# US 10,455,375 B2 · Controlling access to a hardware resource of an electronic device by a magnetically attachable electronic device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,455,375 B2 - Document ID: US10455375B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/356,647 - Filed: 2016-11-20 - Published: 2017-05-25 - Granted: 2019-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2015-11-21 - Assignees: Nanoport Technology Inc. - Applicants: Nanoport Technology Inc. - Inventors: Timothy Jing Yin Szeto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10455375B2 ## CPC - H04W 4/12: Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements - H01F 7/0242: {Magnetic drives, magnetic coupling devices} - H01R 13/6205: {Two-part coupling devices held in engagement by a magnet} - H04L 67/1097: for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] - H04L 67/125: involving control of end-device applications over a network - H04L 67/306: User profiles - H04L 67/52: specially adapted for the location of the user terminal - H04M 1/026: {Details of the structure or mounting of specific components} - H04M 1/72412: using two-way short-range wireless interfaces - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - H04W 76/14: Direct-mode setup - Y04S 40/18: Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H01F: MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES - H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract In an embodiment, a mobile electronic device comprises: a transceiver; at least one magnetic connector; connectedness detection circuitry operable to dynamically detect a connection event at each of the at least one magnetic connector; and a processor, coupled to the connectedness detection circuitry, operable to: automatically establish a communications link, via the transceiver, with an other electronic device upon detection, by the connectedness detection circuitry, of the connection event at a predetermined set of the at least one magnetic connector; send, from the mobile electronic device to a remote server, a request for access to a hardware resource of the other electronic device; and based on a positive response from the remote server, access, via the wireless communications link, a hardware resource of the other electronic device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method at a mobile electronic device having at least one magnetic connector, the method comprising: upon magnetic attachment of the mobile electronic device to an other electronic device using the at least one magnetic connector, detecting a connection event at each of the at least one magnetic connector used for the magnetic attachment; in response to the detecting, automatically establishing a communications link between the mobile electronic device and the other electronic device; sending, from the mobile electronic device to a remote server, a request for access to a hardware resource of the other electronic device; and based on a positive response from the remote server, accessing, from the magnetically attached mobile electronic device, via the communications link, the hardware resource of the other electronic device, wherein the sending, from the mobile electronic device to the remote server, of the request for access to the hardware resource of the other electronic device occurs prior to the magnetic attachment of the mobile electronic device to the other electronic device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the request for access comprises a unique ID of a hardware resource of the other electronic device to which access is sought. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the request for access comprises a unique ID of the other electronic device containing the hardware resource to which access is sought. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the request for access further comprises a user ID, or user profile ID, of a user associated with the mobile electronic device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a positive response from the remote server and, based on the positive response, storing at the mobile electronic device an indication of the hardware resource to which access is granted. ### Claim 6 A mobile electronic device comprising: a transceiver; at least one magnetic connector; connectedness detection circuitry operable to dynamically detect a connection event at each of the at least one magnetic connector; a processor, coupled to the connectedness detection circuitry, operable to: automatically establish a communications link, via the transceiver, with an other electronic device upon detection, by the connectedness detection circuitry, of the connection event at a predetermined set of the at least one magnetic connector; send, from the mobile electronic device to a remote server, a request for access to a hardware resource of the other electronic device; and based on a positive response from the remote server, access, via the wireless communications link, a hardware resource of the other electronic device, wherein the sending, from the mobile electronic device to the remote server, of the request for access to the hardware resource of the other electronic device occurs prior to the detection of the connection event at the predetermined set of the at least one magnetic connector. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The mobile electronic device of claim 6 wherein the at least one magnetic connector comprises a plurality of magnetic connectors. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The mobile electronic device of claim 7 wherein the predetermined set of the magnetic connectors comprises a subset of the plurality of magnetic connectors. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The mobile electronic device of claim 7 wherein the predetermined set of the magnetic connectors comprises all of the magnetic connectors of the plurality. ### Claim 10 A cloud server comprising: a network interface controller; and a processor operable to: receive, via the network interface controller, a request, from a mobile electronic device having at least one magnetic connector, for access to a hardware resource of an other electronic device, the other electronic device having at least one complementary magnetic connector selectively attachable to the magnetic connector of the mobile electronic device for mutual magnetic attachment of the devices, the request containing a unique ID associated with the other electronic device, the request being sent from the mobile electronic device prior to the mutual magnetic attachment of the devices; based at least upon on the unique ID in the request, determining access rights to the hardware resource for the mobile electronic device; and based on the determined access rights to the hardware resource, sending to the mobile electronic device, via the network interface controller, one of a positive response indicating that access to the hardware resource is granted and a negative response indicating that access to the hardware resource is denied. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The cloud server of claim 10 wherein the request from the mobile electronic device contains a user profile ID and wherein the access rights are specific to a user profile associated with the user profile ID. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The cloud server of claim 10 wherein the request from the mobile electronic device contains a user ID and wherein the access rights are specific to a user associated with the user ID. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The cloud server of claim 10 wherein the request from the mobile electronic device contains a device ID of the mobile electronic device and wherein the access rights are specific to the mobile electronic device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The cloud server of claim 10 wherein the access rights to the hardware resource specify a time limit for the mobile electronic device to access the hardware resource of the other electronic device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The cloud server of claim 14 wherein the time limit for the mobile electronic device to access the hardware resource of the other electronic device is user-specific or user profile-specific. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The cloud server of claim 14 wherein the unique ID in the request is a device ID of the other electronic device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The cloud server of claim 14 wherein the unique ID in the request is an ID of the hardware resource to which access is sought.