Enclosure with inner tamper-respondent sensor(s)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9717154-B2
Application number	US-201715409851-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2017
Priority date	Sep 25, 2015
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

Tamper-respondent assemblies and methods of fabrication are provided which include an electronic enclosure and a tamper-respondent electronic circuit structure. The electronic enclosure encloses, at least in part, at least one electronic component to be protected, and includes an inner main surface, and an inner sidewall surface which has at least one inner-sidewall corner. The tamper-respondent electronic circuit structure includes a tamper-respondent sensor covering, at least in part, the inner sidewall surface of the electronic enclosure. The tamper-respondent sensor includes a flexible layer(s) with tamper-detect circuit lines and multiple slots provided therein. The multiple slots facilitate disposing the tamper-respondent sensor to cover the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the inner sidewall surface by allowing for one or more regions of overlap of the flexible layer(s) of the tamper-respondent sensor at the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the electronic enclosure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tamper-respondent assembly comprising: an electronic enclosure to enclose, at least in part, at least one electronic component to be protected, the electronic enclosure comprising an inner main surface, and an inner sidewall surface including at least one inner-sidewall corner; and a tamper-respondent electronic circuit structure comprising a tamper-respondent sensor covering, at least in part, the inner sidewall surface of the electronic enclosure, the tamper-respondent sensor comprising at least one flexible layer with tamper-detect circuit lines and multiple slots therein, the multiple slots facilitating disposing the tamper-respondent sensor to cover the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the inner sidewall surface by allowing for one or more regions of overlap of the at least one flexible layer of the tamper-respondent sensor at the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the electronic enclosure, wherein the one inner-sidewall corner of the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the electronic enclosure comprises a flat, angled-sidewall portion connecting, in part, two sides of the electronic enclosure, and the first slot and the second slot of the tamper-respondent sensor are spaced apart and disposed at opposite sides of the flat, angled-sidewall portion of the one inner-sidewall corner.

2. The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 1 , wherein the multiple slots in the tamper-respondent sensor comprise a first slot and a second slot disposed at one inner-sidewall corner of the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the electronic enclosure, the first slot and the second slot facilitating overlapping the tamper-respondent sensor at the one inner-sidewall corner to facilitate the tamper-respondent sensor covering the one inner-sidewall corner of the one electronic enclosure.

3. The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 2 , wherein the first slot and the second slot extend into the tamper-respondent sensor from a common edge of the tamper-respondent sensor.

4. The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one inner-sidewall corner of the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the electronic enclosure further comprises first and second curved-sidewall portions at the opposite sides of the flat, angled-sidewall portion, and wherein the first slot and the second slot of the tamper-respondent sensor respectively overlie, at least in part, the first curved-sidewall portion and the second curved-sidewall portion of the one inner-sidewall corner.

5. The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tamper-respondent sensor is an inner-sidewall tamper-respondent sensor, and the tamper-respondent electronic circuit structure further comprises an inner main surface tamper-respondent sensor disposed, at least in part, over the inner main surface of the electronic enclosure, the inner-sidewall tamper-respondent sensor and the inner main surface tamper-respondent sensor being discrete, tamper-respondent sensors that overlap, at least in part, and facilitate defining a secure volume about the at least one electronic component to be protected.

6. The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 5 , wherein the inner main surface tamper-respondent sensor overlaps, in part, the inner-sidewall tamper-respondent sensor.

7. The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 6 , wherein:
the inner-sidewall tamper-respondent sensor comprises:
at least one first layer having opposite first and second sides; and
first circuit lines forming at least one first resistive network, the first circuit lines being disposed on at least one of the first side or the second side of the at least one first layer; and

the inner main surface tamper-respondent sensor comprises:
at least one second layer having opposite first and second sides; and
second circuit lines forming at least one second resistive network, the second circuit lines being disposed on at least one of the first side or the second side of the at least one second layer.

8. The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 5 , wherein the inner main surface tamper-respondent sensor comprises multiple corner tabs projecting therefrom, the multiple corner tabs overlying, at least in part, the multiple slots in the inner-sidewall tamper-respondent sensor at the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the electronic enclosure.

9. The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 8 , wherein the multiple slots in the inner-sidewall tamper-respondent sensor comprise a first slot and a second slot disposed at one inner-sidewall corner of the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the electronic enclosure, the first slot and the second slot facilitating the overlapping of the inner-sidewall tamper-respondent sensor at the one inner-sidewall corner to facilitate the inner-sidewall tamper-respondent sensor covering the one inner-sidewall corner of the electronic enclosure.

10. The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 9 , wherein the one inner-sidewall corner of the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the electronic enclosure comprises a flat, angled-sidewall portion connecting, in part, two sides of the electronic enclosure, and the first slot and the second slot of the inner-sidewall tamper-respondent sensor are spaced apart and disposed at opposite sides of the flat, angled-sidewall portion of the one inner-sidewall corner.

11. The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 10 , wherein the one inner-sidewall corner of the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the electronic enclosure further comprises first and second curved-sidewall portions at opposite sides of the flat, angled-sidewall portion, and wherein the first slot and the second slot of the inner-sidewall tamper-respondent sensor respectively overlie, at least in part, the first curved-sidewall portion and the second curved-sidewall portion of the one inner-sidewall corner.

12. A tamper-respondent assembly; an electronic assembly; an electronic enclosure surrounding, at least in part, the electronic assembly, the electronic enclosure comprising an inner main surface, and an inner sidewall surface including at least one inner-sidewall corner; and a tamper-respondent electronic circuit structure comprising a tamper-respondent sensor disposed over the inner sidewall surface of the electronic enclosure, the tamper-respondent sensor comprising at least one flexible layer with tamper-detect circuit lines and multiple slots therein, the multiple slots facilitating disposing the tamper-respondent sensor over the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the inner sidewall surface by allowing for one or more regions of overlap of the at least one flexible layer of the tamper-respondent sensor at the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the electronic enclosure, wherein the tamper-respondent sensor is an inner-sidewall tamper-respondent sensor, and the tamper-respondent electronic circuit structure further comprises an inner main surface tamper-respondent sensor disposed, at least in part, over the inner main surface of the electronic enclosure, the inner-sidewall tamper-respondent sensor and the inner main surface tamper-respondent,
sensor being discrete, tamper-respondent sensors that overlap, at least in part, and facilitate defining a secure volume about the at least one electronic component to be protected.

13. The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 12 , wherein the multiple slots in the tamper-respondent sensor comprise a first slot and a second slot disposed at one inner-sidewall corner of the at least one inner-sidewall corner of the electronic enclosure, the first slot and the second slot facilitating overlapping the tamper-respondent sensor at the one inner-sidewall corner to facilitate the tamper-resp

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Brodsky William L
• Dangler John R
• Dreiss Zachary T
• Long David C
• Peets Michael T
• Santiago-Fernandez William
• Weiss Thomas

Classifications

• H05K5/0247 Primary

  Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring · CPC title

• H05K13/0023

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05K13/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing or adjusting assemblages of electric components · CPC title

• H05K5/0208 Primary

  Interlock mechanisms; Means for avoiding unauthorised use or function, e.g. tamperproof · CPC title

• G06F21/87

  by means of encapsulation, e.g. for integrated circuits · CPC title