EP1028212B1

EP1028212B1 - Computer physical security device

Info

Publication number: EP1028212B1
Application number: EP00106042A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Arthur H. Zarnowitz; Steward R. Carl; William R. Murray, Jr.
Original assignee: Acco Brands Inc
Current assignee: Acco Brands Inc
Priority date: 1994-11-15
Filing date: 1994-11-15
Publication date: 2012-08-01
Anticipated expiration: 2014-11-15
Also published as: JP3607295B2; CA2205171C; DE69432085T2; WO1996015347A1; DE69432085D1; CA2205171A1; EP0791123B1; EP1028212A2; EP0791123A1; EP1028212A3; ATE231943T1; ES2191697T3; AU1256295A; EP0791123A4; JPH10508917A

Abstract

A locking device for attaching to a security slot (652) in a portable object, comprising: a housing (620); a moveable locking arm (646) extending from said housing (620) and having a locking member (648) at an end of said arm that extends outside of said housing (620), said locking member (648) having a shape for insertion into and removal from the security slot (652), said locking arm (646) moveable between locking position and an unlocked position; a pin (634), coupling the housing (620) to the security slot (652) when said locking arm (646) is in said locked position, for inhibiting transition of said locking arm (646) to said unlocked position; and a cable, coupled to said housing, for attachment to an object other than to the portable object.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to devices for inhibiting the theft of relatively small but expensive pieces of equipment.
Computers have evolved rather rapidly from large, expensive machines usable only by a few, to relatively small, portable machines which are usable by many. In particular, the development of desk top computers with significant processing power has made computers available to the general population. It is now common for college and even high school students to have their own computer, and desk top computers are in wide spread use as word processors and work stations in almost all forms of business. Desk top computers are relatively small and easily transportable, and an undesirable side effect of their proliferation is the fact that the theft of such computers is a significant problem.
A variety of devices have been developed to inhibit the theft of desk top computers and similar equipment. Since desk top computer systems involve several components, typically including the computer itself, a separate monitor, keyboard and often a printer, such security systems often employ a cable which attaches each of the components to each other and to a relatively immovable object such as a desk. The principal difficulty in such systems is providing an effective and convenient method for attaching the cable itself to the equipment.
Kensington Microware Limited, assignee of this application, currently provides a security system which is especially designed for use with particular Apple computers. Certain Apple computer components have slots and internal brackets designed to capture a specially designed tab inserted through the slot so that the tab is not removable. While-this system is effective for particular types of Apple computers, it does not work for those Apple computer components and other computer brands which do not have the special designed slots and brackets.
It is undesirable to require a computer to have specially designed slots and internal capture brackets because the brackets occupy a significant amount of space in an item of equipment which is intended to be as space efficient as possible. Different items of Apple equipment require different sized slots, meaning that the security mechanism must provide a variety of different sized tabs. The tabs, once inserted, cannot be removed without damage to the equipment, meaning that the security system cannot be moved from one computer to the other. Even Apple computers with specially designed slots are typically used with peripheral equipment which does not have them, and, the Kensington system provides screws requiring a special screwdriver which replace the screws used to attach the existing communication cables, securing the peripheral equipment to the base computer by preventing unauthorized removal of the communication cables. This last aspect of the system has a drawback in that the peripheral equipment cannot be removed from the base computer without the special screwdriver, which can be lost or misplaced.
Other vendors provide security systems which are not required to interface directly with special slots and capture mechanisms as provided in certain Apple computers. For example, Secure-It, Inc., under the trademark "KKBLIT", provides a variety of brackets attached to the computer component using existing mounting screws, i.e., screws which are already used to secure items of equipment within the cabinet. Typically, the bracket is apertured so that passage of the cable through the aperture prevents access to the mounting screw and thus prevents removal of the bracket from the equipment. A deficiency of this type of system is that it requires the removal of the existing mounting screw, which may cause some damage to the internal components of the computer. Suitable existing screws are not always available on certain peripherals for convenient attachment of the fastener. For this latter reason, KÃBLIT also provides glue-on disks which, unfortunately, are permanently secured to the equipment.
The theft of small but expensive equipment such as desk top computers is a growing problem. Existing devices are simply too inefficient or ineffective, or their application is too limited. As a result, the use of such security systems is rare, computer equipment is typically left unprotected, and it is all too often stolen.
