TW202320512A - Communications cards indicators - Google Patents

Abstract

In some examples, an electronic device includes a receptacle for a communications card and a controller. The controller is to detect an occupancy state of the receptacle, determine, responsive to detecting the occupancy state of the receptacle, whether an indicator indicates a secure state, and enable, responsive to a determination that the indicator indicates the secure state, communication of the receptacle.

Description

communication card indicator

This disclosure relates to communication card indicators.

Electronic devices such as desktops, laptops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones include sockets for communication cards. The communication card is used to authenticate the electronic device with the host device. For example, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) is a communication card used to authenticate an electronic device via a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN). For example, WWAN is a cellular network. Electronic devices including communication cards must comply with relevant government regulations or standards.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device is specially proposed, which includes: a socket, which is used for a communication card; and a controller, which performs the following actions: detect an occupied state of the socket; respond to the detection Detecting the occupied state of the outlet, determining whether an indicator indicates a safe state; and enabling communication of the outlet in response to a determination that the indicator indicates the safe state.

As mentioned above, communication cards for electronic devices including sockets for authenticating electronic devices by means of wireless networks are required to comply with relevant government regulations and standards. For example, government regulations and standards state that a SIM card used for authentication over a cellular network can be accessed by a user of an electronic device. However, government regulations and standards do not specify a location for a SIM card in an electronic device. When determining a location for a socket for a SIM card, a manufacturer of an electronic device will take into consideration the design of the electronic device, ease of access by the user, or a combination of the above. However, enabling easy access for users also raises security concerns regarding unauthorized access to SIM cards by malicious third parties. For example, a malicious third party replaces an authorized SIM card with an unauthorized SIM card. For example, an unauthorized SIM card connects to an unauthorized wireless network, thereby exposing a user's actions while using the electronic device to a malicious third party.

This instruction describes an electronic device that enables a user to access a communication card while preventing unauthorized replacement of the communication card. An electronic device uses a system lock to prevent an unauthorized communication card from communicating with other components of the electronic device. System lock, as used herein, refers to an indicator indicating whether or not a communication card is allowed to be installed or replaced without a password. To reset the system lock and authorize replacement of the communication card, a user accesses a basic input/output system (BIOS) of the electronic device, as defined below with reference to FIG. 1, or other graphical user interface (GUI), to provide a password . In some instances, to enter the BIOS, a user identification of the user is used to indicate a security level above a specified threshold. In various examples, a system lock is referred to herein as an indicator associated with an outlet. The indicator associated with the outlet indicates whether the outlet has a safe state. Security state, as used herein, indicates that communication cards are allowed to be installed, or replaced, without a password. A non-secure state, as used herein, indicates that communications are not allowed to be installed, or replaced without a password. In some examples, in response to receipt of the password, the electronic device sets an indicator associated with the outlet to indicate that the outlet has a security status.

The electronic device detects an occupancy status of the socket via a presence pin in the socket, via a bus coupled to the socket, via an identifier of the communication card, or a combination thereof. Occupancy state, as used in this document, indicates whether the socket is empty or contains a communication card. In response to a determination that the socket is empty and does not have a safe state, the electronic device disables communication from the socket. To disable communication from the outlet, the electronic device disables a wireless transceiver used to communicate with a wireless network, a signal sent to the outlet, or a combination of the above. For example, the signal transmitted to the socket is a power signal, a clock signal, or a combination thereof. In response to a determination that the outlet is occupied and has a safe state, the electronic device enables communication from the outlet. To enable communication from the outlet, the electronic device activates a wireless transceiver for communicating with the wireless network, a signal sent to the outlet, or a combination of the above.

By utilizing the system lock, the electronic device blocks an unauthorized communication card from communicating with other components of the electronic device. Blocking unauthorized communication between the communication card and other components of the electronic device will enhance the security of the electronic device by ensuring that an authorized person of the electronic device, such as the owner or user with a specified level of authority, authorizes the replacement of the communication card . Blocking unauthorized communication cards from communicating with other components of the electronic device enhances the security of the electronic device by preventing third parties from accessing the electronic device through an unauthorized network associated with an unauthorized communication card.

In some examples according to the present description, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a socket for a communication card and a controller. The controller is used to detect an occupied state of the outlet, determine whether an indicator indicates a safe state in response to detecting the occupied state of the outlet, and determine whether the indicator indicates the safe state in response to the detection of the occupied state of the outlet. And enable the communication of the socket.

In other examples according to the disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a socket for a communication card, a wireless transceiver, and a controller. The controller is used to detect the communication card in the receptacle, indicate a security status in response to an indicator, enable communication between the communication card and the wireless transceiver, and indicate a security status in response to the indicator. In an unsafe state, the communication between the communication card and the wireless transceiver is disabled.

