Motorola Mobility LLC

Google Inc.

John Joseph Gorsica

Rachid M Alameh

Thomas Y Merrell

Jarrett K Simerson

Michael J Lombardi

Michael E Russell

Zhengping Ji

Kathryn Ellen Thomas

Eric LeRoy Krenz

Amber M Pierce

James Wylder

Erik A Cholewin

Ian M Snyder

Jagatkumar V Shah

Robert S Witte

Deepak Chandra

Eric Jay Hefner

Jenna Marie Zylema

Jagadish Kumar Agrawal

Natalie J Prochnow

Thomas E Gitzinger

Eric Le Roy Krenz

Michael Olley

Dale F Bengtson

Mark Elkins

Roger W Harmon

William R Groves

Lawrence Alan Willis

Frank H Stone

Aaron L Dietrich

Justin Eltoft

John C Johnson

Yi Wu

David P Winkler

Gabriel Burca

Natalie J Stevens

Igor Kovalenko

Michael F Spence

Ross W Ripley

Lighten Tse

Seungho L Kim

Marjorie M Ollayos

Matthew R Klocek

Narendra A Patel

William G Kastritis

A wearable electronic device includes one or more processors identifying one or more companion electronic devices operating within a wireless communication radius of the wearable electronic device. One or more sensors identify the wearable electronic device being within a predefined distance of a companion electronic device. A wireless communication circuit, responsive to the one or more processors, delivers an authentication credential to the companion electronic device in response to the one or more sensors identifying that the wearable electronic device is within the predefined distance of the companion electronic device. The one or more sensors thereafter detect a gaze of an authorized user of the wearable electronic device being directed at the companion electronic device, where the wireless communication circuit delivers an actuation command to the companion electronic device.

Electronic devices with proximity authentication and gaze actuation of companion electronic devices and corresponding methods

A wearable device enables access to VPN endpoint devices for secure data communication and privacy for a computing device. The wearable device stores VPN configuration information for a user, which includes the user's VPN credentials for each of one or more remote VPN endpoint devices. When the wearable device is in close proximity to a computing device and is being worn by a user that is authenticated to at least one of the wearable device and the computing device, the wearable device communicates the configuration information to the computing device. The computing device can then use this VPN configuration information to establish a VPN connection to a VPN endpoint device.

Controlling computing device virtual private network usage with a wearable device

An electronic device includes a device housing and one or more displays presenting one or more user actuation targets defining one or more virtual buttons in a predefined arrangement relative to a first end of the device housing. One or more sensors detect a condition of the electronic device, such as an approaching object, change in the direction of gravity, or an object tapping or pushing the electronic device. One or more processors cause, in response to the one or more sensors detecting the condition, the one or more displays to present the one or more user actuation targets defining the one or more virtual buttons in another predefined arrangement that is different from the predefined arrangement.

Methods and systems for altering virtual button arrangements presented on one or more displays of an electronic device

To ensure that an electronic device is a secure electronic device, a communication device transmits a request to authenticate the electronic device to a remote electronic device across a network. The communication device receives a security challenge. One or more processors of the electronic device obtain a response to the security challenge using a secret key stored in an encrypted memory of the electronic device. The communication device then transmits the response to the response to the security challenge to the remote electronic device. If the remote electronic device recognizes the response, it transmits a shared secret content marker, which can optionally be presented at a user interface of the electronic device. The request can be automatically initiated by a companion electronic device.

Electronic devices and corresponding methods for verifying device security prior to use

An electronic device includes a first display on a major surface, a second display positioned on another major surface, and optionally at least one imager collocated with the second display. One or more processors identify a predefined event occurring and select whether to present content on the first display or the second display. The one or more processors can cause an imager to capture at least one image. When image matches a first predefined criterion, the one or more processors cause a presentation of content to occur on the first display. When the image matches a second predefined criterion, the one or more processors cause the presentation of the content to occur on the second display. The one or more processors can also compare sizes of the first touch sensitive display portion and the second touch sensitive display portion to select between the first display and the second display.

Electronic devices and methods for selecting display locations for content presentation

In aspects of user authentication facilitated by an additional device, a computing device can maintain authentication data usable to authenticate a user to use the computing device. The computing device implements an authentication control module that can determine an additional device is equipped to facilitate authentication of a user to the computing device. The authentication control module can then receive additional authentication data associated with the user from the additional device, and authenticate the user to use the computing device based in part on the additional authentication data received from the additional device.

