Screen unlocking method and device for mobile terminal

• US 9,313,321 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2015
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Shenzhen Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Shenzhen Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Zeng, Liang, Xue, Jun, Chen, Lei
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai M
• Application Number:
  US14/615,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20150156313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/418, 455/550.1, 455/566
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/673 the user being required to key in a code
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724631 by limiting the access to the user interface, e.g. locking a touch-screen or a keypad
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A screen unlocking method for a mobile terminal, includes: providing an icon on the touch screen that indicates the mobile terminal is in a lock state; receiving an input event of a user on the touch screen, the input event comprising a rotating operation on the icon; detecting whether a rotating angle of the icon equals a unlocking angle preset in a storage system of the mobile terminal; and transitioning the mobile terminal from the lock state to an unlock state upon the condition that the rotating angle equals the unlocking angle. In the screen unlocking method and device for a mobile terminal, the shape, position, and direction of the unlocking identification are allowed to be set according to requirements from different users, thereby meeting users'"'"' personalized needs and enriching users'"'"' visual effects; in addition, the unlocking angle can be set by users, which improves user experience.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for unlocking a touch screen of a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

at the mobile terminal having one or more processors, a gravity sensor and memory for storing program modules to be executed by the processors;

providing an icon on the touch screen that indicates the mobile terminal is in a lock state;

receiving an input event of a user on the touch screen, the input event comprising a rotating operation on the icon;

detecting whether a rotating angle of the icon equals a unlocking angle preset in a storage system of the mobile terminal; and

transitioning the mobile terminal from the lock state to an unlock state upon the condition that the rotating angle equals the unlocking angle;

wherein when the rotating angle between a stop position and a start position of the icon does not reach the unlocking angle, the icon rebounds to a closer previous degree or rotates to a closer next degree in the form of animation, wherein the animation comprises acceleration effect generated from the gravity sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a lock in a first state on the touch screen indicating that the mobile terminal is in the lock state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transitioning the mobile terminal from the lock state to an unlock state comprises:

transitioning the lock on the touch screen from the first state to a second state indicating that the mobile terminal is in the unlock state;

removing the icon and the lock from the touch screen; and

displaying a user interface on the touch screen, the user interface not the same as the mobile terminal in a lock state.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein before receiving an input event of a user on the touch screen, the method comprises:

presetting unlocking information of the mobile terminal;

storing the unlocking information in the storage system of the mobile terminal;

the unlocking information comprising a rotating direction, an unlocking angle and/or number of unlocking turns, wherein the unlocking angle is set to be an arbitrary integral multiple of 90 degrees.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein before detecting whether a rotating angle of the icon equals an unlocking angle, the method comprises:

detecting whether number of rotation turns of rotating the icon reaches the number of unlocking turns preset in a storage system of the mobile terminal.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein before receiving an input event of a user on the touch screen, the method comprises:

rotating the icon indicated on the touch screen according to the preset rotating direction such that the icon can rotate along the rotating direction.

7. The method of either claim 1, wherein a shape, position, and direction of the icon can be preset according to requirements from different users.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the closer previous degree or the closer next degree is an integral multiple of 90 degrees.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the rotating angle of the icon does not reach the unlocking angle, prompting unlocking failure and judging whether times of the unlocking failure reach a certain value, when yes, maintaining the mobile terminal in the lock state;

when not, receiving an input event of a user on the touch screen for unlocking the touch screen again.

10. A screen unlocking device for a mobile terminal, comprising:

an unlock processing module configured for receiving an input event of a user on the touch screen, the input event comprising a rotating operation on the icon;

an unlock judging module configured for detecting whether a rotating angle of the icon equals a unlocking angle preset in a storage system of the mobile terminal; and

a screen unlocking module configured for transitioning the mobile terminal from the lock state to an unlock state upon the condition that the rotating angle equals the unlocking angle;

wherein the device further comprises a gravity sensor, and when the rotating angle between a stop position and a start position of the icon does not reach the unlocking angle, the icon rebounds to a closer previous degree or rotates to a closer next degree in the form of animation, wherein the animation comprises acceleration effect generated from the gravity sensor.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the unlock processing module is further configured for displaying a lock in a first state on the touch screen indicating that the mobile terminal is in the lock state.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the screen unlocking module is configured for:

transitioning the lock on the touch screen from the first state to a second state indicating that the mobile terminal is in the unlock state;

removing the lock and the icon from the touch screen; and

displaying a user interface on the touch screen, the user interface not the same as the mobile terminal in a lock state.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the device further comprises an unlock setting module configured for presetting unlocking information of the mobile terminal and storing the unlocking information in the storage system of the mobile terminal;

the unlocking information comprises a rotating direction, an unlocking angle and/or number of unlocking turns, wherein the unlocking angle is set to be an arbitrary integral multiple of 90 degrees.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the unlock processing module is further configured for rotating the icon indicated on the touch screen according to the preset rotating direction such that the icon can rotate along the rotating direction.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein a shape, location and direction of the icon can be preset according to requirements from different users.

16. The device of claim 10, further comprising a times judging module configured for judging whether times of unlocking failure reach a certain value, when yes, maintaining the mobile terminal in the lock state;

when not, the times judging module prompts the unlocking failure and the screen is unlocked again by the unlock processing module.