In yet other examples according to the present description, a non-transitory machine-readable medium is provided. The term "non-transitory" does not include transitory propagation signals. The non-transitory machine-readable medium stores machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a controller, cause the controller to detect the presence of a communication card, in response to detecting the presence of the communication card The presence determines a state of an indicator, enabling communication of the communication card in response to a first state, and deactivating communication of the communication card in response to a second state.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , according to various examples, a block diagram of an electronic device 100 for implementing communication with a communication card is provided. The electronic device 100 is a desktop computer, laptop computer, notebook computer, tablet, smart phone, or any other suitable device including a socket 104 for a communication card. For example, the communication card is used to authenticate a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) of the electronic device 100 via a WWAN. The electronic device 100 includes a controller 102 , a socket 104 , a wireless transceiver 106 , and a storage device 108 . The controller 102 is a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a microcontroller, a programmable integrated circuit, a programmable gate array, or other devices suitable for controlling the electronic device 100 or one or more components of the electronic device 100. Devices for operation and management. For example, the controller 102 is a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or an embedded security controller (EpSC). In another example, the controller 102 is a network interface controller, which manages the communication signals of the wireless transceiver 106 . The socket 104 is a slot, a tray, a bracket, or any other structure suitable for receiving a communication card. The wireless transceiver 106 is a component, or a circuit, for transmitting and receiving communication signals. The wireless transceiver 106 operates according to one of the specifications or standards that provide the wireless transceiver 106 with operating parameters. For example, the communication signal is a BLUETOOTH signal, a WI-FIR signal, or any other suitable signal based on a wireless technology standard or radio frequency technology. The storage device 108 is a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive (SSD), a flash memory, random access memory (RAM), or other memory suitable for storing data or machine-readable instructions of the electronic device 100 body.

In various examples, controller 102 is coupled to outlet 104 , wireless transceiver 106 , and storage device 108 . The socket 104 is coupled to the controller 102 and the wireless transceiver 106 . The wireless transceiver 106 is coupled to the controller 102 and the socket 104 . The storage device 108 is coupled to the controller 102 .

In some examples, storage device 108 stores machine-readable instructions that, when executed, cause controller 102 to perform some or all of the actions attributed to controller 102 herein. The machine-readable instructions are machine-readable instructions 110 , 112 , 114 .

In various examples, the machine-readable instructions 110, 112, 114, when executed by the controller 102, cause the controller 102 to enable communication with a communication card. The machine-readable instructions 110 , when executed by the controller 102 , cause the controller 102 to detect an occupancy status of one of the outlets 104 . The machine-readable instructions 112, when executed by the controller 102, cause the controller 102 to determine a state of an indicator. For example, an indicator is associated with outlet 104 . The machine-readable instructions 114, when executed by the controller 102, cause the controller 102 to enable communications in response to a safe state of the indicator.

Although not explicitly shown, the electronic device 100 still includes a network interface card, a video adapter, a sound card, a local bus, peripheral devices (for example: a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a speaker, a microphone, a display device), connector, or a combination of the above. Although the receptacle 104 is not shown within a housing of the electronic device 100, in some examples the receptacle 104 is still accessible via the housing. In various examples, the receptacle 104 is a telescoping tray having a surface accessible through the housing. For example, in response to a user pressing on the surface of the telescoping tray, the telescoping tray extends outwardly from the housing to allow the user to access the receptacle 104 . In other examples, socket 104 is a slot that allows a user to push on a communication card. In response to a user pushing on the communication card, the communication card extends outward from the slot. In various examples, the receptacle 104 can access a tray after removing a cover. For example, the cover is a removable part of the housing.

As noted above, in some examples, socket 104 includes a presence pin. For example, a presence pin is a switch. For example, inserting a communication card into socket 104 depresses the presence latch. A depressed presence pin indicates that the occupancy status of the receptacle 104 is occupied. Removing the communication card from socket 104 releases the pressure on the presence latch. In response to removing pressure from the presence pin, the occupied state of socket 104 is unoccupied. For example, the machine readable instructions 110, when executed by the controller 102, cause the controller 102 to detect an occupancy state by determining whether a presence pin is depressed.

In other examples, inserting the communication card into the receptacle 104 pushes the presence pin a first time. In response to the first engagement, the occupancy status of the receptacle 104 is set to occupied. Removing the communication card from socket 104 pushes the presence latch for a second time. In response to the second engagement, the occupied state of outlet 104 is set to unoccupied. For example, the machine readable instructions 110, when executed by the controller 102, cause the controller 102 to detect the occupancy status by fetching the occupancy status from a memory location. For example, a memory location of storage device 108 .

