STYLUS-BASED USER DATA STORAGE AND ACCESS

• US 20140253467A1
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Barnes & Noble College Booksellers LLC (Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nook Digital, LLC (f/k/a Barnesandnoble.com LLC) (Bahwan CyberTek Pvt Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hicks, Kourtny M., Cueto, Gerald B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,189,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware

Abstract

A stylus-based data storage and access system is disclosed. In some example embodiments, a stylus configured as described herein includes storage for storing a user'"'"'s access data, profile (e.g., device settings and preferences), and/or content and can wirelessly communicate with an electronic device that is paired therewith. Upon pairing, the user of the stylus can access his or her user data (stored locally on the stylus) and/or other data on the paired device or in the cloud. If desired, additional users having styluses of their own can use the same device in like fashion. Once a new user is logged into the device, any previous user can be logged out. A given user can utilize the user interface provided by the device to setup stylus-based access to the device by providing access information, which can be saved to the stylus. Subsequently, the user may review/alter that stylus-based information, as desired.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an electronic computing device having a touch-sensitive surface for receiving user input via a stylus; and

a user interface executable on the device and including an auto-access mode configured to allow user access to the device using user access data received from a stylus-based storage.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the user access data includes login credentials for accessing the device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the user access data includes a user profile including at least one preferred setting for the device.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising the stylus including the stylus-based storage, wherein the storage is further configured to store user content.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein at least one of the stylus and/or the computing device is configured to communicatively couple with a network, and the auto-access mode is further configured to allow for data transfer over the network.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the user access data further allows for access of user data stored in a cloud-based repository using the electronic device.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the touch-sensitive surface of the electronic device comprises a touchscreen display.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the auto-access mode is further configured to deny user access to the device in response to a deficiency associated with the user access data.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the auto-access mode is further configured to allow user access to the device in response to any stylus that includes user access data including at least one of login credentials and/or one or more device settings.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the auto-access mode is further configured to prompt a current user of the device that a second user is attempting access the device, and to give the current user an opportunity to accept or deny the second user access attempt.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the auto-access mode is further configured to logout a current user of the device when a second user attempts to access the device with a second stylus having user access data stored therein.

12. A computer program product comprising a plurality of instructions non-transiently encoded thereon to facilitate operation of an electronic device according to the following process, the process comprising:

detect, via an electronic device having a touch-sensitive display, a first stylus;

access a first user access data set stored on the first stylus; and

provide access to the device using the first user access data set.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the user access data includes at least one of login credentials for accessing the device and/or a user profile including at least one preferred setting for the device.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, the process further comprising:

display content of the first user on the touch-sensitive display of the electronic device.

15. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the first user access data set further allows for access of user data stored in a cloud-based repository using the electronic device.

16. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the auto-access mode is further configured to deny user access to the device in response to a deficiency associated with the user access data.

17. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the auto-access mode is further configured to allow user access to the device in response to any stylus that includes user access data including at least one of login credentials and/or one or more device settings.

18. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the auto-access mode is further configured to prompt the first user of the device that a second user is attempting access the device, and to give the first user an opportunity to accept or deny the second user access attempt.

19. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the auto-access mode is further configured to logout the first user of the device when a second user attempts to access the device with a second stylus having a second user access data set stored therein.

20. A system comprising:

an electronic computing device having a touch-sensitive surface;

a stylus configured to interact with the touch-sensitive surface and to wirelessly communicate with the electronic device, the stylus including a storage module having user access data stored therein; and

a user interface executable on the device and including an auto-access mode configured to allow user access to the device using the user access data from the stylus.