Locking and unlocking of an electronic device using a sloped lock track

• US 9,513,797 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Filani, Joseph, Brock, Philip, Swink, Cristy, Sikes, Jason, Burns, Eric Brady, Tam, Alex, Kight, Harry Lawson, Desai, Ratna, Maiorano, Alison Rae, Asen, Katrin, Foeckler, Philip, Fineman, Benjamin, Bettendorff, Jennifer Siu, Pacotti, Sheldon, Snydal, Jonathan Solis
• Primary Examiner(s): LOWENBERGER, AARON J
• Application Number:
  US14/543,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20150074799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

Securing an electronic device and associated information is facilitated. A security component facilitates display and operation of a lock track comprising a locked portion having a positive slope and an unlocked portion, including a chasm, that is adjacent to a high point of the positive-sloped unlocked portion of the lock track. A lock facilitator component (LFC) can be moved along the track between a low point of the locked portion and the unlocked portion. The LFC can be moved in response to received input, and if the input is not sufficient to move the LFC from the locked region to the unlocked region, the LFC can be moved back down the positive-sloped lock track to the low point. The security component can control information to be displayed in an overlay display region in accordance with security level(s) of the device or application.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

controlling, by a system comprising a processor, a state of a lock that facilitates controlling access to a user interface based on input information relating to a modification of the state of the lock that is received in connection with a defined positive slope of a locked region of the lock relative to an edge of a display screen, wherein the lock comprises a lock track comprising the locked region and an unlocked region that comprises a recessed portion, and wherein a lock facilitator is movable, in response to the input information, along the lock track between the locked region associated with a locked state of the lock and the unlocked region associated with an unlocked state of the lock; and

controlling, by the system, an amount of impedance to change the state of the lock between the locked state and the unlocked state based on a shape of the locked region, wherein the defined positive slope has a value that is defined based on a first point at an end of the locked region that is adjacent to the unlocked region and a second point that is at another end of the locked region, and wherein the amount of impedance to change the state of the lock varies as a function of the value of the defined positive slope.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

as a function of the input information, moving, by the system, the lock facilitator from the second point of the locked region of the lock track towards the first point of the locked region higher than the second point;

evaluating, by the system, a position of the lock facilitator on the lock track; and

determining, by the system, whether the lock facilitator is positioned in proximity to the unlocked region.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

inserting, by the system, the lock facilitator into the unlocked region to facilitate unlocking the user interface in response to the lock facilitator being determined to be positioned in proximity to the unlocked region.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining, by the system, that the lock facilitator is not in proximity to the unlocked region;

determining, by the system, whether there is additional input information being received; and

moving, by the system, the lock facilitator along the lock track towards the second point of the locked region in response to determining that the additional input information is not being received.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating, by the system, presentation of a security screen in response to the user interface being determined to be in the unlocked state, wherein the security screen facilitates controlling access to a set of information stored in a communication device associated with the user interface.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting, by the system, an authentication credential in response to determining a security level associated with a communication device satisfies a defined threshold security level; and

receiving, by the system, the authentication credential in response to the requesting.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

comparing, by the system, the authentication credential to valid authentication credentials stored by the system; and

determining, by the system, whether to grant access to a set of information stored in the communication device based on a result of the comparing of the authentication credential to the valid authentication credentials.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, a selection of a subset of keys of a set of keys of a keyboard displayed on the display screen, wherein the subset of keys corresponds to a set of authentication credential values associated with an authentication credential; and

in response to the selection of the subset of keys, facilitating, by the system, a presentation of the subset of keys in a non-highlighted form of display on the display screen that corresponds to a non-highlighted form of display of non-selected keys of the set of keys on the display screen, to reduce risk of detection of the set of authentication credential values by an unauthorized user identity.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the system, a notification comprising notification-related information;

determining, by the system, a security level associated with a communication device;

generating, by the system, an overlay display region for display in the user interface; and

controlling, by the system, an amount of the notification-related information displayed in the overlay display region based on the security level associated with the communication device.

10. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

controlling a state of a lock that facilitates controlling access to a user interface based on input information relating to a change of the state of the lock that is received in relation to a defined non-zero positive slope of a locked portion of the lock relative to an edge of a display screen, wherein the lock comprises a lock track comprising the locked portion and an unlocked portion that comprises a recessed portion, and wherein a lock facilitator is movable along the lock track between the locked portion associated with a locked state of the lock and the unlocked portion associated with an unlocked state of the lock in response to the input information; and

controlling an amount of impedance to change the state of the lock between the locked state and the unlocked state based on a shape of the locked portion, wherein the defined non-zero positive slope has a value that is defined based on a first point at an end of the locked portion that is in proximity to the unlocked portion and a second point that is at another end of the locked portion, and wherein the amount of impedance to change the state of the lock varies as a function of the value of the defined non-zero positive slope.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the input information relating to the lock facilitator to facilitate moving the lock facilitator along the lock track, wherein at least a portion of the input information facilitates moving the lock facilitator along the lock track towards the unlocked portion;

evaluating a position of the lock facilitator on the lock track; and

controlling access to the user interface based on a result of the evaluating of the position of the lock facilitator on the lock track.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

transitioning the lock from the locked state to the unlocked state in response to determining the position of the lock facilitator to be in proximity to the unlocked portion based on the input information; and

maintaining the lock in the locked state in response to determining the position of the lock facilitator to be at a point that is in the locked portion, not in proximity to the unlocked portion, and no further input information is detected, wherein the lock facilitator is further configured to move along the locked portion of the lock track from the point towards the second point of the locked portion in response to determining the position of the lock facilitator to be in the locked portion and no further input information is detected.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying the lock track comprising the locked portion and the unlocked portion, wherein the locked portion comprises a curved path with the non-zero positive slope relative to the edge of the display screen.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether a communication device is associated with a defined threshold security level, wherein the user interface is associated with the communication device;

initiating display of a security display screen in response to the communication device being determined to be associated with the defined threshold security level; and

requesting an authentication credential associated with a user identity.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

granting access to the user interface in response to the authentication credential being determined to match a valid authentication credential of a set of valid authentication credentials associated with the communication device.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

initiating display of an overlay display region over another display region in the user interface, in response to a notification; and

controlling an amount of notification-related information displayed in the overlay display region based on a security level associated with a communication device that is associated with the user interface.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the amount of impedance to change the state of the lock from the locked state to the unlocked state is higher in connection with the value of the non-zero positive slope comprising a higher value than the amount of impedance associated with the value of the non-zero positive slope comprising a lower value.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the display screen is a touch-based display screen.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

controlling a state of a lock that facilitates controlling access to a user interface based on input information relating to a change of the state of the lock that is received in relation to a defined positive slope of a locked portion of the lock relative to an edge of a display screen, wherein the lock comprises a lock track comprising the locked portion and an unlocked portion that comprises a recessed portion, and wherein a lock facilitator is movable along the lock track between the locked portion associated with a locked state of the lock and the unlocked portion associated with an unlocked state of the lock in response to the input information; and

adjusting an amount of impedance to change the state of the lock between the locked state and the unlocked state based on a shape of the locked portion, wherein the defined positive slope has a value that is defined based on a first point at an end of the locked portion that is adjacent to the unlocked portion and a second point that is at another end of the locked portion, and wherein the amount of impedance to change the state of the lock varies based on the value of the defined positive slope.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating a presentation of a keyboard comprising a set of keys on the display screen of the user interface;

receiving, via the display screen, a selection of a subset of keys of the set of keys that correspond to a set of authentication credential values associated with an authentication credential; and

facilitating, via the display screen, a further presentation of the subset of keys in a non-highlighted form of display that corresponds to a non-highlighted form of display of non-selected keys of the set of keys, in response to the selection of the subset of keys to reduce risk of detection of the set of authentication credential values by an unauthorized user identity.