User authentication facilitated by an additional device

A communication device identifies presence of a user in proximity to the device. The communication device includes: at least one input device that captures biometric data associated with at least one user; a network interface device that connects the communication device to at least one second device via an external network; and a processor communicatively coupled to the other devices/components. The processor executes a messaging module to: receive biometric data from the at least one input device; determine if the biometric data matches reference biometric data associated with the at least one user. The processor further, in response to determining that the biometric data matches the reference biometric data associated with the at least one user: generates user presence data, the user presence data indicating that the at least one user is within a vicinity of the first communication device; and transmits the user presence data to the second device.

Delivering information to users in proximity to a communication device

One or more sensors of an electronic device detect either authorization of an authorized user or a cessation of physical contact between an authorized user of the electronic device and the electronic device. A location detector determines a location of the electronic device when the authorization of the authorized user occurs or where the cessation of physical contact occurs. A geofence manager establishes a geofence about the location in response to detecting the authorization of the authorized user or the cessation of physical contact. One or more processors operate the electronic device in a normal mode of operation while the electronic device remains within the geofence and in an enhanced security mode of operation when the electronic device exits the geofence.

Electronic devices and corresponding methods for establishing geofencing for enhanced security modes of operation

A computing device supports the use of multiple different authenticators for a user to unlock his or her computing device and access his or her user account. An authenticator refers to something that the user knows or has that can be compared to known authentication data in order to authenticate the user. In one or more embodiments, the behavior of the computing device varies for different authenticators by displaying user-selectable content in different visibility modes based on which authenticator is used to authenticate the user. In one content visibility mode content is fully visible on the computing device display screen, whereas in another content visibility mode content visibility on the computing device display screen is reduced. Additionally or alternatively, the behavior of the computing device varies for different authenticators by using different authenticators for different contexts of the computing device.

Varying computing device behavior for different authenticators

Techniques for authentication for key access are described. In the described techniques, interaction between a client device and an assistant device is utilized to authenticate the client device for access to protected functionality and/or content. For instance, proximity between the client device and the assistant device, and physical authentication of a user with the assistant device, are leveraged for authenticating the client device for access to the protected functionality and/or content.

Authentication for key access

Content visibility on a computing device is controlled based at least in part on the current location of the computing device. When the current location is a safe location for making user-selectable content visible on a display screen of the computing device and the computing device is unlocked, the computing device operates in a full content visibility mode. In the full content visibility mode all user-selectable content on the computing device is accessible to a user of the computing device. When the current location is not a safe location for making user-selectable content visible on the display screen, the computing device operates in a reduced content visibility mode. In the reduced content visibility mode content visibility on the display screen is reduced, such as by limiting which applications (e.g., application icons or widgets) are displayed or otherwise accessible to the user.

Controlling content visibility on a computing device based on computing device location

Systems and methods for providing a self-aligning user interface in a mobile electronic communications device having a touch sensitive surface include detecting a finger touch on the touch sensitive surface and determining an angular orientation of the touching finger in a continuous angular coordinate system. A user input orientation is assigned to the touch sensitive surface such that it matches the angular orientation of the touching finger. When a finger gesture is detected on the touch sensitive surface, it is then interpreted by reference to the assigned user input orientation.

Self-aligning user interface

This document describes techniques () and apparatuses () for implementing sensor-based near-field communication (NFC) authentication. These techniques () and apparatuses () enable a computing device () to detect, in a low-power state, environmental variances indicating proximity with an NFC-enabled device () with which to authenticate. In some embodiments, various components of a computing device () in a sleep state are activated to process environmental variance(s), perform authentication operations, and/or an indicate initiation of authentication operations to a user.

Sensor-based near-field communication authentication

Systems and methods for providing power search and harvesting in a drone device provide execution of one or more tasks, wherein one of the tasks has a higher priority than the remaining tasks. A power mode is determined for executing the highest priority task by sequentially determining whether the highest priority task can be executed in one of a plurality of execution scenarios including from a charging pad associated with the drone, from another location using energy harvested from an existing energy source, from another location using energy harvested from an energy source enabled by the drone, or from another location using battery power alone. The highest priority task is executed in keeping with the first usable execution scenario found during the sequential determination.

Drone-based power search and harvesting

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Chicago, IL, United States of America

John Joseph Gorsica