A computer physical security device of the prior art is known from WO 93/15295 upon which the preamble of the independent claims has been basted. This known security device has an attachment mechanism for inhibiting theft of equipment. The known security device includes a housing, cable attachment means coupled to said housing and a cable attached or attachable to said cable attachment means, for securing said housing to an object other than to the equipment to be secured. The known device further comprises a shaft with a cross member extending from the housing. Also, abutment pins are emanating from the housing on opposite sides of the shaft. The shaft with the cross member is insertable in a rectangular security slot after which the shaft and the abutment pins occupy the slot. Next, the cross member can be misaligned with the slot by rotation of the shaft thereby attaching the device to the external wall.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set out in the independent claims 1 and 7. It inhibits the theft, of equipment such as personal computers. The equipment must have an external wall provided with a specially designed, approximately rectangular slot having preselected dimensions.
The claimed systems are adaptable and convenient to use. The only required modification of the equipment to be protected is a small (preferably about 3 by 7 millimeter) slot in an external wall. Additional brackets, capture mechanisms or the like are not necessary. This small slot can easily be molded into computer systems at essentially no cost and without degrading the integrity of the equipment. The attachment mechanism can readily be installed on the equipment, and removed when appropriate by an authorized user. In one embodiment, a lock assembly attaches a single item of equipment to an immovable object with the cable. In a second embodiment, the cable passes through mating apertures in a housing forming a attachment mechanism to prevent their removal once they have been attached to the equipment and the cable has been installed.
The attachment mechanism is surprisingly difficult to remove from an item of equipment once it has been installed. In the preferred embodiments, the mechanism is quite small, and it is difficult to apply sufficient leverage to break the mechanism away from the equipment to which it is attached. Forcibly removing the mechanism will result in significant, highly visible damage to the exterior wall, identifying the equipment as stolen and making it difficult to resell, greatly reducing its theft potential.
Several alternative variations are provided in which there are shown several different combinations of attachment mechanisms which are either integrally connected or separately coupled to engagement mechanisms for securing the attachment mechanism proximate the external wall of the object of equipment.
The novel features which are characteristic of the invention, as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however,that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an attachment mechanism attached to a computer monitor:
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an attachment mechanism attached to a computer keyboard;
Fig. 2A is a fragmentary elevation view of a slot in a piece of equipment specially designed to accept the attachment mechanism of either Figure 1 or Figure 2;
Fig. 3A is a side elevational view of an attachment mechanism coupled to an engagement mechanism;
Fig. 3B is a perspective view of the arrangement of Fig. 4A with the attachment mechanism and engagement mechanism shown coupled to a cable and a separate locking device;
Fig.4A is a perspective view of another attachment system with a conventional lock assembly and a retractable spindle;
Fig. 4B is a perspective view of the spindle and lock assembly of Fig .4A showing the spindle in its retracted position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A security device 10 is illustrated generally by way of reference to Fig. 1. Security device 10 includes an attachment mechanism 12 designed to attach to a component of a computer system, such as computer monitor 14. Attachment mechanism 12 has an aperture 16, and a cable 18 which passes through the aperture when the attachment mechanism 12 is attached to a component such as monitor 14. A lock 20 is fixed to one end of cable 18. The free end of cable 18 may be of the type having a "mushroom" head 22 adapted to penetrate and be secured within lock 20 using key 24. With mushroom head 22 detached from lock 20, cable 18 can be threaded through the apertures 16 of one or more attachment mechanisms 12, and wrapped around a relatively immovable object (not shown) such as the cross bar spanning two legs of a desk. Mushroom head 22 is then inserted into lock 20 and the lock closed using key 24 to secure the computer components to the immovable object.
A second device, designed primarily to secure single rather than multiple items of computer equipment, is illustrated generally by way of reference to Fig. 2. Embodiment 26 includes an attachment mechanism 28 designed to be secured to a computer component such as keyboard 30. Attachment mechanism 28 is affixed to one end of a cable 32 which has a closed loop 34 at its other end. Cable 32 is first wrapped around a relatively immovable object, such as a cross piece between two legs of a desk or table, and attachment mechanism 28 is passed through loop 34 and attached to the item to be protected such as keyboard 30 to make it difficult to steal the item of equipment.
The devices 10 and 26 are designed to operate with items of equipment provided by a special slot, as illustrated in Fig. 2A. The exterior wall 70 of the piece of equipment is typically made of sheet metal, or molded plastic, either of which is compatible with the present invention. A relatively small slot 72 is formed in wall 70, by molding or otherwise as appropriate. In the preferred embodiment of slot 72, the slot has a generally rectangular configuration, i.e., the slot is generally rectangular having long parallel sides 74, short parallel sides 75 and rounded corners 76. slot 72 is relatively small, having a long dimension 78 of seven millimeters, and a short dimension 79 of three millimeters.
Corners 76 have a radius of curvature 90 from 0.30 mm. to a maximum of 1.5 millimeters. If the radius of curvature 90 is 1.5 mm., the short sides 75 disappear and the slot has a straight-sided oval configuration.
