Blackberry Corporation

Research in Motion Corporation

Andrew Ashraf Fergusson

Jacek S Idzik

Richard C Madter

Cornel Mercea

Herbert Anthony Little

Jerrold Richard Randell

Ryan Jeffrey Hickey

John William Wynen

Iouri Petrovitch Besperstov

Rene Pierre Marchand

Bradley James Laflamme

The present disclosure provides an electronic device configured to detect an object positioned at a distance. The electronic device includes a reference oscillator generating a reference signal having a reference frequency; and a first measurement oscillator coupled to a first antenna located at a first position of the electronic device. The first measurement oscillator generates a first measurement signal having a first measurement frequency corresponding to a distance of an object from the first antenna. The first antenna has a first antenna load corresponding to the distance of the object from the first antenna, and the first measurement frequency varies in dependence on the first antenna load. The electronic device also includes a comparator coupled to the reference oscillator and the first measurement oscillator which generates a comparator output including a difference between the reference frequency and the first measurement frequency which represents the distance of the object from the first antenna.

Contact-free interaction with an electronic device

A system and method supporting signature verification. An input signature from a contact point of a stylus at a touch-sensitive surface is received. At least one sensor detects a first set of characteristics of the input signature that represents how the stylus is used when a present security level is a first level, and a second set of characteristics is determined when a present security level is a second security level. The second set of characteristics is a subset of the first set with fewer characteristics than the first set. One of the first set of characteristics or the second set of characteristics is transmitted to a characteristic receiving device to permit the input signature to be authenticated as a function, at least in part, of the first set or the second set of characteristics.

System and method of authentication of an electronic signature

A system and method for encrypting data provides for retrievial of an encryption key; identification of the address in memory of a first portion of the data to be encrypted; derivation of a first unique key from the encryption key and the address of the first portion of data; encryption of the first portion of data using the first unique key; identification of the address in memory of a second portion of data to be encrypted; derivation of a second unique key from the encryption key and the address of the second portion of data; and encryption of the second portion of data using the second unique key.

On-chip storage, creation, and manipulation of an encryption key

A handheld device and method of operation for determining motion of the handheld device relative to a stylus is presented, in which the stylus is used to provide a frame of reference for the handheld device rather than as a user input device. Stylus orientation data, descriptive of an absolute orientation of a stylus, and handheld device orientation data, descriptive of an absolute orientation of the handheld device, are used to determine motion of the handheld device relative to the stylus. The handheld device has orientation and/or motion sensors, a communication module operable to receive stylus orientation data, and a processor operable to determine the motion or orientation of the handheld device relative to the stylus and execute an application dependent thereon.

Method and apparatus for motion sensing of a handheld device relative to a stylus

An apparatus and method pertaining to detecting user input, such as a signature, with respect to a stylus and the transmission of information regarding that input. The detected input can comprise, for example, characteristics of the input and transmit them to a secondary device to verify the input matches a stored template.

A stylus has a stylus barrel and a stylus nib that can move with respect to the stylus barrel. A first pressure sensor is configured to sense air pressure that corresponds to force being supplied to the stylus nib and a second pressure sensor serves to sense ambient air pressure. A control circuit operably couples to both pressure sensors and determines a gauge pressure value as corresponds to force being applied to the stylus nib. By one approach a temperature sensor can also operably couple to the control circuit and provide temperature information that the control circuit can utilize when determining the aforementioned gauge pressure value.

Apparatus to sense stylus nib pressures

The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for a capacitive force sensor utilizing a magnetic spring. The force is applied across a body and a moveable element that are coupled by the magnetic spring. The moveable element is configured to vary the capacitance of a variable capacitor. A sensing circuit, electrically coupled to the variable capacitor, provides a force signal characteristic of the applied force. In application to a stylus pointing device, the moveable element is coupled to a moveable tip of the stylus. The force signal, which is characteristic of the force applied to the tip of the stylus, may be used to control an application executed on a host electronic device.

Capacitive force sensor with magnetic spring

An electronic device includes a base, a touch-sensitive display moveable relative to the base, piezo actuators disposed between the base and the touch-sensitive display, the piezo actuators including a first piezo actuator and a second piezo actuator spaced from the first piezo actuator, and a controller configured to control the piezo actuators to alternately actuate the first piezo actuator and the second piezo actuator and apply forces to the touch-sensitive display, thereby causing the touch-sensitive display to pivot relative to the base.

Electronic device including touch-sensitive display

A system and method of creating and managing encryption keys in a data processing device generates subsequent encryption keys by combining the existing encryption key with an existing password and seed value. In the preferred embodiment, the initial encryption key is embedded during manufacture and is unknown to the user and manufacturer, thus ensuring that all subsequent encryption keys are derived from an unknown value. When a subsequent encryption key is generated, all data encrypted using the existing encryption key is decrypted using the existing encryption key and re-encrypted using the subsequent encryption key before the existing encryption key is overwritten. In a further aspect, during encryption/decryption the encryption key is combined with the sector address of the data to be encrypted/decrypted in order to generate a unique key for each sector of data to be encrypted/decrypted.

A clock signal duty cycle control circuit is provided that receives an incoming signal from a clock signal input source and generates an improved output clock signal having an accurately controlled duty cycle. The circuit controls the duty cycle of the output clock signal by comparing the incoming signal to a reference value in a comparator. The reference value is derived from a reference charge stored on a capacitor. The reference charge is built up in the capacitor using the currents from a current source and a current sink, which are controlled using translated output signals from the comparator.

Precision-controlled duty cycle clock circuit

Clock duty cycle correction circuit which corrects an input clock by directly comparing the input clock with a reference clock generated by the output clock

Growing community of inventors

St. Clements, Canada

Andrew Ashraf Fergusson