UNLOCKING A SCREEN OF A PORTABLE DEVICE

• US 20140187204A1
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Holding GmbH (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Holding GmbH (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: HARTMANN, Norman
• Granted Patent: US 9,245,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for unlocking a screen of a portable device, comprising the steps: detecting movement of the portable device using at least one sensor unit of the portable device; determining a position of the portable device based on data provided by the sensor unit; comparing the determined position with at least one predetermined position to determine whether the determined position relatively matches the predetermined position; and executing an unlock of the screen of said portable device if the determined position relatively matches the predetermined position. Further the present invention relates to a portable device, preferably for the use in a communication network, in particular a mobile network according to a GSM, GPRS and/or UMTS radio network standard, characterized in that said portable device is designed and/or adapted to at least partially carry out a method according to present invention.

Claims

1. A method for unlocking a screen of a portable device, comprising the steps:

detecting movement of the portable device using at least one sensor unit of the portable device;

determining a position of the portable device based on data provided by the sensor unit;

comparing the determined position with at least one predetermined position to determine whether the determined position relatively matches the predetermined position; and

executing an unlock of the screen of said portable device if the determined position relatively matches the predetermined position.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined position is configurable and/or adjustable.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the comparing of the determined position includes determining whether the determined position relatively matches the predetermined position for a predetermined time duration.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined time duration is configurable and/or adjustable, preferably by the user of the portable device.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising detecting an input of the user of the portable device, in particular pushing a button/key on an entry unit of the portable device, before the detecting of the movement of the portable device by the sensor unit is done.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the detecting of the input by the user is done until the executing of the unlocking of the screen of the portable device is completed, in particular in terms of pushing and holding of the button/key of the portable device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining of a position further comprises determining a direction of the movement of the portable device based on data provided by the sensor unit and wherein the comparing of a predetermined position includes comparing the determined direction of the movement with a predetermined direction to determine whether the determined direction relatively matches the predetermined direction in order to execute the unlock of the screen of the portable device.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the direction of movement of the portable device includes rotating of the portable device around at least one of its axes of rotation and/or shaking of the portable device, which shaking is characterized by a sequence of movements of the portable device with preferably suddenly changing directions of movement, in particular comprising a rotating.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the direction of movement of the portable device includes a combination of at least two of the following actions:

holding the portable device in a fixed position;

moving the portable device in a direction;

rotating the portable device;

shaking the portable device.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the movement of the portable device includes a combination of at least two different positions of the portable device, at least two different directions of movements of the portable device, at least two different rotations of the portable device or at least two different shakings of the portable device.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising displaying visual cues on a the screen of the portable device in order to facilitate the unlock of the screen of the portable device and/or

playing acoustic cues in order to facilitate the unlock of the screen of the portable device and/or

playing mechanical cues, in particular vibrating of the portable device, in order to facilitate the unlock of the screen of the portable device.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising detecting the antenna loss caused by the user operating the portable device and comparing the determined antenna loss with a predetermined antenna loss of the user to determine whether the determined antenna loss relatively matches the predetermined antenna loss in order to execute the unlock of the screen of the portable device.

13. The method according to claim 1, the sensor unit of the portable device comprises an accelerometer and or a gyroscope.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is a part of and/or implemented in the operating system of said portable device.

15. The portable device, preferably for the use in a communication network, in particular a mobile network according to a GSM, GPRS and/or UMTS radio network standard, wherein said portable device is designed and/or adapted to at least partially carry out a method according to claim 1.