As mentioned above, the electronic device 100 allows the user to access the communication card in the socket 104 while preventing unauthorized replacement of the communication card. The electronic device 100 utilizes the indicator associated with the receptacle 104 to determine whether the communication card is allowed to be installed or replaced without a password. In order to reset the indicator to allow installation or replacement of the communication card, the user enters the BIOS (eg, BIOS mode) of the electronic device 100 to provide a password. BIOS, as used herein, refers to hardware or hardware and machine functions for initializing, controlling, or operating an operating system (OS) of a computing device (eg, electronic device 100 ) before executing the computing device. read command. The machine-readable instructions included in the BIOS are software, firmware, microcode, or other programming that define or control the functions or operations of the BIOS. In some examples, the BIOS is implemented using machine-readable instructions, such as platform firmware for a computing device, which are executable by a processor (eg, controller 102). The BIOS operates or executes before executing the OS of the computing device. The BIOS initializes, controls or operates components, such as hardware components of the computing device, and loads or starts the OS of the computing device.

In some examples, the BIOS provides or establishes an interface between the hardware device or platform firmware of the computing device and the OS of the computing device through which the OS of the computing device controls or operates the hardware device or platform firmware of the computing device . In some examples, the BIOS implements the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) specification or another specification or standard for initializing, controlling, or operating a computing device.

In various examples, the BIOS includes executable code that can be used to perform a power-on self-test (POST), which includes hardware initialization, testing, and configuration during startup. The BIOS further includes executable code that can be used to boot a boot loader from a master boot record (MBR) and use the boot loader to boot the OS. After booting the OS, the BIOS can be used to provide OS runtime services (eg, communication with peripheral devices) for the OS and applications. In other instances, UEFI BIOS is used instead of BIOS. Similar to the BIOS, the UEFI BIOS includes executable code that can be used for hardware initialization, testing and configuration during the boot process, to start the OS, and to provide OS runtime services for the OS and applications. However, UEFI BIOS uses a Global Unique Identifier (GUID) Partition Table (GPT) instead of MBR. For the sake of convenience and brevity, the term BIOS is roughly used in this description to refer to BIOS and UEFI BIOS. The OS includes executable code that manages the hardware and executable code (eg, application programs) after a computer is booted.

The terms "application", "software", and "firmware" as used herein are considered interchangeable in the context of the examples provided. "Firmware" is, for example, considered to be machine-readable instructions that a processor (e.g., controller 102) executes before executing an OS, with a small portion continuing to execute after the OS boot loader executes (e.g., a called program). For example, "application program" and "software" are considered to be a broader term than "firmware", and are considered to mean that they are executed after the OS boot loader is activated, and after the OS runtime, execution to operation Machine-readable instructions for a device (eg, electronic device 100 ) to shut down. "Application," "software," and "firmware," as used herein, are referred to as executable code.

As noted above, in some instances, to enter the BIOS, the user's user identification is used to indicate a security level that is at or above a specified threshold. For example, the security level includes a visitor level, a user level, an administrator level, an owner level, or a combination thereof. The guest level indicates a security level associated with the least amount of system access (e.g., the highest level of security restrictions), and the owner level indicates a security level associated with the highest amount of system access (e.g., the highest level of security restrictions). the lowest level). For example, specifying the threshold is at the administrator level. In various examples, a manufacturer of the electronic device 100 specifies a security level, specifies a threshold, or a combination thereof at the time of manufacture. In other instances, the security level, specified thresholds, or a combination thereof are specified after manufacture. For example, security levels, specified thresholds, or a combination of the above are specified by an administrator owner of electronic device 100 (eg, an owner's representative).

In some examples, in response to execution of the machine-readable instructions 112, the controller 102 determines whether the indicator indicates a safe state in response to detecting the occupied state of the receptacle 104. As described above, the indicator associated with the receptacle 104 indicates whether the receptacle 104 has a safe state. For example, the indicator is stored to the storage device 108 . In various examples, at the time of manufacture, an indicator associated with receptacle 104 is set to indicate that receptacle 104 has a safe state. For example, to represent a secure state, the indicator is set to a first specified value (e.g., logic 1, true), and to represent a non-secure state, the indicator is set to a second specified value (e.g., logic 0, not established). In some examples, wireless transceiver 106 is enabled at the time of manufacture. In other examples, in response to receiving the password in BIOS mode, the electronic device 100 sets an indicator associated with the receptacle 104 to indicate that the receptacle 104 has a security status.

In various examples, in response to execution of the machine-readable instructions 114, the controller 102 enables communication of the receptacle 104 in response to the indicator indicating a determination of a safe state. For example, to determine whether the indicator indicates a safe state, the controller 102 retrieves the indicator from the storage device 108 and compares the indicator with a first specified value indicating a safe state. In response to the comparison indicating that the indicator is equal to the first specified value, the controller 102 enables communication from the outlet 104 . In response to the comparison indicating that the indicator is not equal to the first specified value, the controller 102 determines that the indicator indicates an unsafe state.

