ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING SAME

• US 20120194440A1
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Ramrattan, Colin Shiva, Theimer, Wolfgang Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/017,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20120194440A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method includes receiving a first input comprising at least two touches that overlap in time on a touch-sensitive display, storing data associated with the input including data associated with the at least two touches to control access to functions at the portable electronic device, detecting a second input on the touch-sensitive display to provide access to the functions, and providing access to the functions based on a comparison of data associated with the second input to the stored data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first input comprising at least two touches that overlap in time on a touch-sensitive display;

storing data associated with the input including data associated with the at least two touches to control access to functions at the portable electronic device;

detecting a second input on the touch-sensitive display to provide access to the functions; and

providing access to the functions based on a comparison of data associated with the second input to the stored data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first input comprises a multiple touch gesture.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first input comprises a plurality of gestures, at least one of the gestures comprising the multiple touch gesture.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the touches does not move along the touch-sensitive display.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data associated with the input comprises pressure of at least one of the touches.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data associated with the input comprises sampled locations and time associated with the sampled locations.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first input comprises an additional touch that does not overlap in time.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the additional touch does not move along the touch-sensitive display.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the data associated with the input comprises pressure of the additional touch.

10. The method according to claim 1, comprising displaying a reference image on the touch-sensitive display prior to receiving the first input.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the reference image comprises a picture.

12. The method according to claim 10, comprising displaying the reference image on the touch-sensitive display prior to receiving the second input.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the reference image is displayed in response to receipt of selection of the reference image prior to receiving the first input.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing access to the functions comprises unlocking access to the functions when the data associated with the second input matches the stored data within a threshold range.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the first input comprises receiving the first input when in a recording mode of a portable electronic device.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable code executable by at least one processor of the portable electronic device to perform the method of claim 1.

17. An electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a touch-sensitive display coupled to the housing;

a memory and a processor coupled to the memory and the touch-sensitive display to receive, when in a recording mode, a first input comprising at least two touches that overlap in time on the touch-sensitive display, store data associated with the input including data associated with the at least two touches for access control at the portable electronic device, detect a second input on the touch-sensitive display to provide access to functions of the portable electronic device, and provide access to the functions based on a comparison of data associated with the second input to the stored data.