Arrangements according to the invention are described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 wherein the engagement mechanism includes at least two engagement portions for engaging with the inner surface of the external wall proximate the slot to prevent removal of the attachment mechanism from proximate the external wall.
Figs. 3A and 3B illustrate a device 800 in which there are also substantially only two component parts, an attachment mechanism 801 and an engagement mechanism 820. Attachment mechanism 801, shown by way of reference to Fig. 3A, generally includes an attachment member 802 having a top end 804, a bottom end 806, and a cylindrical side wall 808. A pair of apertures 810 are provided through side wall 808 and are sized to permit a cable 840 to pass through apertures 810 (See Fig. 3B A generally cylindrical opening 812 is further provided in top end 804 of attachment member 802 and extends the length of the attachment member to a substantially smaller screw opening 814 in bottom end 806 of the attachment member. Opening 812 is configured to accommodate passage of screw 816 through opening 812 to bottom end 806 of the attachment member, as will be described in more detail hereinafter.
Engagement mechanism 820 is used in conjunction with attachment member 802, as is also illustrated in Fig. 3A. Engagement mechanism 820 generally includes engagement member 822 having first and second, spaced apart engagement arms 824L and 824R connected to base portion 830 at the proximal end of engagement member 822 and defining a clearance space 825 between the arms sized large enough to permit screw. 816 to pass through clearance space 825. Base portion 830 has a top surface 833 and a bottom surface 831 and is provided with a screw hole 832 through the surfaces. Engagement portions 826L, 826R are integral with engagement arms 824L, 826R at the distal end of the arms. In the preferred embodiment of device 800, engagement portions 826L, 826R have inwardly sloped side walls which facilitate insertion of the engagement portions into slot 852, as previously described.
In operation, engagement portions 826L, 826R are inserted into slot 852 until lower surface 831 of base portion 830 engages the outer surface of external wall 850. In this position of engagement member 822, attachment member 802 is positioned proximate upper surface 833 of base portion 830 until screw hole 832 is aligned with opening 814 in the attachment member. Screw 816 is then inserted through each of opening 812 in the attachment member, opening 814 at the bottom end 806 of the housing, hole 832 in base portion 830, and clearance space 825. The screw will force engagement arms 824L, 824R to spread apart so that engagement portions 826L, 826R will engage the inner surface of external wall 850 proximate slot 852. In this configuration, cable 840 (See Fig. 6B) can be threaded through apertures 810 in the attachment member and attached to an external object, such as lock 860, to secure the attachment member to the lock. The cable will also prevent removal of screw 816.
The attachment mechanism concept of Figs. 3A and 3B can also be modified to include a conventional lock assembly 910 (as previously described by way of reference to the embodiment of Fig. 2) in combination with a retractable spindle arm 908. As illustrated in Fig. 4A, attachment mechanism 900 is affixed to one end of a cable 920 which has a closed loop 922 at its other end. Cable 920 is first wrapped around a relatively immovable object (not shown) and attachment mechanism 900 is passed through loop 922 and attached to the item to be protected such as external wall 950 to make it difficult to steal.
Attachment mechanism 900 is shown in its retracted position in Fig. 4B, and generally includes a housing 902 and first and second, resilient engagement arms 904L and 904R which are mounted to the bottom end of housing 902 and extend outwardly therefrom. Engagement arms 904L, 904R have first and second, inwardly angled engagement portions 906L and 906R at the distal end of each of the arms which are configured so as to be easily received within slot 952 in the retracted position of spindle arm 908, as will be described in more detail hereinafter. At the other end of housing 902 from the engagement arms is a conventional cylindrical lock assembly 910 . A spindle arm 908 is adapted to be mounted to cylindrical lock assembly 910 at one end, with the opposite end of arm 90B extending between engagement arms 904L and 904R external of housing 902. Spindle arm 908 is connected to lock assembly 910 in such a manner that rotation of lock assembly 910 with an appropriate key (not shown) will cause translational movement of spindle arm 908 in the direction of arrow 930 (see Fig. 4B). This movement of arm 908 can be accomplished in any manner as is well known in the art, as for example having spindle arm 908 received within a corkscrew shaped cam attachment mounted to lock assembly 910 so that rotation of the lock will cause corresponding translational movement of spindle arm 908.
