Automatic password handling

1. A method for unlocking a cellular telephone with a peripheral device using a Body Area Network (BAN), the method performed at the cellular telephone and comprising:

establishing a wireless communications link with one or more remote communications devices via a wireless communications network, wherein the wireless communications link comprises an air interface;

establishing a BAN link with a peripheral device in contact with a user's body responsive to the user actuating a user control on the cellular telephone, wherein the BAN link uses the user's body as a transmission medium;

receiving a passcode from the peripheral device over the BAN link;

determining whether the passcode received over the BAN link is valid;

responsive to determining that the passcode received over the BAN link is not valid:

invoking a passcode lock function on the cellular telephone that requires the user to manually enter the passcode; and

maintaining the cellular telephone in a locked state to prevent the user from accessing the data stored on the cellular telephone until the user enters a valid passcode; and

responsive to determining that the passcode received over the BAN link is valid:

bypassing the passcode lock function on the cellular telephone that requires the user to manually enter the passcode to access the data stored on the cellular telephone; and

unlocking the cellular telephone for the user, wherein unlocking the cellular telephone allows the user to access the data stored on the cellular telephone.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein establishing a BAN link with a peripheral device comprises activating a BAN transceiver at the cellular telephone responsive to the user actuating the user control.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting the peripheral device responsive to the user actuating the user control.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the user control comprises a power button on the cellular telephone.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a request for the passcode to the peripheral device responsive to the user actuating the user control.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising provisioning the peripheral device with the passcode.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein provisioning the peripheral device with the passcode comprises:

prompting the user to indicate whether to use the peripheral device to unlock the cellular telephone for subsequent accesses;

generating the passcode if the user indicates using the peripheral device to unlock the cellular telephone for subsequent accesses;

sending the passcode to the peripheral device for storage at the peripheral device.

8. A cellular telephone comprising:

a wireless transceiver configured to transmit signals to and receive signals from one or more remote communication devices over an air interface;

a Body Area Network (BAN) transceiver configured to communicate data with a peripheral device that is in contact with a user's body;

a user control operatively connected to the BAN transceiver, and configured to be actuated by the user; and

a processor circuit configured to:

control the wireless transceiver to establish a wireless communications link with the one or more remote communication devices via a wireless communications network;

control the BAN transceiver to establish a BAN link with the peripheral device responsive to the user actuating the user control, wherein the BAN link uses the user's body as a transmission medium;

receive a passcode from the peripheral device over the BAN link;

determine whether the passcode received over the BAN link is valid;

responsive to determining that the passcode received over the BAN link is not valid:

invoke a passcode lock function on the cellular telephone that requires the user to manually enter the passcode; and

maintain the cellular telephone in a locked state to prevent the user from accessing the data stored on the cellular telephone until the user enters a valid passcode; and

responsive to determining that the passcode received over the BAN link is valid:

bypass the passcode lock function on the cellular telephone that requires the user to manually enter the passcode to access the data stored on the cellular telephone; and

unlock the cellular telephone for the user, to allow the user to access the data stored on the cellular telephone.

9. The cellular telephone of claim 8 wherein the processor circuit is further configured to activate the BAN transceiver responsive to the user actuating the user control.

10. The cellular telephone of claim 8 wherein the processor circuit is further configured to detect the peripheral device responsive to the user actuating the user control.

11. The cellular telephone of claim 8 wherein the user control comprises a power button.

12. The cellular telephone of claim 8 wherein the processor circuit is further configured to request the passcode from the peripheral device responsive to the user actuating the user control.

13. The cellular telephone of claim 8 wherein the processor circuit is further configured to provision the peripheral device with the passcode.

14. The cellular telephone of claim 13 wherein to provision the peripheral device with the passcode, the processor circuit is further configured to:

detect a first actuation of the user control by the user;

in response to detecting the first actuation, prompt the user to indicate whether to use the peripheral device to unlock the cellular telephone responsive to detecting subsequent actuations of the user control;

generate the passcode if the user indicates using the peripheral device to unlock the cellular telephone responsive to detecting the subsequent actuations of the user control; and

send the passcode to the peripheral device over the BAN link for storage at the peripheral device.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium for a cellular telephone, the computer readable medium configured to store a control program that, when executed by a processor circuit on the cellular telephone, controls the cellular telephone to:

establish a wireless communications link with one or more remote communications devices via a wireless communications network, wherein the wireless communications link comprises an air interface;

establish a Body Area Network (BAN) link with a peripheral device in contact with a user's body responsive to the user actuating a user control on the cellular telephone, wherein the BAN link uses the user's body as a transmission medium;

receive a passcode from the peripheral device over the BAN link; and

determine whether the passcode received over the BAN link is valid;

responsive to determining that the passcode received over the BAN link is not valid:

invoke a passcode lock function on the cellular telephone that requires the user to manually enter the passcode; and

maintain the cellular telephone in a locked state to prevent the user from accessing the data stored on the cellular telephone until the user enters a valid passcode; and

responsive to determining that the passcode received over the BAN link is valid:

bypass the passcode lock function on the cellular telephone that requires the user to manually enter the passcode to access the data stored on the cellular telephone; and

unlock the cellular telephone for the user to allow the user to access the data stored on the cellular telephone.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein, responsive to the user actuating the user control, the control program is further configured to control the cellular telephone to:

activate a BAN transceiver at the cellular telephone to establish the BAN link; and

request the passcode from the peripheral device via the BAN link.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein to provision the peripheral device with the passcode, the control program is further configured to control the cellular telephone to:

prompt the user to indicate whether to use the peripheral device to unlock the cellular telephone for subsequent accesses;

generate the passcode if the user indicates using the peripheral device to unlock the cellular telephone for subsequent accesses;

send the passcode to the peripheral device for storage at the peripheral device via the BAN link.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the control program is further configured to control the cellular telephone to provision the peripheral device with the passcode via the BAN link.