Always-available embedded theft reaction subsystem

• US 9,208,359 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Berger, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Shehni, Ghazal
• Application Number:
  US13/993,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20140123328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/67 Risk-dependent, e.g. selecting a security level depending on risk profiles

Abstract

A platform including an always-available theft protection system is described. In one embodiment, the system comprises a power management logic to selectively power elements of the system, a disarming logic to disarm the platform from an armed mode when a disarming command is received via an interface, the interface powered when the platform is in the armed and suspecting modes to detect the disarming command. The system further comprises, in one embodiment, a risk behavior logic to detect a potential problem via a interface, the interface powered when the platform is in the armed mode to detect the potential problem, and a core logic component to provide logic to analyze the potential problem, and to move the platform to a suspecting mode, when the potential problem indicates a theft suspicion, the core logic powered when the risk behavior logic detects the potential problem.

Claims

1. A platform including a theft protection system, the system comprising:

a power management logic to selectively power elements of the system;

a risk behavior logic to detect a potential problem when the platform is armed, the potential problem to be received via an interface selectively powered by the power management logic when the platform is in an armed mode to detect the potential problem;

a core logic component to analyze the potential problem and to move the platform to a suspecting mode when the potential problem indicates a theft suspicion, the core logic component selectively powered by the power management logic when the risk behavior logic detects the potential problem; and

a disarming logic to disarm the platform from the armed mode when a disarming command is received, the disarming command to be received via an interface selectively powered by the power management logic when the platform is in the armed mode and the suspecting mode to detect the disarming command.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an arming logic to arm the platform when an arming command is received via an interface to the arming logic, the interface selectively powered by the power management logic when the platform is in an unarmed mode to detect the arming command.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the arming logic includes a pre-arming manual activation which is either powered in unarmed mode or relies on a mechanical mechanism, and which moves from the unarmed mode to an arming-in-progress mode, and the arming command is to be automatically detected by the interface.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the theft protection system is powered only when the theft protection system is in the suspecting mode, armed mode, or a pre-armed mode activated manually by a user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface to detect the disarming command comprises one or more of:

a personal area network reader, a near field communications reader, and a keyboard.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface for detecting the potential problem comprises one or more of:

a motion sensor, a wireless access point detector, a location sensor, a network connection sensor, and a power source sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a security action logic to take a security action when the core logic identifies the theft suspicion.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein features associated with the security action are selectively powered by the power management logic in response to identifying the theft suspicion.

9. The system of claim 8, comprising one or more of:

a communication logic, an audio output, a kill pill, and a power transition logic.

10. A platform including a theft protection system, the system comprising:

a power management logic to selectively power elements of the system;

a plurality of interfaces;

an unarmed mode in which the platform is accessible, wherein in the unarmed mode one or more interfaces to arm the platform are selectively powered by the power management logic;

an armed mode in which the system is monitoring for a potential problem, wherein in the armed mode one or more interfaces to monitor for the potential problem and interfaces to disarm the platform are selectively powered by the power management logic; and

a core logic component to analyze the potential problem and to move the platform to a suspecting mode when the potential problem indicates a theft suspicion, the core logic component selectively powered by the power management logic when the potential problem is detected.

11. The system of claim 10,

wherein when in the suspecting mode in which the platform has detected the potential problem and is monitoring a platform status, the power management logic is to power features to monitor the platform status.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an arming logic to arm the platform when an arming command is received via a interface, the interface powered when the platform is in an unarmed mode to detect the arming command.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the arming logic includes a pre-arming manual activation which is either powered in unarmed mode or relies on a mechanical mechanism, and which moves from the unarmed mode to an arming-in-progress mode, and the arming command is automatically detected by the interface.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the interface to detect disarming commands comprises one or more of:

a personal area network reader, a near field communications reader, and a keyboard.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the interface for detecting the potential problem comprises one or more of:

a motion sensor, a wireless access point detector, a location sensor, a network connection sensor, and a power source sensor.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a security action logic to take a security action when the core logic identifies the theft suspicion.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein features associated with the security action are selectively powered by the power management logic in response to identifying the theft suspicion.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the features comprise one or more of:

a communication logic, an audio output, a kill pill, and a power transition logic.