As noted above, to enable communication from outlet 104, controller 102 enables wireless transceiver 106 for communication with the wireless network, enables outlet 104, or a combination thereof. In some examples, the controller 102 enables the wireless transceiver 106 for communication with the wireless network by causing power to be supplied to the wireless transceiver 106 . In other examples, the controller 102 enables the outlet 104 by supplying power to the outlet 104, by causing a clock signal to be transmitted to the outlet 104, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller 102 causes a voltage supply circuit (not explicitly shown) to power the wireless transceiver 106, the socket 104, or a combination thereof. In various examples, to enable the receptacle 104 , the controller 102 causes a clock signal to be transmitted to the receptacle 104 . In some examples, controller 102 generates a clock signal for transmission. In other examples, the controller 102 causes a timing circuit (not explicitly shown) to transmit the clock signal to the socket 104 .

Referring now to FIG. 2 , according to various examples, a block diagram of an electronic device 200 for implementing communication with a communication card is provided. For example, the electronic device 200 is the electronic device 100 . The electronic device 200 includes a controller 202 , a socket 204 , a wireless transceiver 206 , a storage device 208 , and a path 210 , 212 , 214 . For example, the controller 202 is the controller 102 . For example, socket 204 is socket 104 . For example, the wireless transceiver 206 is the wireless transceiver 106 . For example, the storage device 208 is the storage device 108 . Paths 210 , 212 , 214 are bus bars along which signals propagate between components coupled to paths 210 , 212 , 214 .

In various examples, controller 202 is coupled to receptacle 204 via path 210 , to wireless transceiver 206 via path 212 , and to storage device 208 . Receptacle 204 is coupled to controller 202 via path 210 and to wireless transceiver 206 via path 214 . Wireless transceiver 206 is coupled to controller 202 via path 212 and to receptacle 204 via path 214 . The storage device 208 is coupled to the controller 202 .

In some examples, storage device 208 stores machine-readable instructions that, when executed, cause controller 202 to perform some or all of the actions attributed to controller 202 herein. The machine readable instructions are machine readable instructions 216 , 218 , 220 .

In various examples, the machine-readable instructions 216, 218, 220, when executed by the controller 202, cause the controller 202 to enable communication with a communication card. The machine readable instructions 216, when executed by the controller 202, cause the controller 202 to detect the communication card. The machine readable instructions 218, when executed by the controller 202, cause the controller 202 to enable communications in response to a safe state. The machine readable instructions 220, when executed by the controller 202, cause the controller 202 to disable communications in response to an unsafe state.

In some examples, in response to machine readable instructions 216 , controller 202 detects a communication card in receptacle 204 . The controller 202 detects the communication card in the socket 204 via the presence pin of the socket 204, via the path 210 coupled to the socket 204, via an identifier of the communication card, or a combination thereof. For example, as described above with reference to FIG. 1 , the controller 202 detects the communication card in the socket 204 by detecting an occupied state of the socket 204 . The controller 202 determines whether the presence latch is engaged, fetches the occupied state from a memory location, or a combination of the above. For example, a memory location of storage device 208 . In another example, controller 202 detects a communication card in receptacle 204 by causing a command to be sent to the communication card via path 210 . In response to controller 202 receiving a response via path 210 , controller 202 detects the communication card in receptacle 204 . In some examples, the command directs the communication card to transmit an identifier. The controller 202 detects the communication card after receiving the identifier.

In response to execution of the machine-readable instructions 218, the controller 202 enables communication between the communication card and the wireless transceiver 206 in response to the indicator indicating a secure state. For example, the controller 202 uses the technique described above with reference to FIG. 1 to determine whether the indicator indicates a safe state. As described above with reference to FIG. 1 , to enable communication between the communication card and the wireless transceiver 206 , the controller 202 enables the wireless transceiver 206 for communication with the wireless network, enables the socket 204 , or a combination thereof. In some examples, controller 202 enables wireless transceiver 206 for communication with the wireless network by causing power to be supplied to wireless transceiver 206 via path 212 . In other examples, controller 202 enables outlet 204 by causing power to be supplied to outlet 204 via path 210 . In various examples, controller 202 enables outlet 204 by causing power to be supplied to outlet 204 via path 214 . In some examples, to enable receptacle 204 , controller 202 causes a clock signal to be transmitted to receptacle 204 via path 210 .

In response to execution of the machine-readable instructions 220, the controller 202 disables communication between the communication card and the wireless transceiver 206 in response to the indicator indicating an unsecured state. As mentioned above, to disable the communication between the communication card and the wireless transceiver 206, the controller 202 disables the wireless transceiver 206, a signal sent to the socket 204, or a combination thereof. For example, the signal transmitted to the socket 204 is a power signal, a clock signal, or a combination thereof. In some examples, the controller 202 disables the wireless transceiver 206 by disabling a power supply to the wireless transceiver 206 . In other examples, the controller 202 disables communication between the communication card and the wireless transceiver 206 by disabling power supplied to the receptacle 204, by disabling a clock signal to the receptacle 204, or a combination thereof. communication. For example, the controller 202 causes a voltage supply circuit (not expressly shown) to not provide power to the wireless transceiver 206, the socket 204, or a combination thereof.

