# US 5,353,350 A · Electro-active cradle circuits for the detection of access or penetration > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,353,350 A - Document ID: US5353350A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 07/847,062 - Filed: 1992-06-02 - Granted: 1994-10-04 - Earliest claimed: 1989-10-03 - Assignees: University Technology Corporation - Inventors: Joseph Unsworth; Michael Mapson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5353350A ## CPC - G06F 21/86: Secure or tamper-resistant housings - H05K 1/0275: {Security details, e.g. tampering prevention or detection} - H10W 42/405: {using active circuits} - H05K 3/284: {for encapsulating mounted components (H05K1/185 takes precedence)} - H05K 2201/10151: Sensor - Y10S 257/922: with means to prevent inspection of or tampering with an integrated circuit, e.g. "smart card", anti-tamper - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract An electronic circuit or device is protected from tamper and/or theft of data contained therein by encapsulation in a hosing and a polymer cradle. The cradle comprises a transducer capable of generating a voltage, detection means to detect said voltage, and protection means associated therewith to destroy and/or alter said circuit, device and/or information and/or record said voltage, characterized in that said transducer is a polymeric pressure/voltage and/or temperature/voltage transducer associated with said detection means such that on alteration of pressure or temperature applied to said transducer beyond pre-set limits, said voltage is sensed by said detection means thereby activating said protection means. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic device comprising an electronic circuit with data to be protected from hardware hacking, a polymeric transducer substantially enveloping the electronic circuit for generating a voltage when the device is tampered with beyond a predetermined limit, means for detecting said voltage, and means for protecting the data upon detection of said voltage by one of altering and destroying the data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1 wherein the electronic circuit is one of a signal processing circuit, a cryptographic circuit, and an alterable memory. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1 wherein said transducer is one of a pressure to voltage transducer, and a temperature to voltage transducer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1 wherein the transducer comprises a halogen containing a polarized polymer selected from the group consisting of poly(vinylidene fluoride), poly(vinylidene fluoridetrifluoroethylene), polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl fluoride, and copolymers thereof. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1 wherein the transducer is arranged to fully cover and enclose the circuit so that any attempt to access the circuit is required to pass through the transducer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1 wherein the means for detecting comprises at least two electrodes connected to the transducer, said electrodes being selected from the group consisting of metallic electrodes and non-metallic electrodes. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1 wherein said transducer comprises a means for switching to prevent inadvertent activation of said means for protecting. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The device of claim 6 further comprising a destructible conducting element adjacent said transducer to short-circuit said electrodes to prevent activation of the means for protecting prior to destruction of said conducting element. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1 wherein an output of the transducer is disabled by connection of the means for detecting to a gating circuit by electrical conductors to prevent said voltage being transmitted to the means for detecting, said gating circuit being controlled by elements of of a balanced bridging circuit, said bridging circuit being altered by breaking of at least one bridge element. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The device of claim 5 wherein the transducer is disabled by having inputs of the means for detecting connected by conductors thereby preventing a buildup of charge on the conductors, and wherein the connection is affected in such a way so as to be broken upon any penetration through to the transducer and, on a braking of the connection, the transducer is immediately enabled to generate said voltage. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1 wherein one of said circuit and said transducer is resistant to an energy source used in the examination of the device, said energy source being one of electromagnetic radiation, acoustic energy, and predetermined chemicals. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11 wherein one of said circuit and said transducer is opaque to said energy source. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11 further comprising an encapsulating element which resists the energy source and encloses the circuit, transducer, means for detecting, and means for protecting. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13 wherein the encapsulating element is formulated with high atomic number compounds in a supporting material in quantities up to an beyond80% w/w. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The device of claim 14 wherein the supporting material is one of epoxy and polyurethane. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13 wherein the encapsulating element is formulated with predetermined quantities of metal arranged throughout the element to disguise the configuration of the device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13 wherein the encapsulating element includes ceramic materials to prevent mechanical ingress into said device beyond said element. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13 wherein the encapsulating element includes an electrical insulation layer. ### Claim 19 A method of protecting an electronic apparatus from hardware hacking intended to gain access to confidential information contained in the electronic apparatus, the method comprising enveloping the apparatus with a polymeric transducer adapted to output a voltage to the apparatus when hardware hacking is attempted to gain access to the apparatus, wherein the voltage acts upon the apparatus to alter the apparatus, thereby preventing disclosure of the confidential information. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A method as claimed in claim 19 wherein the hardware hacking involves one of physical penetration, physical scraping, chemical ingress, electromagnetic imaging, and ultrasonic scanning. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) A method as claimed in claim 19 wherein the confidential information comprises data retained in a memory storage device arranged within the apparatus. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein the voltage acts to alter the data and corrupt the confidential information. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) A system as claimed in claim 19 further comprising means for processing having electrode inputs connected to the means for detecting and outputs connected to the electric circuit, the means for processing receiving the voltage via the electrodes and applying a processed version of the voltage to the electronic circuit to alter the confidential information. ### Claim 24 A protection system for protecting confidential information retained in an electronic circuit, the system comprising a polymeric transducer means for detecting a hardware hacking attempt on the circuit which envelopes at least the circuit, wherein the means for detecting is passive and only enabled upon a hardware hacking attempt. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) A system as claimed in claim 24 wherein the means for detecting fully encloses the circuit, thereby preventing the hacking from any direction. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) A system as claimed in claim 24 wherein the means for detecting, upon detecting a hacking attempt, alters the confidential information, thereby preventing successful hacking of the information. ### Claim 27 (depends on 24) A system as claimed in claim 24 wherein the electronic circuit is one of a signal processing circuit, an encryption device, a decryption device, and a memory storage device. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) A system as claimed in claim 27 wherein the memory storage device comprises alterable memory, wherein the alterable memory comprises one of an EPROM, E.sup.2 PROM, RAM, DRAM, and PROM. ### Claim 29 (depends on 27) A system as claimed in claim 27, wherein the memory storage device comprises a hardwired read-only memory circuit.