METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR LOCKING AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20130194067A1
• Filed: 02/01/2012
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: KIMBRELL, Jacob Warren
• Granted Patent: US 9,262,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.54
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/673 the user being required to key in a code
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A method and a system for locking an electronic device are provided. In one aspect, a method in an electronic device is provided comprising the steps of receiving, through a user input interface of the device when the device is in a locked state, a challenge response and a temporary automatic lock time indicator, and if the challenge response is accepted, unlocking the device, setting an automatic lock timer of the device to a temporary lock time value, and starting the automatic lock timer. In another aspect, an electronic device is provided for implementing the above method. According to another aspect, a locking mechanism is provided that utilizes information on an environment of the electronic device. According to another aspect, a stimulus based locking mechanism is provided that employs a different lock time after the device has issued a stimulus in response to an event on the device.

Claims

1. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, through a user input interface of the device when the device is in a locked state, a challenge response and a temporary automatic lock time indicator; and

if the challenge response is accepted;

unlocking the device;

setting an automatic lock timer of the device to a temporary lock time value; and

starting the automatic lock timer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the temporary automatic lock time indicator comprises a received time value, and the temporary lock time value to which the automatic lock timer is set is the received time value.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the challenge response is in the form of a password.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the password and the received time value are received by the device as a single string in a single field.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the password and the received time value are separated by at least one separating character.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the password is received by the device as a first string into a first field, and the received time value is received by the device as a second string into a second field.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the received time value is one of a plurality of predefined time values presented via an output interface of the device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the next time the device is unlocked, the automatic lock timer is started with a default time value unless a further temporary automatic lock time indicator is received by the device.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of locking the device when the automatic lock timer expires and there has been no input to the device between the time the automatic lock timer was started and the time when the automatic lock timer expires.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the default time value is different from the temporary lock time value.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a memory capable of storing therein computer readable instructions; and

a user interface,

wherein the processor is capable of executing the computer readable instructions to;

receive through the user interface of the device, when the device is in a locked state, a challenge response and a temporary automatic lock time indicator; and

if the challenge response is accepted;

unlock the device;

set an automatic lock timer of the device to a temporary lock time value; and

start the automatic lock timer.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the temporary automatic lock time indicator comprises a received time value, and the temporary lock time value to which the automatic lock timer is set is the received time value

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the challenge response is in the form of a password

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the password and the received time value are received by the device as a single string into a single field.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the password and the received time value in the single string are separated by at least one separating character.

16. The device of claim 13 wherein the password is received by the device as a first string into a first field, and the received time value is received by the device as a second string into a second field.

17. The device of claim 12 wherein the received time value is one of a plurality of predefined time values presented via the user interface of the device.

18. The device of claim 11 wherein the next time the device is unlocked, the automatic lock timer is started with a default time value unless a further temporary automatic lock time indicator is received by the device.

19. The device of claim 11 wherein the device is locked when the automatic lock timer expires and there has been no input to the device between the time the automatic lock timer was started and the time when the automatic lock timer expires.

20. The device of claim 18 wherein the default time value is different from the temporary lock time value.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions for a method in an electronic device, the instructions for:

receiving, through a user input interface of the device when the device is in a locked state, a challenge response and a temporary automatic lock time indicator; and

if the challenge response is accepted;

unlocking the device;

setting an automatic lock timer of the device to a temporary lock time value; and

starting the automatic lock timer.