Simple theft deterrent for electronic control modules

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In accordance with the teaching of the present invention, an electronic theft deterrent system is disclosed for deterring theft of an electronic device where the system takes advantage of already existing device parameters, controls and displays to implement the theft system.
A device user will first activate a predetermined device control to a predetermined state, and then will activate a theft key to store the state in a memory so as to activate the theft system.
The state is a state that exists in the normal operation of the device and the theft key is a pre-existing control of the device.
The theft key can be a combination of pre-existing controls for enhanced security.
When the theft system is activated, the performance of the device will be impaired, but will not necessarily be totally disabled.
When the user wishes to restore the device to its normal, unimpaired operation, the user will set the device control to the predetermined state as a current state, and again reactivate the theft key.
The system will compare the current state with the stored state to determine if an authorized attempt is being made to return the device to normal operation.
If the states match, the system will restore the device to its normal operation.
However, if the states do not match, the attempt is unsuccessful, and the device will remain impaired.
Further, an attempts counter will be incremented.
If successive attempts do not match the original state, the system will completely lock out the system against any further attempts, and only an authorized dealer of the device can restore the device to its normal operation.
Additional objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.