Patent ID: 7571265

Claim:
A system comprising: an apparatus having an integrated circuit that includes disabling circuitry, the disabling circuitry having a first counter, wherein the disabling circuitry is configured to selectively disable normal operation of the apparatus responsive to a first count state defined by the first counter reaching a first defined value, and wherein the apparatus is associated with a unique identifier; and a portable device configured to establish a communication link with the apparatus in order to: receive a unique identifier from the apparatus and evaluate the received unique identifier to determine whether the apparatus is operationally bonded to the portable device, and in response to determining that the apparatus and portable device are operationally bonded, transmit data including a private code to the apparatus, the transmitted private code being evaluated by the apparatus to determine whether the apparatus and portable device are operationally bonded, wherein a determination by the apparatus that the apparatus and portable device are operationally bonded causes the disabling circuitry to either enable the normal operation of the apparatus alter the normal operation has been previously disabled responsive to the first count state, or set the first counter to a value further delaying the first counter from reaching the first defined value, wherein the portable device is operationally bonded to the apparatus associated with the unique identifier as a result of a bonding process preformed between the portable device and the apparatus, wherein before the bonding process is performed, the portable device is capable of being operationally bonded to any of a plurality of apparatuses associated with different identifiers, wherein after the bonding process is performed, the portable device is prevented from being operationally bonded to any of the plurality of apparatuses other than the apparatus associated with the unique identifier, wherein the bonding process comprises: automatically transmitting the unique identifier and the private code from the apparatus to the portable device upon an initial establishment of the communication link between the apparatus and portable device, and disabling the apparatus from performing any further transmission of the private code, and wherein, before the first count state occurs, the apparatus is capable of the normal operation without having the communication link established.