Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Solid contact
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-25
2001-11-13
Bradley, Paula (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Solid contact
C200S043110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06316740
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the design and operation of electronic equipment, including computer systems, and, more particularly, to a mechanism for selectively determining a mode of operation of such equipment, wherein the mechanism may be rendered substantially inaccessible to unauthorized intrusion.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is frequently desirable in the design and operation of electronic equipment, including, for example, computer systems, that various functions of the equipment be rendered individually enabled or configurable by the user. With specific reference to computer systems, configuration information had been formerly provided to the system processor by the computer user's selection of the state of a bank of DIP mechanical switches that were physically installed on the computer motherboard. More recently, configuration information is stored in a CMOS RAM, and the processor reads the configuration data during the initialization process. In addition to configuration data, it is often desirable that certain other aspects or features of the computer system operation be selectable by the user. Often the user is simply presented with an option either to enable or disable a function, or to select between two or more available modes of operation.
An example of computer functionality that might require or accept user's assertion to enable or disable the function is the publication of the computer system serial number. This represents a relatively new feature in personal computer systems, and concern has been expressed with respect to the privacy implications attendant publication of system serial numbers. In order to mitigate this concern, it has been proposed that the function be selectively disabled, under user control, through the operation of installed software. However, in response to anticipated suspicions that the software may not uniformly operate as endorsed, a more tangible mode, such as a jumper wire on the motherboard, has been considered as an alternative means for selectively enabling or disabling the function. Of course, connection of the jumper wire requires opening the computer cabinet, setting the jumper, and then closing the cabinet. Because there may be some circumstances where the serial number must be conveyed, for example, in order to gain access to certain protected resources, such as some sites on the worldwide web, jumper wire connection and disconnection promises to become a recurrent process, and a recurrent nuisance. An externally accessible switch would seem to be preferable, to the extent that the inconvenience of opening and closing the computer cabinet may be circumvented.
As another example, the advent of e-commerce transactions has given rise to the requirement that PCs have the capability to store and deliver digital certificates, security tokens, and other similar information. Because of the threat that such information may be hacked into and the user's security compromised, it appears judicious to have this functionality normally disabled, but conveniently enabled when the computer user desires to engage in e-commerce or other secured or verified transactions. Conversely, in the business environment, an IT administrator might desire to have the function “almost always ON” in an employee's computer. In this situation, the end-user employee would be denied the capability of countervailing the setting established by the IT administrator.
Accordingly, what is desired is a technique for selectively enabling or disabling a function to electronic equipment, such as computer systems. The technique should be convenient to use, yet provide security from unauthorized, or otherwise unwarranted, intrusion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other objects, advantages and capabilities are achieved in one aspect of the invention by a configuration switch assembly that determines at least one aspect of the operation of electronic equipment, such as a computer system. The switch assembly comprises, or is incorporated into, an enclosure for the equipment. The enclosure includes a panel having an exterior surface and an interior surface. A protected switch is disposed within the enclosure for coupling to the electronic equipment so that at least an aspect of the operation of the electronic is determined by the state of the protected switch. A lock associated with the switch is accessible outside the enclosure and operates to selectively prevent access to the protected switch. In this manner, the aspect of the operation of the electronic equipment that is determined by the protected switch may be rendered immune to unauthorized intrusion by locking the protected switch.
In an exemplary manifestation of the invention, the exterior surface exhibits a guide and a lock recess disposed at one end of the guide, as well as an aperture cut through the guide. A slide lock is slidably positioned in the guide and has an arm extending outwardly in a direction away from the exterior surface of the panel. A cam extends from the slide lock, through the aperture, and beyond the interior surface. The slide lock also contains a lock recess that is dimensionally congruent to the guide lock recess. A protected switch is affixed to the interior surface of the panel, in proximity with the longitudinal aperture. The switch is adapted to be electrically coupled to functional components of the equipment, so that at least one operational characteristic of the equipment is determined by the state (open, closed) of the switch.
Another aspect of the invention is embodied in a configuration switch assembly for selectively enabling or disabling a function of a computer system. The assembly comprises an enclosure for the computer system and a protected switch adapted for coupling to a device within the computer system for selectively enabling or disabling a function of the computer system. A first lock is movably attached to the enclosure and is operable to engage the protected switch when placed in a first position and to disengage from the protected switch when placed in a second position. The assembly includes a second lock for locking the first lock in either the first position or the second position so that the switch is protected from unauthorized operation when the first lock is locked.
A further embodiment of the invention is realized in a computer system comprising a configuration switch assembly for selectively enabling or disabling a function of the computer system. The configuration switch assembly comprises an enclosure for the computer system and a protected switch adapted for coupling to a device within the computer system for selectively enabling or disabling a function of the computer system. A first lock is movably attached to the enclosure and operates to engage the protected switch when placed in a first position and to disengage from the protected switch when placed in a second position. A second lock is provided for locking the first lock in either the first position or the second position so that the switch is protected from unauthorized operation when the actuator is locked.
The invention may also be encountered in a method of facilitating computer system user's selective enabling or disabling of a function of a computer system. The method comprises the steps of affixing a protected switch to an interior surface of a computer system enclosure and providing a lock on an exterior surface of the enclosure. The lock is slidably disposed in a guide so that the slide lock is movable under user control between a first position and a second position. In the second position, the lock is engaged with the protected switch and is lockable.
From the user's perspective, the invention may be perceived as a method that facilitates the selective enabling or disabling of a function, or an aspect of the operation, of a computer system. Specifically, a protected switch that determines at least an aspect of the operation of the computer system is affixed to an interior surface of a compu
Curlee James D.
Merkin Cynthia M.
Bradley Paula
Dell USA LP
Nguyen Nhung
Odozynski John A.
Skjerven Morrill & MacPherson LLP
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