Patent ID: 7541551

Claim:
A portable electronic device, comprising: a data storage device having data stored on a data storage medium; an acceleration detector coupled to the data storage device to detect a change in an acceleration of the portable electronic device, wherein the acceleration detector includes an electrically conductive casing, an electrically conductive beam disposed within the conductive casing and insulated from the conductive casing, and an electrically conductive member which is capable of free movement within the conductive casing, the conductive member contacting the conductive casing and the conductive beam when the change of the acceleration is not detected, wherein the conductive member does not contact at least one of the conductive casing and the conductive beam when the change of the acceleration is detected, wherein the electrically conductive casing comprises an oblique wall with respect to an axis of the electrically conductive beam; and a system electronics coupled to the data storage device and coupled to the acceleration detector, the system electronics being configured to process a signal from the acceleration detector and being configured to place the data storage device in a state in response to the signal.