Biopresence based keyguard mechanism

• US 8,058,969 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2007
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lundy, Mike T., Blinn, Benjamin P., Lai, Harry Hong-Lun
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khan; Omer S
• Application Number:
  US11/756,836
• Time in Patent Office: 1,628 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.52, 345/169, 345/174
• US Class Current: 340/5.52
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00674 with switch-buttons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion

Abstract

A bio-presence based keyguard mechanism for a portable device detects a situation where both a bio-presence sensor and a pressure or displacement sensor are engaged, and then selectively removes an associated keypad from a locked state and places the keypad in an unlocked state. In accordance with one aspect, the keyguard mechanism employs a method for transforming the status of a portable device keypad from a locked state to an unlocked state. Within the method, a signal is received from a pressure or displacement sensor associated with a particular key of the keypad, when the keypad is in a locked state. It is then determined whether a signal is received from a bio-presence sensor associated with the particular key, or with a particular portion of the keypad, within an allotted time period, and if so, the status of the keypad is changed to an unlocked state.

Claims

1. A method for transforming the status of an electronic device keypad from a locked state to an unlocked state, comprising:

detecting an engagement of the device keypad through pressure or displacement sensing, wherein the device keypad includes physically depressible keys, and wherein the engagement of the device keypad includes a key depression of a key;

detecting the same engagement of the device keypad through bio-presence sensing; and

measuring a time period from when the engagement of the device keypad through pressure or displacement sensing is detected, to when the same engagement of the device keypad through bio-presence sensing is detected;

based on measuring the time period, determining that the device keypad is engaged by human touch when the time period is less than an allotted time period;

upon determining that the device keypad is engaged by human touch, changing the status of the electronic device keypad from a locked state to an unlocked state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

changing of the status of the electronic device keypad from the locked state to the unlocked state requires the detection through bio-presence sensing of engagement of an individual key of the device keypad that corresponds to the same individual key of the device keypad that is detected to be engaged through pressure or displacement sensing.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

changing of the status of the electronic device keypad from the locked state to the unlocked state requires the detection through bio-presence sensing of engagement of less than a preestablished number of individual keys of the device keypad within a preestablished period of time.

4. Non-transitory computer-readable media having embodied thereon computer-useable instructions for performing a method of transforming the status of an electronic device keypad from a locked state to an unlocked state, the method comprising:

detecting an engagement of the device keypad through pressure or displacement sensing, wherein the device keypad includes physically depressible keys, wherein input is provided in response to a key depression of a given key, and wherein the engagement includes simultaneous key depressions of two of the keys;

detecting the same engagement of the device keypad through bio-presence sensing; and

for each of the two keys, measuring a time period from when the engagement of the device keypad through pressure or displacement sensing is detected, to when the same engagement of the device keypad through bio-presence sensing is detected;

based on measuring the time period, determining whether the time period is less than an allotted time period;

determining whether the two keys are included in a pre-established set of keys that are designated for unlocking the device keypad;

changing the status of the electronic device keypad from a locked state to an unlocked state when

(1) the time period is less than the allotted time period and

(2) the two keys are included in the pre-established set of keys.

5. The media of claim 4, wherein bio-presence sensing includes heat sensing.

6. The media of claim 4, wherein bio-presence sensing includes electrical conductivity sensing.

7. The media of claim 4, wherein:

changing of the status of the electronic device keypad from the locked state to the unlocked state requires the detection through bio-presence sensing of engagement of an individual key of the device keypad that corresponds to the same individual key of the device keypad that is detected to be engaged through pressure or displacement sensing.

8. The media of claim 4, wherein:

changing of the status of the electronic device keypad from the locked state to the unlocked state requires the detection through bio-presence sensing of engagement of less than a preestablished number of individual keys of the device keypad within a preestablished period of time.