Patent Publication Number: US-8110789-B2

Title: Electronic device and method for recording disassembly times thereof

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The disclosure relates to an electronic device and a method for recording disassembly times thereof. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     When deciding whether to purchase a particular electronic device in a marketplace, people may check if the electronic device has been opened for service or repair by inspecting a seal on the electronic device. However, this can only alert people to the fact of whether it has been opened and not how many times it has been opened. Therefore, what is needed is an electronic device and method for recording the number of times an electronic device has been opened to solve the above-mentioned problem. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The components of the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of an electronic device. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout several views. 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic, isometric view of an electronic device in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a disassembled view of the electronic device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of  FIG. 1 , taken along the line III-III in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart for a method of recording disassembly times of an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a disassembled view of an electronic device in another embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart for a method of recording disassembly times of an electronic device in accordance with another embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 . An electronic device  100  includes a front cover  102  and a rear cover  104 . The electronic device  100  further includes an illuminating element  202 , a photosensitive element  204 , a processing element  206 , and a memory  208 . 
     The illuminating element  202 , mounted on the inner surface of the rear cover  104 , is configured to emit light beams having a specific wavelength, such as infrared. The light beams emitted by the illuminating element  202  are reflected by the inner surface of the front cover  102  to the photosensitive element  204 . The illuminating element  202  emits light beams at a predetermined frequency, for example, every 15 seconds. The illuminating element  202  can also be mounted on the inner surface of the front cover  102  aligned with the photosensitive element  204 , accordingly, the light beams emitted by the illuminating element  202  reach the photosensitive element  204  directly. 
     The photosensitive element  204  is configured to receive the light beams emitted by the illuminating element  202 , and generate a trigger signal when the intensity of the received light beams reaches a predetermined value. In the embodiment, the photosensitive element  204  generates a trigger signal when the intensity of the received light beams becomes the same as or lower than a predetermined value T 1 . Referring to  FIG. 3 , when the front cover  102  is covered on the rear cover  104 , the photosensitive element  204  receives the light beams reflected by the inner surface of the front cover  102 . When the electronic device  100  is disassembled, that is, the front cover  102  is moved from the rear cover  104 , the light beams emitted by the illuminating element  202  cannot reach the photosensitive element  204 , accordingly, the photosensitive element  204  generates a trigger signal, and the trigger signal indicates that the front cover  102  has been removed. 
     The processing element  206 , electrically connected to the memory  208  and the photosensitive element  204 , is configured to count a number of disassembly times of the electronic device  100  according to the trigger signals generated by the photosensitive element  204  and store the number of disassembly times into the memory  208 . Especially, the processing element  206  increments the number of disassembly times by one when receiving a trigger signal from the photosensitive element  204 . 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart for a method of recording disassembly times of the electronic device in accordance with an embodiment. In step S 801 , the illuminating element  204  emits light beams having a specific wavelength. 
     In step S 802 , the photosensitive element  204  receives the light beams emitted from the illuminating element  202 , and generates a trigger signal while the intensity of the received lights become the same and lower than a predetermined value. 
     In step S 803 , the processing element  206  counts a number of disassembly times of the electronic device  100  according to the times the trigger signals have been generated by the photosensitive element  204  and stores the number of disassembly times into the memory  208 . 
     People can easily retrieve the disassembly times stored in the memory  208  and know whether or not and how many times the electronic device  100  had been opened up. For example, the electronic device can be connected to a computer via USB, and people can retrieve the disassembly times information. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , another electronic device  200  is disclosed. Compared to the electronic device  100  of  FIG. 1 , the electronic device  200  has no illuminating element  202  and the photosensitive element  204  is configured to detect the intensity of the ambient light inside the electronic device  200 , and generates a trigger signal when the intensity of the ambient light reaches a predetermined value. In the embodiment, the photosensitive element  204  generates a trigger signal when the intensity of the ambient light exceeds a value T 2 , which would happen when the electronic device  200  is opened up. 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a method of recording disassembly times applied on the electronic device of  FIG. 5 . In step S 901 , the photosensitive element  204 ′ detects the intensity of the ambient light. 
     In step S 902 , when the intensity of the ambient light exceeds a predetermined value T 2 , the photosensitive element  204  generates a trigger signal. 
     In step S 903 , the processing element  206  counts a number of disassembly times of the electronic device  100  according to the times the trigger signals have been generated by the photosensitive element  204  and stores the number of disassembly times into the memory  208 . 
     Although the present disclosure has been specifically described on the basis of the embodiments thereof, the disclosure is not to be construed as being limited thereto. Various changes or modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure.