Portable electronic device and unlocking method using stylus

• US 8,537,130 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FIH (Hong Kong) Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: FIH (Hong Kong) Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chan, Caryn
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H
• Application Number:
  US13/172,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/173, 345/179, 345/204, 345/214
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer

Abstract

A method unlocks a portable electronic device using a stylus. A user can remove the stylus received in a receiving space of the portable electronic device to unlock the portable electronic device. In an unlocking procedure, a detection circuit detects whether the stylus has been removed from the portable electronic device and outputs a corresponding logic value of the portable electronic device. If the logic value of the detection circuit has changed from “0” to “1”, the locked portable electronic device is unlocked.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a touch screen;

a memory;

at least one processor;

a detection circuit operable to detect a voltage indicating whether a stylus is received in a receiving space of the portable electronic device, wherein the detection circuit comprises a switch that is activated when the stylus is received in a receiving space of the portable electronic device, and is inactive when the stylus is not received in the receiving space; and

a General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) pin that is grounded in response to the switch being active, and the GPIO pin is set at a high voltage in response to the switch being inactive;

an analog/digital converter operable to transform the voltage into a corresponding logic value;

one or more programs that are stored in the memory and are executed by the at least one processor, the one or more programs comprising;

a receiving module operable to receive the logic value;

a detection module operable to detect whether the voltage is changed from a low voltage to a high voltage according to the logic value; and

an unlocking module operable to control the at least one processor to unlock or wake up the portable electronic device if the voltage is changed from a low voltage to a high voltage.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the detection circuit further comprises a noise reduction circuit.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein the noise reduction circuit is positioned between the switch and the GPIO pin.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the logic value is “

0”

or “

1”

.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor unlocks the portable electronic device with the stylus to unlock a screen lock or a key lock of the portable electronic device.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the receiving module further saves the logic value in the memory.

7. A method for unlocking a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device comprising a memory, a touch screen, a detection circuit, and an analog/digital converter, the method comprising:

detecting a voltage indicating whether a stylus is received in a receiving space of the portable electronic device with the detection circuit;

activating a switch when the stylus is received in a receiving space of the portable electronic device, and grounding a General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) pin in response to the switch being active;

inactivating the switch when the stylus is not received in the receiving space, and setting the GPIO at a high voltage in response to the switch being inactive;

transforming the voltage into a corresponding logic value by the analog/digital converter;

receiving the logic value and saving the logic value into the memory;

detecting whether the voltage is changed from a low voltage to a high voltage according to the logic value; and

unlocking or waking up the portable electronic device if the voltage is changed from a low voltage to a high voltage.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

returning to the step of detecting the voltage if the voltage is changed from the high voltage to the low voltage.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the logic value is “

0”

or “

1”

.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of unlocking the portable electronic device is by unlocking a screen lock or a key lock of the portable electronic device.