In operation with spindle arm 908 in the retracted position of Fig. 4B, engagement portions 906L and 906R are insertable into slot 952. Once inside of slot 952, a key can be inserted into lock assembly 910 and rotated so that spindle arm 908 will be moved in the direction of arrow 930 to its extracted position. The movement of spindle arm 930 along arrow 930 permits engagement arms 904L and 904R to flex outwards in the direction of arrow 940 so that engagement portions 906L and 906R will move outwards to engage the inner surface of slot 952. In this way, attachment mechanism 900 will be secured proximate external wall 950. To subsequently detach attachment mechanism 900 from proximate external wall 950, the appropriate key is reinserted into lock assembly 910 and rotated to retract spindle arm 908. This will cause engagement arms 904L, 904R to relax back to their natural configuration of Fig. 4B to thereby permit engagement portions 906L, 906R to be separated from slot 952.
While several embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated by way of example, it is apparent that further embodiments could be developed.
However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and adaptations are within the scope of the present invention, as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

An apparatus for inhibiting theft of a portable device having an external wall (950) provided with a specially designed generally rectangular security slot (952) having preselected dimensions to which the apparatus is connectable, the apparatus comprising a housing (902), a lock assembly (910) within said housing (902), and a cable (920) affixed to said housing (902), for securing said housing (902) to an object other than to the portable device, characterized in that the apparatus further comprises a first locking leg (904L) and a second locking leg (904R) generally parallel to each other, each locking leg (904L, 904R) secured within said housing (902) and extending from said housing (902) a distance greater than a thickness of the external wall (950), said first locking leg (904L) including a first locking flange (906L) at a distal end and said second locking leg (904R) including a second locking flange (906R) at a distal end, the locking legs (904L, 904R) being adapted for movement outwards from an unlocked position, in which their locking flanges (906L, 906R) are positioned sufficiently close to one another to allow the flanges (906L, 906R) to be inserted into the slot (952), to a locked position, in which the locking flanges (906L, 906R) each engage the inner surface of the external wall (950) proximate the slot (952), the apparatus further comprising means (908), coupled to said housing (902) and to said locking legs (904L, 904R), for moving said legs (904L, 904R) from said unlocked position to said locked position while said locking flanges (906L, 906R) are disposed within the security slot (952), wherein said means (908) are connected to said lock assembly (910) such that the legs (904L, 904R) can be locked in their locked position within the security slot (952).
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for moving said legs (904L, 904R) from said unlocked position to said locked position comprise a locking member (908) cooperating with said first and second locking legs (904) to engage an inner surface of the external wall (950) through the security slot (952).
Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the locking member (908) is coupled to said lock assembly (910) and responsive to operation of said lock assembly (910), for moving between the unlocked position when said lock assembly (910) is in a first position to the locked position when said lock assembly (910) is in a second position.
Apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the locking member (908) is adapted for translational movement between the locking legs, thereby moving said locking legs (904L, 904R).
Apparatus according to any of the claims 2-4, wherein the locking member (908) is adapted for moving between a retracted and an extended position between said locking legs (904L, 904R), said locking member (908) moving said locking legs (904L, 904R) when moving from said retracted position to said extended position.
Apparatus according to any of the claim 2-5, wherein the locking member (908) is at least partly extending external of the housing (902).
An apparatus for inhibiting theft of a portable device having an external wall (850) provided with a specially designed generally rectangular security slot (852) having preselected dimensions to which the apparatus is connectable, the apparatus comprising a housing (802), and a cable (840) which can pass through apertures (810) in said housing (802), for securing the housing (802) to an object other than to the portable device, characterized in that the apparatus further comprises a base portion (830) which is, or can be coupled to said housing (802), a first locking leg (824L) and a second locking leg (824R) generally parallel to each other, each locking leg (824L, 824R) secured to said base portion (830) and extending from said base portion (830) a distance greater than a thickness of the external wall (850), said first locking leg (824L) including a first locking flange (826L) at a distal end and said second locking leg (824R) including a second locking flange (826R) at a distal end, the locking legs (824L, 824R) being adapted for movement outwards from an unlocked position, in which their locking flanges (826L, 826R) are positioned sufficiently close to one another to allow the flanges (826L, 826R) to be inserted into the slot (852), to a locked position, in which the locking flanges (826L, 826R) each engage the inner surface of the external wall (850) proximate the slot (852), the apparatus further comprising means (816), coupled to said housing (802) and to said locking legs (824L, 824R), for coupling the base portion (830) to the housing (802) and for moving said legs (824L, 824R) from said unlocked position to said locked position while said locking flanges (826L, 826R) are disposed within the security slot (852), wherein removal of said means (816) is prevented and uncoupling of the base portion (830) from the housing (802), such that moving the legs (824L, 824R) to the unlocked position by the cable (840) when it passes through the apertures (810) in the housing (802) is prevented.
Apparatus according to any of the claims above, wherein the locking legs 824L, 824R; 904L, 904R) are adapted to be inserted in a rectangular security slot with a long dimension of substantially 7mm and a short dimension of substantially 3mm.