronic device physically secured to the harness, the signal to initiate a first mode of operation of the electronic device that terminates after an absence of the signal for a predetermined duration;

receiving a reply signal from the electronic device in response to the transmitted signal; and

upon the absence of the reply signal for the predetermined duration, performing at least one of

emitting an audible alarm, or

transmitting a message to a third device to notify the third device of the absence of the reply signal.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising sensing a location of the harness within a predetermined boundary, and wherein the transmitting the signal to the electronic device is contingent upon the location.

16. An electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a locking fixture integrally formed in the housing to enable attachment of a security harness to the electronic device;

a data port to receive a signal from the security harness when attached to the electronic device; and

a controller to instruct the electronic device to operate in a first powered mode during receipt of the signal and a second powered mode during an absence of the signal.

17. The electronic device as recited in claim 16, wherein the electronic device is an electronic book (eBook) reader device.

18. The electronic device as recited in claim 16, wherein the signal is received intermittently at a fixed duration, and wherein the controller instructs the electronic device to operate in the second mode during the absence of the signal after an expiration of the fixed duration since a last signal.

19. The electronic device as recited in claim 16, wherein the security harness provides a supply of power to the electronic device, and wherein the providing of the supply of power from the security harness to the electronic device acts as the signal.

20. The electronic device as recited in claim 16, wherein the data port transmits a reply signal to the security harness in response to the receipt of the signal.

21. An apparatus to securely couple to and restrain an electronic device, the apparatus comprising:

a body formed to partially cover the electronic device to securely couple to the electronic device;

a data connector to transmit a first signal to the electronic device when the electronic device is secured by the body; and

a controller to transmit a second signal to at least one of an emitting device or a third device when the electronic device is removed from the body.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

a tether to connect the apparatus to an anchor; and

a power supply configured to provide electricity to the electronic device.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein the data connector is configured to transmit a wireless signal as one of the first signal or the second signal, the wireless signal transmitted to at least one of the electronic device or the third device to indicate a status of the harness with respect to the electronic device.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, further comprising an operational indicator that indicates when the apparatus successfully transmits the first signal to the electronic device.

25. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein the data connector is configured to receive a response signal from the electronic device.

26. The apparatus as recited in claim 25, further comprising a speaker in communication with the data connector and the controller, the speaker to emit an audible sound during an absence of the response signal.

27. A method performed at least in part by an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving a signal from a harness coupled to the electronic device;

operating in a first mode for a predetermined duration after receiving the signal from the harness; and

operating in a second mode that is different than the first mode upon expiration of the predetermined duration and an omission of another instance of the signal during the predetermined duration, the operating in the second mode increasing a quantity of available functions of the electronic device as compared to a quantity of available functions of the electronic device operating in the first mode.

28. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the operating in the first mode blocks access to at least a portion of data stored on the electronic device and operating in the second mode enables access to at least the portion of the data stored on the electronic device.