Referring now to FIG. 3 , according to various examples, a flowchart of a method 300 is provided for enabling an electronic device (eg, electronic device 100 , 200 ) to communicate with a communication card. Method 300 includes electronic device startup (302). The startup of the electronic device includes powering on from a shutdown state, or entering a wake-up state from a sleep or hibernation state. Method 300 also includes determining whether an outlet (eg, outlet 104, 204) is occupied (304). In response to a determination that an outlet is unoccupied, method 300 includes monitoring for a change in occupancy of the outlet (306). In response to a change in one of the occupied outlets, method 300 returns to 304 to determine whether the outlet is occupied. In response to a determination that the outlet is occupied, method 300 includes determining whether an indicator indicates a safe state (308). Responsive to a determination of the indicator indicating one of the security states, method 300 includes enabling communication (312). In response to a determination that the indicator indicates an unsafe state, method 300 includes disabling communication (310). After enabling or disabling communications, method 300 includes monitoring for a change in one of the occupied outlets (306). Additionally, method 300 includes performing a subset of actions during the start-up process described above with reference to FIG. 1 (314). Method 300 includes monitoring for a BIOS mode (316). Method 300 also includes detecting a password (318). Additionally, method 300 includes setting the indicator to a safe state (320). Method 300 returns to 304 to determine if the outlet is occupied.

In some examples, in order to determine whether the outlet is occupied (304), a controller of the electronic device (eg, the controller 102, 202) detects an occupancy status of an outlet, as described above with reference to FIG. 1 or 2 . In response to a determination that the outlet is unoccupied, the controller monitors for a change in occupancy of the outlet (306). For example, the controller monitors the presence of a pin of the socket, a path for coupling a signal to the socket, or a combination of the above. For example, in response to a determination that the outlet is occupied, the controller determines whether an indicator indicates a safe state (308), as described above with reference to FIG. 1 . For example, in response to a determination that the indicator indicates a safe state, the controller enables communication ( 312 ), as described above with respect to FIGS. 1 or 2 . For example, in response to a determination that the indicator indicates an unsafe state, the controller disables communication, as described above with reference to FIG. 2 .

In various examples, during startup of the electronic device, the controller performs a startup process. During boot-up, the user accesses the BIOS mode using a peripheral device (not explicitly shown), such as a keyboard. For example, the controller detects the input of a key or a combination of keys, which indicates a request to access the BIOS mode (316). Graphical User Interface (GUI), one of the BIOS modes, allows the user to perform various actions. For example, the controller causes a display device (not expressly shown) to display a GUI that enables a user to reset the indicator to indicate a security state. In response to selection of one of the icons indicating the reset option, the GUI prompts the user for a password to enable reset and detects the password (318). In response to successful verification of the password, the electronic device adjusts the indicator to a specified value indicating a secure state (320), as described above with reference to FIG. 1 . In some instances, the electronic device continues the boot process. In other instances, the electronic device reboots.

Please refer to FIG. 4 , which shows a block diagram of an electronic device 400 for implementing communication with a communication card according to various examples. For example, the electronic device 400 is the electronic device 100 , 200 . The electronic device 400 includes a controller 402 and a non-transitory machine-readable medium 404 . For example, the controller 402 is the controller 102 , 202 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium 404 is, for example, the storage device 108 , 208 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium 404 stores machine-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the controller 402 to perform some or all of the actions attributed to the controller 402 herein. The machine readable instructions are machine readable instructions 406 , 408 , 410 , 412 .

In various examples, the machine readable instructions 406, 408, 410, 412 cause the controller 402 to enable communication for a communication card. The machine readable instructions 406, when executed by the controller 402, cause the controller 402 to detect the presence of a communication card. The machine-readable instructions 408, when executed by the controller 402, cause the controller 402 to determine a state of an indicator. The machine-readable instructions 410, when executed by the controller 402, cause the controller 402 to enable communication of the communication card in response to a first state. The machine-readable instructions 412, when executed by the controller 402, cause the controller 402 to disable communication of the communication card in response to a second state.

In various examples, in response to execution of the machine-readable instructions 406, the controller 402 detects the presence of a communication card in a receptacle (eg, receptacle 104, 204) using the techniques described above with respect to FIGS. 1 or 2. For example, in response to execution of the machine-readable instructions 408, the controller 402 utilizes the techniques described above with respect to FIG. 1 to determine the state of the indicator associated with the receptacle. In response to execution of the machine-readable instructions 410, the controller 402 responds to a first state to enable communication of the communication card. In response to execution of the machine-readable instructions 412, the controller 402 responds to a second state to disable communication of the communication card. For example, in response to a determination that the first state indicates a secure state, the controller 402 enables communication with the communication card, as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 or 2 . For example, in response to a determination that the second state indicates an unsafe state, the controller 402 disables communication of the communication card, as described above with reference to FIG. 2 .

