Sprint Communications Comapny L.p.

Mike T Lundy

Benjamin P Blinn

Harry Hong-Lun Lai

A keyguard mechanism protects against situations where unintentional touch on a device keypad, by a person or by an inanimate object, unlocks the keypad. A bio-presence based keyguard mechanism for a portable device detects a situation where both a bio-presence sensor and a pressure or displacement sensor are engaged, and then selectively removes an associated keypad from a locked state and places the keypad in an unlocked state. A signal is received from a pressure or displacement sensor associated with a particular key of the keypad, when the keypad is in a locked state. It is then determined whether a signal is received from a bio-presence sensor associated with the particular key, or with a particular portion of the keypad, within an allotted time period, and if so, the status of the keypad is changed to an unlocked state.

Biopresence based keyguard mechanism

A bio-presence based keyguard mechanism for a portable device detects a situation where both a bio-presence sensor and a pressure or displacement sensor are engaged, and then selectively removes an associated keypad from a locked state and places the keypad in an unlocked state. In accordance with one aspect, the keyguard mechanism employs a method for transforming the status of a portable device keypad from a locked state to an unlocked state. Within the method, a signal is received from a pressure or displacement sensor associated with a particular key of the keypad, when the keypad is in a locked state. It is then determined whether a signal is received from a bio-presence sensor associated with the particular key, or with a particular portion of the keypad, within an allotted time period, and if so, the status of the keypad is changed to an unlocked state.

Growing community of inventors

Olathe, KS, United States of America

Mike T Lundy