Physical key secure peripheral interconnection

• US 9,507,930 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Russello, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): DAO, TUAN C.
• Application Number:
  US14/678,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20150227739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4068 Electrical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0382 Plural input, i.e. interface arrangements in which a plurality of input device of the same type are in communication with a PC
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A multi-display device can interface with two or more different types of docking stations. The device can determine the type of dock and change the pin outs for a connector to interface with that dock. Once docked, the device can determine a charge status for the device and the dock to present the status to the user. Further, the dock can enter one of several modes, including a call receipt mode and an entertainment mode. The modes allow for expanded functionality for the device while docked. Two particular docks, the laptop dock and the smart dock, provide special functionality with the device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a device;

providing a first dock;

establishing a connection between the device and the first dock;

after establishing the connection, determining, by a processor, if the connection is a first connection between the device and the first dock;

if the connection is not the first connection between the device and the first dock, determining, by the processor, if a signal strength of the connection between the device and the first dock is above a signal threshold;

if the signal strength between the device and the first dock is above the signal threshold, exchanging, by the processor, security keys between the device and the first dock, wherein the exchanged security keys were created during a previous session between the device and the first dock;

determining, by the processor, if the exchanged security keys compare to stored information, wherein the exchanged security keys are compared to a list of allowed security keys that were created during the previous session between the device and the first dock;

if the exchanged security keys do compare to the stored information, starting, by the processor, a new session between the device and the first dock;

after starting the new session, determining, by the processor, that the device has moved and the signal strength of the connection between the device and the first dock is below the signal threshold; and

terminating, by the processor, the new session.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to establishing the connection between the device and the first dock, receiving, by the device, an electrical dock identifier from the first dock.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

accessing, by the device, a configuration model for the first dock using the electrical dock identifier received from the first dock; and

configuring a multiplexer of the device to establish output configurations of pins of the device for the first dock using the configuration model.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the signal strength between the device and the first dock is not above the signal threshold, ignoring the connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal threshold indicates a physical proximity of the device to the first dock, and wherein the signal threshold is one of automatically set, predetermined, and established by a user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after terminating the new session, locking the first dock.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

scanning, by the device, for a signal from the first dock.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

after detecting a signal from the first dock, reestablishing the connection between the device and the first dock.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

unlocking the first dock.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the exchanged security keys do not compare to the stored information, ignoring the connection.

11. A device, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor programmed to;

establish a connection between the device and a first dock;

after establishing the connection, determine if the connection is a first connection between the device and the first dock;

if the connection is not the first connection between the device and the first dock, determine if a signal strength of the connection between the device and the first dock is above a signal threshold;

if the signal strength between the device and the first dock is above the signal threshold, exchange security keys between the device and the first dock, wherein the exchanged security keys were created during a previous session between the device and the first dock;

determine if the exchanged security keys compare to stored information;

if the exchanged security keys do compare to the stored information, start a new session between the device and the first docks;

after starting the new session, determine that the device has moved and the signal strength of the connection between the device and the first dock is below the signal threshold; and

terminate the new session.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein if the signal strength between the device and the first dock is not above the signal threshold, the processor is further operable to ignore the connection, wherein the signal threshold indicates a physical proximity of the device to the first dock, and wherein the signal threshold is one of automatically set, predetermined, and established by a user.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein to determine if the exchanged security keys compare to stored information, the processor is further operable to compare the exchanged security keys to a list of allowed security keys that were created during the previous session between the device and the first dock.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein if the exchanged security keys do not compare to the stored information, the processor is further operable to ignore the connection.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein after starting the new session, the processor is further operable to:

access a configuration model for the first dock using an electrical dock identifier received from the first dock.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions causing a processor of a device to execute a method for managing the docking of the device, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

instructions to establish a connection between the device and a first dock;

after establishing the connection, instructions to determine if the connection is a first connection between the device and the first dock;

if the connection is not the first connection between the device and the first dock, instructions to determine if a signal strength of the connection between the device and the first dock is above a signal threshold;

if the signal strength between the device and the first dock is above the signal threshold, instructions to exchange security keys between the device and the first dock, wherein the exchanged security keys were created during a previous session between the device and the first dock;

instructions to determine if the exchanged security keys compare to stored information;

if the exchanged security keys do compare to the stored information, instructions to start a new session between the device and the first dock;

after starting the new session, instructions to determine the device has moved and the signal strength of the connection between the device and the first dock is below the signal threshold; and

instructions to terminate the new session.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

instructions to receive an electrical dock identifier from the first dock;

instructions to access a configuration model for the first dock using the electrical dock identifier received from the first dock; and

instructions to configure a multiplexer of the device to establish output configurations of pins of the device for the first dock using the configuration model.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions to determine if the exchanged security keys compare to stored information include instructions to compare the exchanged security keys to a list of allowed security keys that were created during the previous session between the device and the first dock.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

instructions to ignore the connection if the exchanged security keys do not compare to the stored information.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

instructions to monitor the signal strength of the connection between the device and the first dock, wherein the signal threshold indicates a physical proximity of the device to the first dock.