Method for protecting nomad devices against theft, corresponding device and installation
OwnerRichard Toffoletinventor
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Abstract
Protection devices, such as portable telephones or computers, whereof the operating conditions is capable of being controlled by a software and which have a link dependence and/or of proximity with a removable component. The invention consists in inputting, prior to any severance of the dependence and/or proximity link, a code by the user, and in locking the device if the code is not input, optionally sending a warning message to a manager of the external service.
Claims15
A method for combating the theft and/or fraudulent use of a device (1) the operation of which is likely to be under the control of software and which has a dependence and/or proximity link with at least one removable component, referred to as an “in-place component (6, 6′)”, which method is characterized in that it includes the following steps:
- a) the loading, into said device (1), of protection software in which an activation code (Ca) that is personal to the user is recorded and which the user requires in order to be able to break said dependence and/or proximity link,
- b) the provision of said activation code (Ca) to the authorized user, and, if said activation code (Ca) was not entered in the device (1) before the breakage of said dependence and/or proximity link:
- c) the blocking of the operation of the device (1), under the command of said protection software.
The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it additionally includes a step consisting of:
- g) the unblocking of said device by the provider of the activation code.
The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims which method is applied to the case in which the device (1) is a communication terminal, said terminal (1) and said in-place component (6, 6′) each having its specific key, respectively referred to as “terminal key (Ct)” and “component key (Cc, Cc′)”, which method is characterized in that it additionally includes the steps consisting of:
- h) the recording in external equipment (2), including a database (3) and a transceiver (4), of at least one item of data identifying the authorized user of said terminal (1);
- i) the communication by the terminal (1), to said transceiver (4) of the external equipment (2), of the terminal key (Ct) and of the component key (Cc, Cc′) of said in-place component (6, 6′) during first use of the method;
- j) the recording, in said database (3), of the terminal key (Ct) and of the component key (Cc, Cc′) of said in-place component (6, 6′), and, in the event that the in-place component (6, 6′) is replaced by an equivalent component in the conditions specified by the protection software,
- k) the communication by the terminal (1), to said transceiver (4) of the external equipment (2), of the terminal key (Ct) and of the component key of said equivalent component, and
- l) the recording, in the database (3) of the external equipment (2), of the component key of said equivalent component.
An assembly formed first of a device (1) the operation of which is likely to be under the control of software and, secondly, of at least one removable component, referred to as an “in-place component (6, 6′)”, with which said device (1) has a dependence and/or proximity link, which assembly is characterized in that said device (1) is loaded with protection software in which an activation code (Ca) that is personal to the authorized user of the device (1) is recorded and which is designed to:
- α) allow the authorized user to temporarily break the dependence and/or proximity link between his terminal (1) and said in-place component (6, 6′), and
- β) block the terminal (1), if it turns out that the activation code (Ca) was not entered before the breakage of the dependence and/or proximity link.
An installation, characterized in that it is formed of:
- a plurality of devices each consisting of a communication terminal (1) having a dependence and/or proximity link with at least one removable component, referred to as an “in-place component” (6, 6′)″, each terminal (1) and each in-place component (6, 6′) having its specific key, respectively referred to as “terminal key (Ct)” and “component key (Cc, Cc′)”, and
- external equipment (2) including a transceiver (4) and a database (3), designed to record, for each terminal (1), at least one item of data identifying the authorized user, and the terminal key (Ct) and component key (Cc, Cc′) information which is communicated to the external equipment (2) by said terminal (1).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.