In some examples, non-transitory machine-readable medium 404 stores machine-readable instructions, including but not limited to machine-readable instructions 406, 408, 410, 412, which, when executed, cause controller 402 to perform the operations described in Table 1 below. Some or all of the above actions. For example, the controller 402 detects the presence of a communication card by determining the occupancy status of a socket (eg, socket 104, 204). For example, the occupancy state is represented by the first column of Table 1, called "occupancy state". The controller 402 determines whether a wireless transceiver (eg, wireless transceiver 106, 206) is enabled. For example, the enabled or disabled state of a wireless transceiver is represented by the second column of Table 1, referred to as "wireless transceiver". The controller 402 determines a state of one of the indicators associated with the outlet. For example, the state of the indicator is indicated by the third column of Table 1, called "Indicator State". The first state of the indicator indicates a secure state, and the second state of the indicator indicates a non-secure state. For example, the controller 402 performs the actions described in the fourth column "Description/action to be taken" of Table 1 . Table 1 occupancy status wireless transceiver indicator status Description/action to be taken unoccupied activated First The preset factory state monitors the change of occupancy state occupied activated First First time installation sets security state to no unoccupied activated second SIM card removed Disable wireless transceiver occupied terminated second Monitor BIOS passwords unoccupied terminated First The BIOS password has been entered to monitor the occupancy state change occupied terminated First The SIM card is installed after entering the BIOS password to enable the wireless transceiver and set the security status to No occupied activated second authentication identifier unoccupied terminated second Monitoring of occupancy state changes, monitoring of BIOS passwords, or a combination of the above

In various examples, the controller 402 detects that the wireless transceiver is enabled in response to detecting an absence of the communication card (eg, an unoccupied occupancy state). In response to detecting that the wireless transceiver is enabled, the controller 402 determines the state of the indicator. In response to the first state, the controller 402 monitors the existence of the communication card. For example, the controller 402 determines that the electronic device 400 is in a default factory state in response to detecting an unoccupied occupancy state, an enabled wireless transceiver, and determining that the state of the indicator indicates the first state. In response to the confirmation indicator indicating the second state, the controller 402 disables the communication of the communication card. For example, in response to detecting an unoccupied occupancy state, an enabled wireless transceiver, and determining that the state of the indicator indicates a second state, the controller 402 determines that the SIM card has been removed from the socket, and that the wireless transceiver should Disabled to block unauthorized replacement of the SIM card from accessing the wireless transceiver.

In other examples, the controller 402 detects that the wireless transceiver is enabled in response to detecting the presence of the communication card (eg, an occupied state of being occupied). In response to detecting that the wireless transceiver is enabled, the controller 402 determines the state of the indicator. In response to the state of the indicator indicating the first state, the controller 402 adjusts the indicator to indicate the second state. For example, in response to detecting an occupied state of occupied and an enabled wireless transceiver, and determining that the state of the indicator indicates the first state, the controller 402 determines that a communication card has been activated since the state of the indicator was set to the first state. Installed a first time. In various examples, the controller 402 stores an identifier of the communication card to the non-transitory machine-readable medium 404 .

In some examples, the controller 402 detects that the wireless transceiver is enabled in response to detecting the presence of the communication card. In response to detecting that the wireless transceiver is enabled, the controller 402 determines the state of the indicator. In response to the state of the indicator indicating the second state, the controller 402 verifies an identifier of the communication card. For example, the controller 402 determines that the communication card has not been modified in response to detecting an occupied state of occupied and an enabled radio, and determining that the state of the indicator indicates the second state. As an additional security measure, the controller 402 verifies that the communication card's identifier is equal to the communication card's identifier stored on the non-transitory machine-readable medium 404 .

In various examples, the controller 402 detects that the wireless transceiver is disabled in response to detecting the presence of the communication card. In response to detecting that the wireless transceiver is disabled, the controller 402 determines the state of the indicator. In response to the state of the indicator indicating the first state, the controller 402 enables the communication of the communication card. For example, in response to detecting an occupied state of being occupied and a disabled wireless transceiver, and determining that the state of the indicator indicates a safe state, the controller 402 determines that a SIM card has been activated since the state of the indicator was set to the first state. Installed a first time. In some examples, in response to the state of the indicator indicating the first state, the controller 402 adjusts the indicator to indicate the second state.

