Systems and methods for locking an electronic device

• US 8,665,212 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2011
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lacey, Jon-David Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H
• Application Number:
  US13/178,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20130009858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/168, 345/169, 345/170, 455/410, 455/565, 455/575.4, 349/433.07, 341/22, 250/214.AL, 340/501, 340/517, 397/433.07
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• 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 telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Systems and methods for locking an input device of an electronic device are described herein. An example method includes detecting a moving action of a housing of the electronic device from an open position to a closed position. The method includes detecting at least a first condition of the electronic device after detection of the moving action from the open position to the closed position and locking the input device upon detection of the first condition within a first time interval based on the electronic device being moved to the closed position.

Claims

1. A method for locking an input device of an electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting a moving action of a housing of the electronic device from an open position to a closed position;

initiating a sleep timer;

detecting a first condition of the electronic device after detection of the moving action from the open position to the closed position and prior to an expiration of the sleep timer;

detecting at least a second condition of the electronic device prior to the expiration of the sleep timer if the first condition is detected; and

locking the input device upon detection of the first condition and the second condition prior to the expiration of the sleep timer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the first condition or the second condition prior to the expiration of the sleep timer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting the first condition or the second condition comprises detecting a state of the electronic device when the electronic device is in the closed position, wherein detecting the state of the electronic device comprises determining whether the electronic device is in a home screen state or a single application dedicated level state.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising presenting one or more menu icons via the home screen state when the electronic device is in the closed position, and locking the input device when the electronic device is in the home screen state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the first condition or the second condition comprises detecting whether substantially an entire screen surface of the electronic device is in contact with an object or a person.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first condition or the second condition comprises comparing a change in a first ambient light value detected when the electronic device is in the open position and a second ambient light value detected when the electronic device is in the closed position.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a third condition and locking the input device when the first condition, the second condition and the third condition are detected, wherein detecting the first condition comprises at least one of detecting an inactivity level within a predetermined time interval, detecting a state of the electronic device, detecting a change in an ambient light value being greater than or equal to a predetermined ambient light value, and detecting a surface contact area of a touch screen of the electronic device, detecting the second condition comprises at least another one of detecting the inactivity level, detecting the state of the electronic device, detecting the change in an ambient light value being greater than or equal to the predetermined ambient light value, and detecting the surface contact area of the touch screen of the electronic device, and detecting the third condition comprises at least another one of detecting the inactivity level, detecting the state of the electronic device, detecting the change in the ambient light value being greater than or equal to the predetermined ambient light value, and detecting the surface contact area of a touch screen of the electronic device.

8. A method for locking an input device of an electronic device comprising:

initiating a sleep timer;

monitoring an input device for detection of a first condition and a second condition prior to an expiration of the sleep timer when the electronic device is moved from an open position to a closed position; and

initiating a sleep state to lock the input device upon detecting the first and second conditions prior to the expiration of the sleep timer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein initiating the sleep state disables the input device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising detecting a state of the electronic device when the electronic device is moved to a closed position.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising initiating the sleep state when a home screen state of the electronic device is detected in addition to not receiving the second input via the input device prior to the expiration of the sleep timer.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising detecting a change in an ambient light value when the electronic device is moved from an open position to a the closed position.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising initiating the sleep state when the change in the ambient light value is greater than a predetermined ambient light value in addition to not receiving at least one of the first input or the second input via the input device prior to the expiration of the sleep timer.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

receive a first input representative of a housing of an electronic device moving from an open position to a closed position;

initiate a sleep timer;

detect a first condition of the electronic device after detection of the housing moving from the open position to the closed position and prior to an expiration of the sleep timer;

detect a second condition of the electronic device prior to the expiration of the sleep timer if the first condition is detected; and

initiate a sleep state to lock the input device upon detection of the first condition and the second condition and prior to the expiration of the sleep timer.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as defined in claim 14 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least detect the first condition by detecting a state of the electronic device when the electronic device is moved to the closed position and prior to the expiration of the sleep timer, detecting a change in ambient light value being greater than a predetermined ambient light value, detecting an inactivity level, or detecting a contact surface area of a display of the electronic device being substantially entirely contacted.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as defined in claim 15 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least detect the second condition by detecting another one of the state of the electronic device, the change in the ambient light value being greater than a predetermined ambient light value, the inactivity level, or the contact surface area of the display of the electronic device being substantially entirely contacted.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as defined in claim 16 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least initiate a sleep state when the change in an ambient light value is greater than a predetermined ambient light value in addition to not receiving a second input via an input device prior to the expiration of the sleep timer.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium-as defined in claim 14 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least detect the first condition by monitoring an input device of the electronic device for activity when the electronic device is in the closed position and to detect the second condition by monitoring the state of the electronic device upon detecting the electronic device moving from the open position to the closed position.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as defined in claim 18 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least initiate a sleep state upon detection of the state of the electronic device being in a home screen state in addition to not receiving an input via the input device prior to the expiration of the sleep timer.