Mechanisms for locking computing devices

• US 9,400,895 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Dadu, Saurabh, Prakash, Gyan, Poornachandran, Rajesh, Satapathy, Jiphun, Adrangi, Farid
• Primary Examiner(s): LEMMA, SAMSON B
• Application Number:
  US13/991,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20140283018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 726/19, 726/34
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/70 Protecting specific internal or peripheral components, in which the protection of a component leads to protection of the entire computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/032 Protect output to user by software means

Abstract

Various systems and methods for locking computing devices are described herein. In an example, a portable device comprises an electro-mechanical lock; and a firmware module coupled to the electro-mechanical lock, the firmware module configured to: receive an unlock code; validate the unlock code; and unlock the electro-mechanical lock when the unlock code is validated. In another example, device for managing BIOS authentication, the device comprising an NFC module, the NFC module comprising an NFC antenna; and a firmware module, wherein the firmware module is configured to: receive an unlock code from an NFC device via the NFC antenna; validate the unlock code; and unlock a BIOS of the device when the unlock code is validated.

Claims

1. A portable device comprising:

an electro-mechanical lock;

a display configured to display a status of the electro-mechanical lock, the display positioned on an exterior surface of the portable device;

an NFC radio; and

a firmware module coupled to the electro-mechanical lock, the firmware module configured to;

detect an NFC device;

activate a secure execution environment;

query the NFC device with the NFC radio to obtain the unlock code;

receive an unlock code over a near field communication (NFC) link between the NFC radio and the NFC device;

validate the unlock code; and

unlock the electro-mechanical lock when the unlock code is validated,

wherein the portable device has a clamshell design with a first and second hinged component and wherein the electro-mechanical lock latches the first hinged component to the second hinged component.

2. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the display comprises one of a set of one or more light-emitting diodes, a liquid crystal display, or an electronic ink display.

3. The portable device of claim 1, comprising a universal serial port (USB) configured to:

connect to a USB device; and

receive the unlock code.

4. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the firmware module is a trusted execution environment.

5. A method for unlocking a portable device, comprising:

detecting an NFC device;

activating a secure execution environment;

querying the NFC device with an NFC radio to obtain the unlock code;

receiving an unlock code at the portable device over a near field communication (NFC) link between the NFC radio and the NFC device;

validating by the portable device, the unlock code;

unlocking a physical lock installed on the portable device when the unlock code is validated, the portable device having a clamshell design with a first and second hinged component and wherein the physical lock latches the first hinged component to the second hinged component; and

displaying a status of the electro-mechanical lock, the display positioned on an exterior surface of the portable device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein validating the unlock code comprises:

comparing the unlock code to a one-time password stored at the portable device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the NFC device is one of a smartphone or a smart card.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the physical lock comprises an electromechanical lock or an electro-magnetic lock.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the physical lock latches a lid of the portable device to a body of the portable device.

10. The method of claim 5, comprising:

updating the display of the portable device to display an updated status of the physical lock.

11. At least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions for controlling a physical lock installed on a portable computing device, which when executed by the portable computing device cause the portable computing device to:

detect an NFC device;

activate a secure execution environment;

query the NFC device with an NFC radio to obtain the unlock code;

receive an unlock code at the portable device over a near field communication (NFC) link between the NFC radio and the NFC device;

validate by the portable device, the unlock code;

unlock a physical lock installed on the portable device when the unlock code is validated,

the portable device having a clamshell design with a first and second hinged component and wherein the physical lock latches the first hinged component to the second hinged component; and

display a status of the electro-mechanical lock, the display positioned on an exterior surface of the portable device.

12. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions to validate the unlock code comprise instructions to:

compare the unlock code to a one-time password stored at the portable device.

13. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the NFC device is one of a smartphone or a smart card.

14. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the physical lock comprises an electromechanical lock or an electro-magnetic lock.

15. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, comprising instructions to:

update the display of the portable device to display an updated status of the physical lock.