Blackberry Corporation

Ryan Gerard Ebbers

Michael Joseph Defazio

Michael DeFazio

A system and method unlock a passcode-secured device using force detection and haptic feedback. When prompted for a passcode, a user applies a press and hold gesture, applying continuous pressure force, to a surface of the device while receiving tactile feedback at the surface in the form of vibratory pulses. The vibratory pulses continue until the pressure force is released from the surface. The user counts the number of pulses sensed by tactile feedback at the surface until the desired number is obtained, then releases the pressure force from the surface, signaling that the pulse count should be entered as a passcode digit value. The process is repeated for each sequential passcode digit until a passcode is entered in the device. The device unlocks if the entered passcode matches a reference passcode in the device.

Growing community of inventors

Newmarket, Canada

Ryan Gerard Ebbers