A rash of Apple Store robberies have been caught on tape like the one above showing thieves escaping with Apple devices at the Costa Mesa Apple Store last year. Our report covering this robbery was titled "Apple has to rethink their Open Apple Store Design as another Robbery in California occurred in Front of Customers." Well, Apple is or will be redesigning their stores with a new wireless security system that's quite unique.

Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that relates to a security system, including a multi-stage wireless device security system for Apple Stores that will disable devices not paid for once they leave the store. The devices will also provide a warning message on the display once the thief tries to use the device as our report will elaborate on further below.

Apple's patent filing notes that when the wireless device security system determines that one of the inventory electronic devices is being moved towards a boundary of the security area, or has passed the boundary of the security area, the wireless device security system sends an alert to the administrator electronic device, such as a device being carried by a store employee, indicating the same. If the wireless device security system determines that one of the inventory electronic devices has been outside of the security area for a threshold amount of time, such as two minutes, the wireless device security system may prevent the inventory electronic device from accessing server-side services, such as an activation service, until the inventory electronic device is returned to the security area.

Furthermore, the individual inventory electronic devices may also monitor their own locations and determine when they are being moved towards a boundary of the security area, or when moving to another area. When an inventory electronic device determines that it is being moved towards a boundary of the security area, the inventory electronic device may provide an alert output to notify specifically the person carrying the inventory electronic device that they are approaching a boundary of the security area. If the inventory electronic device determines that it has been taken outside of the security area without authorization, the electronic device may provide a disturbance output to attempt to notify any person in the proximate area that the inventory electronic device has been taken outside of the security area without authorization.

While outside of the security area, the inventory electronic device may ignore all or some user input, such as by disabling hardware buttons, disabling touch inputs, etc. If the inventory electronic device is not returned to the security area within a threshold amount of time, the inventory electronic device may attempt to transmit a distress message with its location, such as over an open Wi-Fi network, via a cellular connection, via Bluetooth discovery messages, and the like.

Apple's patent FIG. 1 below illustrates an example security area of a wireless device security system; FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate examples of inventory electronic devices displaying example disturbance output user interfaces.

Apple's patent FIG. 3 below illustrates an example network environment for a wireless device security system; FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of an example process of an inventory electronic device in a wireless device security system.

Apple's patent FIG. 8 below illustrates an example administrator electronic device displaying an example administrator user interface of a wireless device security system; FIG. 7 illustrates an example administrator electronic device displaying an example administrator user interface of a wireless device security system.

Apple's patent FIG. 12 below illustrates example inventory electronic devices implementing different blurring states; FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of an example process of an inventory electronic device in a wireless device security system.

Apple's patent FIG. 2 below shows that the system applies to all Apple devices within an Apple Store being protected by this new wireless security system.

Apple's patent application 20190163937 that was published today by the U.S. Patent Office was originally filed back on Q1 2019. The patent number will be provided for later today. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.

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