Password by touch-less gesture

• US 9,342,671 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Mankowski, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Gee, Jason K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ullah, Sharif E
• Application Number:
  US13/932,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20150007308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 726/19, 726/2, 726/21, 726/36, 713/150, 713/163, 713/181, 380/255, 380/264, 380/276
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883

Abstract

A device and method to use a password by touch-less gesture are described. The device includes two or more ambient light sensors arranged at respective surface locations of the device, each of the two or more ambient light sensors measuring light intensity at the respective surface location. The device also includes a first processor to execute a password application on the device, and a second processor to detect two or more gestures performed by an object in touch-less communication with the device and define or verify a password based on the two or more gestures.

Claims

1. A device to use a password by touch-less gesture, the device comprising:

two or more ambient light sensors arranged at respective surface locations of the device, each of the two or more ambient light sensors configured to measure light intensity at the respective surface location;

a first processor configured to execute a password application on the device; and

a second processor configured to detect two or more touch-less gestures performed by an object in touch-less communication with the device and define or verify a password based on the two or more touch-less gestures performed by the object in touch-less communication with the device, wherein the second processor detects the two or more touch-less gestures using light intensity measurements obtained from the two or more ambient lights sensors,

wherein the second processor verifies the password when a password entry option of the password application is initiated, and responsive to verifying the password, the second processor;

generates a signal to unlock functionality of a domain associated with the password, the domain being one of multiple domains specified in the device, each of the multiple domains having a unique password to unlock functionality of each respective domain; and

outputs an indication that the domain associated with the password has been unlocked.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second processor defines the password as the two or more gestures when a password definition option of the password application is initiated.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the first processor defines the password for the domain of the device.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the password entry option is initiated in response to detecting a minimum change in light intensity caused by the two or more touch-less gestures performed by the object.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the second processor verifies the password by comparing the two or more touch-less gestures with a defined password of a sequence of gestures.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second processor generates a second signal to unlock functionality of the device based on verifying a second password, wherein the second signal is generated to unlock functionality of the device without receiving physical input at the device.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein, responsive to verifying a second password associated with a second domain selected from the multiple domains, the second processor generates a second signal to unlock functionality associated with the second domain, the second domain being one of a work domain or a personal domain specified in the device, wherein the second signal is generated to unlock functionality of the work or personal domain without physical movement of the device.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first processor and the second processor are two different processors of the device.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first processor is a same processor as the second processor.

10. A method to use a password by touch-less gesture, the method comprising:

executing, using a first processor, a password application of a device, the password application facilitating definition of a password and entry of the password to unlock functionality of the device;

detecting, using light intensity measurements obtained from two or more ambient light sensors arranged at respective surface locations of the device, two or more touch-less gestures performed by an object in touch-less communication with the device; and

defining or verifying the password in response to detecting the two or more touch-less gestures, wherein the password is defined or verified using a second processor, based on the two or more touch-less gestures performed by the object in touch-less communication with the device,

wherein the second processor verifies the password when a password entry option of the password application is initiated, and responsive to verifying the password, the second processor;

generates a signal to unlock functionality of a domain associated with the password, the domain being one of multiple domains specified in the device, each of the multiple domains having a unique password to unlock functionality of each respective domain; and

outputs an indication that the domain associated with the password has been unlocked.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the defining the password is based on a user initiating a password definition option of the password application, and wherein verifying the password is initiated based on detecting a minimum change in light intensity caused by the two or more touch-less gestures.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the defining the password includes setting the two or more touch-less gestures as a sequence of gestures defining the password.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the defining the password is for the domain of the device based on a user indication of the domain.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the verifying the password is based on a user initiating the password entry option of the password application, wherein the user initiates the password entry option using a hand as the object to perform the two or more touch-less gestures.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the verifying the password includes the second processor comparing the two or more touch-less gestures with a sequence of gestures defining the password.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the verifying the password includes validating the two or more touch-less gestures based on the comparing.

17. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the second processor generating a second signal to unlock functionality of the device in response to verifying that a second password is correct.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the generating the second signal unlocks functionality of the device without the user physically interacting with the device.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the second processor generating an error signal to display an alert indicating a failed password based on the comparing.

20. The method according to claim 10, further comprising a user defining a new touch-less gesture for recognition by the second processor prior to the defining the password.