Device locking with hierarchical activity preservation

• US 8,732,822 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Schechter, Stuart, Brush, Alice Jane Bernheim, Riva, Oriana, Strauss, Karin, Hayashi, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): SONG, HEE K
• Application Number:
  US13/328,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20130160110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1- 4, 726/19, 340/571, 455/441, 455/557, 455/41.2, 455/418
• US Class Current: 726/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application

Abstract

Techniques are described for device locking with activity preservation at a specified level within a multi-level hierarchy of device states. Such locking enables a user to share a device with another user while specifying a particular level of access to the device, such as access to a particular class of applications, a specific application, or a specific task within an application. Determination of the authorized activity may be based on a currently active application, or on the particular user gesture. The level of functionality made available may be based on the number of times a user gesture is repeated. Gestures may include a selection of a hardware or software control on the device, issuance of a voice command, and the like.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving one or more user gestures at a device that is to be locked into a device state within a multi-level activity-locking hierarchy of states, the device state, among multiple possible device states within the multi-level activity-locking hierarchy of states, being based at least in part on the one or more user gestures received at the device;

determining at least one application on the device; and

locking the device into the device state, such that available activities of the device are restricted based at least in part on the device state and on the at least one application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more user gestures include one or more iterations of a same user gesture, a number of the one or more iterations out of multiple possible iterations of the same user gesture indicating the device state within the multi-level activity-locking hierarchy of states.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-level activity-locking hierarchy of states includes:

a first state restricted to a class of applications that includes the at least one application;

a second state restricted to the at least one application; and

a third state restricted to an application task within the at least one application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-level activity-locking hierarchy of states includes:

a first state restricted to the at least one application; and

a second state restricted to an application task within the at least one application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising unlocking the device based on receipt of a valid user credential.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing the device into a fully locked state based on one or more criteria, including at least one of:

an expiration of a predefined time period;

a termination of the at least one application;

or

a completion of an application task within the at least one application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one application is a currently active application on the device when the one or more user gestures are received at the device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is in an unauthenticated state prior to the receiving the one or more user gestures at the device, and wherein the at least one application is determined based on the received one or more user gestures.

9. A device comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory;

a locking component stored in the memory and executable by the at least one processor to;

receive, while the device is executing at least one currently active application, an indication to lock the device into a device state within a multi-level activity-locking hierarchy of states;

determine the at least one currently active application on the device; and

lock the device into the indicated device state that is based at least in part on the at least one currently active application, such that one or more available functions of the device are restricted according to the indicated device state.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the indication includes one or more iterations of a same user gesture received at the device, the same user gesture including at least one of an explicit user gesture or an implicit user gesture, and wherein a number of the one or more iterations out of multiple possible iterations of the same user gesture indicates the device state within the multi-level activity-locking hierarchy of states.

11. The device of claim 10, further comprising a hardware control on the device, and wherein the one or more iterations of the same user gesture are received from one or more selections of the hardware control.

12. The device of claim 10, further comprising a display and a user interface stored in the memory and executable by the at least one processor to present a software control on the display, and wherein the one or more iterations of the same user gesture are received from one or more selections of the software control.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the locking component is further configured to unlock the device based on receiving a valid user credential.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the multi-level activity-locking hierarchy of states includes:

a first state restricted to a class of applications that includes the at least one currently active application;

a second state restricted to the at least one currently active application; and

a third state restricted to an application task within the at least one currently active application.

15. The device of claim 9, wherein the multi-level activity-locking hierarchy of states includes a plurality of states of decreasing activity scope.

16. A system comprising:

at least one server device, configured to send a locking component to a remote device, wherein the locking component is configured to operate on the remote device to;

receive, while the remote device is executing at least one currently active application, an indication to lock the remote device into a device state within a multi-level activity-locking hierarchy of states; and

lock the remote device into the indicated device state based at least in part on the at least one currently active application, such that one or more available functions of the remote device are restricted according to the indicated device state.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the indicated device state restricts the one or more available functions of the remote device to the at least one currently active application.

18. The system of claim 16, the locking component being further configured to place the remote device into a fully locked state based on one or more criteria including at least one of:

an expiration of a predefined time period;

a termination of the at least one currently active application;

or

a completion of an application task within the at least one currently active application.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the multi-level activity-locking hierarchy of states includes:

a first state restricted to the at least one currently active application; and

a second state restricted to an application task within the at least one currently active application.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the multi-level activity-locking hierarchy of states includes:

a first state restricted to a class of applications that includes the at least one currently active application;

a second state restricted to the at least one currently active application; and

a third state restricted to an application task within the at least one currently active application.