Unlocking a portable electronic device by performing multiple actions on an unlock interface

• US 10,223,518 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2017
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Light CONE Corporation
• Original Assignee: Light CONE Corporation
• Inventors: Lewis, Curtis
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Venkat
• Application Number:
  US15/477,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20170206347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

The disclosure provided herein includes a multi-step authentication process to unlock a portable electronic device. To unlock the device, a user can use a touch screen on the device to select an access category, to select an access subcategory, and to enter an access subcategory value. The access subcategory can depend on the access category, making them logically related. The access subcategory value can be a value that corresponds to the selected access category and subcategory. The multi-step authentication or unlocking process can advantageously be easy to remember because the pieces of information to be provided are logically related to one another. In addition, the multi-step authentication or unlocking process can be difficult to guess as each step in the process decreases the chances an unwanted person or system correctly guesses the correct values for each step.

Claims

1. A method of unlocking an electronic device, the device including a touch-sensitive display, the method comprising:

displaying an unlock interface;

detecting a contact with a first unlock interface element;

loading a first access credential based on the detected contact with the first unlock interface element;

calculating a first magnification percentage based on an extent of the difference between the first access credential and a first stored unlock credential;

reducing the number of remaining unlock attempts available to a user based on the first magnification percentage or leaving the number of unlock attempts available to a user unchanged; and

detecting a contact with a second unlock interface element;

loading a second access credential based on the detected contact with the second unlock interface element;

calculating a second magnification percentage based on an extent of the difference between the second access credential and a second stored unlock credential;

calculating an aggregate magnification percentage based on the first magnification percentage and second magnification percentage; and

reducing the number of remaining unlock attempts available to a user based on the aggregate magnification percentage or leaving the number of unlock attempts available to a user unchanged.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein reducing the number of remaining unlock attempts available to a user comprises displaying a magnified version of the unlock interface based on the aggregate magnification percentage.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the magnified version increases in size for each failed unlock attempt such that after some number of failed attempts the magnification makes entry of the first and second access credentials impossible.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first or second magnification percentage has larger weight in comparison to the other magnification percentage and contributes more to the calculation of the aggregate magnification percentage for a same unit of magnification.