In some examples, the controller 402 detects that the wireless transceiver is disabled in response to detecting the presence of the communication card. In response to detecting that the wireless transceiver is disabled, the controller 402 determines the state of the indicator. In response to the state of the indicator indicating the second state, the controller 402 monitors for a user entering the BIOS mode. In other examples, the controller 402 detects that the wireless transceiver is disabled in response to detecting the absence of the communication card. In response to detecting that the wireless transceiver is disabled, the controller 402 determines the state of the indicator. In response to the state of the indicator indicating the first state, the controller 402 monitors for a change in the occupancy state. For example, in response to detecting an unoccupied occupied state and a disabled wireless transceiver, and determining that the state of the indicator indicates the first state, the controller 402 determines that a password has been entered in the BIOS. In response to the status of the indicator indicating the second status, the controller 402 monitors for a user entering BIOS mode, monitors for a change in occupancy status, or a combination thereof.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A and 5B , according to various examples, a flowchart of a method 500 is provided for an electronic device (eg, electronic device 100 , 200 , 400 ) to enable communication with a communication card. For example, method 500 implements the actions of Table 1, as described above with reference to FIG. 4 . Method 500 includes activating the electronic device (502 of FIG. 5A). The method 500 also includes determining whether a socket of the electronic device (eg, the socket 104 , 204 ) is occupied ( 504 of FIG. 5A ). In response to a determination that the outlet is not occupied, method 500 determines whether a wireless transceiver (eg, wireless transceiver 106, 206) is enabled (506 of FIG. 5A). In response to a determination that the wireless transceiver is enabled, method 500 includes determining whether a security state is indicated (508 of FIG. 5A). In response to a determination indicating a safe state, method 500 also includes monitoring for a change in the occupancy state of the outlet (510 of FIG. 5A). Method 500 returns to 504 to determine if the outlet is occupied. In response to a determination that does not indicate a security state, method 500 also includes disabling communication with the communication card (512 of FIG. 5A). Method 500 includes monitoring for a change in an occupancy state of an outlet (510 of FIG. 5A). In response to a determination that the wireless transceiver is not enabled, method 500 includes determining whether to indicate a secure state (514 of FIG. 5A ). In response to a determination indicating a safe state, method 500 also includes monitoring for a change in the occupancy state of the outlet (510 of FIG. 5A). The method 500 also includes monitoring for user entry into BIOS mode (516 of FIG. 5A ), monitoring for a change in the occupancy state of the socket (510 of FIG. 5A ), or a combination of the above, in response to a determination of an unspecified security state. .

In response to a determination that the outlet is occupied, method 500 determines whether the wireless transceiver is enabled (518 of FIG. 5B). In response to a determination that the wireless transceiver is enabled, method 500 includes determining whether a security state is indicated (520 of FIG. 5B). In response to a determination indicating a secure state, method 500 also includes adjusting the indicator to indicate an unsecure state (522 of FIG. 5B). Method 500 returns to 510 of FIG. 5 to monitor for a change in the occupancy state of the socket. In response to a determination that the security status is not indicated, method 500 also includes verifying an identifier of the communication card (524 of FIG. 5B ). Method 500 returns to 510 of FIG. 5 to monitor for a change in the occupancy state of the socket. In response to a determination that the wireless transceiver is not enabled, method 500 includes determining whether to indicate a secure state (526 of FIG. 5B). In response to a determination indicating a security status, method 500 also includes enabling communication (528 of FIG. 5B). In response to a determination that the security state is not indicated, method 500 also includes returning to 516 of FIG. 5A to monitor for user entry into BIOS mode.

In various examples, a controller of the electronic device (eg, controller 102, 202, 402) utilizes the technique described above with reference to FIG. 1 or 2 to detect the presence of a communication card in the socket. For example, the controller utilizes the technique described above with reference to FIG. 1 to determine the state of the indicator associated with the receptacle. For example, in response to a determination that the indicator indicates a safe state, the controller enables communication with the communication card, as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 or 2 . For example, in response to a determination that the indicator indicates an unsafe state, the controller disables communication with the communication card, as described above with reference to FIG. 2 .

Unless it is not feasible, some or all of the program blocks in the method 300, 500 can be implemented by an electronic device (eg, electronic device 100, 200, 400) in parallel or in a different order, and by the circuit system of the electronic device , machine readable instructions, or a combination of the above. For example, a controller (eg, controller 102, 202, 402) after enabling a state of a component performs a block that depends on the state of the component. In various examples, methods 300, 500 are implemented by storing to a storage device of the electronic device (eg, storage device 108, 208, non-transitory machine-readable medium 404), circuitry of the electronic device (some of which are not explicitly shown) out), or a combination of the above machine-readable instructions to implement. Execution of the machine-readable instructions causes the controller to perform some or all of the methods 300, 500, for example.

By using the indicator associated with the receptacle to indicate whether the receptacle is associated with a security state, the electronic device prevents an unauthorized communication card from communicating with other components of the electronic device. Blocking unauthorized communication between the communication card and other components of the electronic device will enhance the security of the electronic device by ensuring that an authorized person of the electronic device, such as the owner or user with a specified level of authority, authorizes the replacement of the communication card . Blocking unauthorized communication cards from communicating with other components of the electronic device enhances the security of the electronic device by preventing third parties from accessing the electronic device through an unauthorized network associated with an unauthorized communication card. Verifying an identifier of the communication card enhances the security of the electronic device by ensuring that the communication card is the same communication card as a previously authorized communication card.

