Disposable USB Port Protector with Breakable Lever
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
USB ports on personal computers are vulnerable to data extraction and malicious software infiltration, necessitating a solution to render them unusable when desired.
Innovation Solution
A single-use USB port protector comprising a top piece with a rectangular surface, a slotted planar surface, and a tongued planar surface with rails and projections, which are slideably insertable into a USB port to prevent electrical connections, with a lever that breaks off upon removal, ensuring no connection is made and indicating attempted access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a USB port protector is made removable and reusable, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability of security protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a disposable USB port protector where the housing contains a breakable lever that snaps off upon removal. This ensures the protector can only be used once, providing reliable security protection while allowing easy removal during the single use. The disposable nature eliminates the need for complex locking mechanisms while maintaining security integrity.
2Loss of information
If a USB port protector uses a breakable lever mechanism, then evidence of attempted access is provided, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a visual indicator mechanism where a lever changes its physical state (breaks off) to provide evidence of access. This simple binary state change (lever present/lever broken) provides clear evidence of attempted access without requiring complex electronic sensors, displays, or communication systems. The visual evidence is immediate and unambiguous.
3Reliability
If a USB port protector is designed as a single-use device, then reliability of security protection is improved, but loss of substance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent accepts the material waste inherent in disposable devices but minimizes it through efficient design. The housing is made from sufficient material to accommodate the breakable lever mechanism, and the entire assembly is discarded after single use. This approach prioritizes security reliability over material conservation, recognizing that the low cost and minimal environmental impact of the small device make the trade-off acceptable.
Data Source
AI summary
A single-use Universal Serial Bus port protector having a top piece and a tongued planar surface, where the top piece includes a rectangular surface, a rectangular planar surface, a slotted planar surface, and at least one lever breakably attached to the slotted planar surface, and where the tongued planar surface includes two rails and two projections, where the top piece and the tongued planar surface are slideably insertable into a Universal Serial Bus port to ensure that no electrical connection is made to the Universal Serial Bus port when the top piece and the tongued planar surface are so inserted, where the at least one lever engages with at least one of the rails of the tongued planar surface upon insertion, and where the at least one lever breaks off when the Universal Serial Bus port protector is removed from the Universal Serial Bus port.