Apple files for patent: acceleration-based theft detection system for portable electronic devices
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Sep 7, 2005 at 12:31am
Apple has filed a patent for a theft prevention system for protecting portable electronic devices. Appearing at the U.S. Patent & Copyright Office on Sept. 1, 2005. Patent application 200501900059 is dated March 1, 2005.
Overview: An acceleration sensor detects the acceleration of a portable electronic device, and a controller analyzes this acceleration to determine whether a theft condition is present. If so, an alarm can be initiated. The theft prevention system can include a filter for attenuating irrelevant acceleration frequencies and isolating those representative of theft, and comparison hardware/software for determining whether the detected acceleration matches a known acceleration profile characteristic of theft. Various parameters of the theft prevention system can also be set by a user through mechanisms such as a graphical user interface.
FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an acceleration sensor constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary controller for detecting theft in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 illustrates a graphical user interface for configuring of a theft detection system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Background of the invention
The drive toward miniaturization of electronics has resulted in computer-based systems that are becoming much more portable. Current portable electronic devices such as laptop computers, hand-held devices such as cellular telephones and personal media devices, such as the iPod from Apple Computer, and even devices such as compact disc players, are sufficiently compact and lightweight as to make them easily movable. Unfortunately, such ease of transport also implies ease of theft. While the rightful owner of a portable electronic device may conveniently transport it almost anywhere, so can a thief.
One current anti-theft system is a simple mechanical lock that attaches to the housing of a device, with a cable that wraps around other objects so as to affix the portable device to these objects. In this manner, portable electronic devices can be effectively tethered to nearby fixtures, making theft difficult. However, such systems suffer from drawbacks. For instance, users are forced to carry around a bulky cable and lock, thus somewhat defeating the purpose of portable electronic devices. Also, users may sometimes wish to leave their devices in areas where there is no convenient fixture to tether to.
It is therefore desirable to develop a theft detection system for portable electronic devices. It is further desirable to develop a theft detection system that does not require the use of additional bulky physical mechanisms, and which is capable of functioning in many different locations.
Summary of the invention
Broadly speaking, the invention pertains to detecting theft of portable electronic devices. The acceleration of a device is monitored and processed to determine whether a likely theft condition exists. If so, the various embodiments of the invention then seek to prevent theft by initiating an alarm.
The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a method, system, device, apparatus, or computer readable medium. Several embodiments of the invention are discussed below.
As a theft prevention system for protecting a portable electronic device, one embodiment of the invention comprises an acceleration sensor, an audio output device, and a controller operatively connected with the acceleration sensor and the audio output device, the acceleration sensor, the audio output, and the controller each being proximate to the portable electronic device. The acceleration sensor is configured to sense an acceleration of the portable electronic device and provide an acceleration signal to the controller upon detection of the acceleration. The controller is configured to initiate the production of an alarm signal from the audio output based on the acceleration signal.
As a portable electronic device having a system for protecting against theft, one embodiment of the invention comprises a housing of the portable electronic device, an acceleration sensor proximate to the housing and configured to detect an acceleration of the portable electronic device, and an output device. A controller is operatively connected with the acceleration sensor and configured to initiate the output of an alarm from the output device based on detection of the acceleration by the acceleration sensor.
As a method of protecting a portable electronic device against theft, one embodiment of the invention comprises at least the acts of: monitoring the portable electronic device so as to generate an acceleration signal corresponding to an acceleration of the portable electronic device, the acceleration signal having frequency characteristics of movement of the portable electronic device; filtering the acceleration signal so as to isolate the frequencies characteristic of movement of the device; comparing the acceleration signal to a frequency profile so as to determine a metric measuring a correspondence between the frequency profile and the frequency characteristics of movement of the device; and generating an alarm based upon the metric.
As a computer readable memory including at least computer instructions for directing an electronic system to provide theft protection, one embodiment of the invention comprises at least: a first set of computer instructions to acquire an acceleration signal corresponding to an acceleration of the electronic system, the acceleration signal having frequencies characteristic of movement of the device; a second set of computer instructions to process the acceleration signal so as to isolate the frequencies characteristic of movement of the device; a third set of computer instructions to compare the acceleration signal to a frequency profile so as to determine a metric measuring a correspondence between the frequency profile and the frequencies characteristic of movement of the device; and a fourth set of computer instructions to initiate the production of an alarm based upon the metric.
False alarms
In order to more accurately detect theft and to avoid “false alarms” such as the triggering of an alarm when no theft is actually occurring, the invention can include signal conditioning hardware and/or software for filtering out those acceleration signals that do not represent a theft condition. For example, the signal conditioning hardware and/or software should filter out those acceleration signals corresponding to shock or impact.
Report by New2Me: neo@macsimumnews.com
Leave a comment ⇒
Please post the article topic & comment in our forums. No registration required.
Article Information
Comment on this Article Print this Article Email this Article Digg This
Contributor
Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