The foregoing description is intended to illustrate the principles and various examples of the present description. Many changes and modifications will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art once the above description is thoroughly understood. The following claims are intended to be construed as encompassing all such changes and modifications.

In the drawings, certain features and components disclosed herein are shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form, and some details of certain elements are not shown for the sake of clarity and conciseness. In some drawings, an element or an aspect of an element is omitted for clarity and conciseness.

In the above description and claims, the word "comprising" is used in an open way and should therefore be read to mean "including, but not limited to...". Likewise, the term "coupled" is intended to be broad enough to encompass both direct and indirect connections. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection or through an indirect connection via other devices, components and connections. In addition, the word "or" is used in both ways. For example, "A or B" means any of the following: "A" alone, "B" alone, or both "A" and "B".

100,200,400: electronic devices 102, 202, 402: Controller 104,204: socket 106,206: wireless transceiver 108,208: storage devices 110, 112, 114, 216, 218, 220, 406, 408, 410, 412: Machine-readable instructions 210, 212, 214: paths 300,500: method 302,304,306,308,310,312,316,318,320,502,504,506,508,510,512,514,516,518,520, 522,524,526,528: program blocks 314: action subset 404: Non-Transitory Machine Readable Media

Various examples are illustrated below with reference to the following figures.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device for communicating with a communication card, according to various examples.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device for communicating with a communication card, according to various examples.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an electronic device to communicate with a communication card according to various examples.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device for implementing communication with a communication card, according to various examples.

5A and 5B are flowcharts illustrating a method for an electronic device to communicate with a communication card, according to various examples.

100: Electronic device

102: Controller

104: socket

106: wireless transceiver

108: storage device

110, 112, 114: Machine-readable instructions

Claims (15)

An electronic device comprising: a socket for a communication card; and A controller, which performs the following actions: detecting the occupancy state of one of the outlets; determining whether an indicator indicates a safe state in response to detecting the occupied state of the outlet; and Responsive to an affirmation that the indicator indicates the security state, enabling communication for the socket. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, in order to detect the occupied state of the socket, the controller is used to determine whether a presence pin of the socket is depressed. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, in response to the determination that the indicator indicates the security state, the controller is used to enable a wireless transceiver for communicating with a wireless network, enable the socket, or more combination. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein, in order to enable the wireless transceiver, the socket, or the combination thereof, the controller is used to cause a voltage supply circuit to supply power to the wireless transceiver, the socket, or the combination thereof . The electronic device of claim 3, wherein, in order to enable the socket, the controller is configured to cause a clock signal to be transmitted to the socket. An electronic device comprising: a socket for a communication card; a wireless transceiver; and A controller, which performs the following actions: detecting the communication card in the socket; enabling communication between the communication card and the wireless transceiver in response to an indicator indicating a security state; and Responsive to the indicator indicating an unsafe state, disabling communication between the communication card and the wireless transceiver. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the controller is used to detect bits via a presence pin of the socket, via a path coupled to the socket, via an identifier of the communication card, or a combination thereof The communication card in the socket. The electronic device as claimed in item 6, wherein the controller is used to disable the wireless transceiver, a signal sent to the socket, or a combination of the above to disable the communication between the communication card and the wireless transceiver communication. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the signal transmitted to the socket is a power signal, a clock signal, or a combination thereof. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the controller is used to cause a display device to display a graphical user interface enabling a user to reset the indicator to indicate the security status. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a controller, cause the controller to: Detecting the presence of a communication card; determining a state of an indicator in response to detecting the presence of the communication card; In response to a first state, enable communication of the communication card; and In response to a second state, disable the communication of the communication card. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein, in response to detecting the absence of one of the communication cards, the controller is configured to perform the following actions: detecting that a wireless transceiver is enabled; determining the state of the indicator in response to detecting that the wireless transceiver is enabled; in response to the first state, monitoring the presence of the communication card; and In response to the second state, disable the communication of the communication card. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein, in response to detecting the existence of the communication card, the controller is configured to perform the following actions: detecting that a wireless transceiver is enabled; determining the state of the indicator in response to detecting that the wireless transceiver is enabled; and In response to the first state, the indicator is adjusted to indicate the second state. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein, in response to detecting the existence of the communication card, the controller is configured to perform the following actions: detecting that a wireless transceiver is enabled; determining the state of the indicator in response to detecting that the wireless transceiver is enabled; and In response to the second state, verify an identifier of the communication card. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein, in response to detecting the existence of the communication card, the controller is configured to perform the following actions: detecting that a wireless transceiver is deactivated; determining the state of the indicator in response to detecting that the wireless transceiver is deactivated; and In response to the first state, enable the communication of the communication card.

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