IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,751,053
Granted Patent B2
US 11,751,053 · App. 17/388,628 · Granted Sep 5, 2023

Method and mobile terminal for controlling screen lock

Inventors: Ju-youn Lee (Seongnam-si, KR); Sang-hyup Lee (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
H04W12/08G06F21/35H04W4/20H04W4/80H04W12/30G06F21/32H04L63/0861H04W12/63H04W12/68H04W88/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,751,053
App. No.
17/388,628
Granted
Sep 5, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of controlling screen lock and a mobile terminal employing the same is provided. The mobile device includes a User Interface (UI) for setting a screen unlock mode using a wireless device other than the mobile terminal and stores IDentifier (ID) information of the wireless device designated by the UI corresponding to the screen unlock mode. The mobile terminal is capable of detecting a wireless device. After the ID information of the wireless device is stored, if the wireless device is detected by the mobile terminal and ID information of the detected wireless device is identical to the stored ID information, the mobile terminal controls not to display an unlock requesting screen when the display unit of the mobile terminal is turned on.

Claims (61)

1. A method of controlling screen lock of a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

detecting a wireless device and identifier information of the wireless device;

determining that the detected identifier information corresponds to pre-stored identifier information;

acquiring sensing information of the mobile terminal;

determining that the acquired sensing information satisfies a predetermined sensing condition of the mobile terminal; and

based on determining that the detected identifier information corresponds to the stored identifier information and that the acquired sensing information satisfies the predetermined sensing condition, automatically unlocking the mobile terminal,

wherein if the wireless device is located outside a predetermined distance from the mobile terminal, displaying a screen unlock requesting screen instead of automatically unlocking the mobile terminal,

wherein the screen unlock requesting screen includes a guidance message to locate the wireless device within the predetermined distance from the mobile terminal, and

wherein the wireless device comprises a watch.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensing condition is that a face of a user recognized by a camera of the mobile terminal corresponds to a predetermined face.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensing condition is that a touch gesture on a touch screen of the mobile terminal is detected and a face of a user recognized by a camera of the mobile terminal corresponds to a predetermined face.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensing condition is that motion of the mobile terminal is identical to a predetermined motion shape and a face of a user recognized by a camera of the mobile terminal corresponds to a predetermined face.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the predetermined motion shape is a pick-up motion.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the automatically unlocking of the mobile terminal includes automatically turning a display of the mobile terminal on.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the automatically unlocking of the mobile terminal includes displaying an indication of unlocking on a display of the mobile terminal.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the automatically unlocking of the mobile terminal includes displaying an unlocked screen on a display of the mobile terminal.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the automatically unlocking of the mobile terminal includes displaying an unlock requesting screen corresponding to a drag to unlock on a display of the mobile terminal.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing a user interface (UI) for setting a screen unlock mode using the wireless device, wherein the UI includes a name of the wireless device; and

receiving a user input selecting the screen unlock mode using the wireless device.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting of the wireless device comprises determining that the wireless device is within a communication radius in which the wireless device can be detected.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless device comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device.

13. A communication system comprising:

at least one memory configured to store one or more instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory to:

detect a wireless device and identifier information of the wireless device;

determine that the detected identifier information corresponds to pre-stored identifier information;

acquire sensing information of a mobile terminal;

determine that the acquired sensing information satisfies a predetermined sensing condition of the mobile terminal; and

based on determining that the detected identifier information corresponds to the stored identifier information and that the acquired sensing information satisfies the predetermined sensing condition, automatically unlock the mobile terminal,

wherein if the wireless device is located outside a predetermined distance from the mobile terminal, display a screen unlock requesting screen instead of automatically unlocking the mobile terminal,

wherein the screen unlock requesting screen includes a guidance message to locate the wireless device within the predetermined distance from the mobile terminal, and

wherein the wireless device comprises a watch.

14. The communication system of claim 13 , wherein the sensing condition is that a face of a user recognized by a camera of the mobile terminal corresponds to a predetermined face.

15. The communication system of claim 13 , wherein the sensing condition is that a touch gesture on a touch screen of the mobile terminal is detected and a face of a user recognized by a camera of the mobile terminal corresponds to a predetermined face.

16. The communication system of claim 13 , wherein the sensing condition is that motion of the mobile terminal is identical to a predetermined motion shape and a face of a user recognized by a camera of the mobile terminal corresponds to a predetermined face.

17. The communication system of claim 16 , wherein the predetermined motion shape is a pick-up motion.

18. The communication system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory to:

automatically turn a display of the mobile terminal on, when automatically unlocking the mobile terminal.

19. The communication system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory to:

display an indication of unlocking on a display of the mobile terminal, when automatically unlocking the mobile terminal.

20. The communication system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory to:

display an unlocked screen on a display of the mobile terminal, when automatically unlocking the mobile terminal.

21. The communication system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory to:

display an unlock requesting screen corresponding to a drag to unlock on a display of the mobile terminal, when automatically unlocking the mobile terminal.

22. The communication system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory to:

provide a user interface (UI) for setting a screen unlock mode using the wireless device, wherein the UI includes a name of the wireless device; and

receive a user input selecting the screen unlock mode using the wireless device.

23. The communication system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory to:

detect the wireless device by determining that the wireless device is within a communication radius in which the wireless device can be detected.

24. The communication system of claim 13 , wherein the wireless device comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program, which when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:

detect a wireless device and identifier information of the wireless device;

determine that the detected identifier information corresponds to pre-stored identifier information;

acquire sensing information of a mobile terminal;

determine that the acquired sensing information satisfies a predetermined sensing condition of the mobile terminal; and

based on determining that the detected identifier information corresponds to the stored identifier information and that the acquired sensing information satisfies the predetermined sensing condition, automatically unlock the mobile terminal,

wherein if the wireless device is located outside a predetermined distance from the mobile terminal, display a screen unlock requesting screen instead of automatically unlocking the mobile terminal,

wherein the screen unlock requesting screen includes a guidance message to locate the wireless device within the predetermined distance from the mobile terminal, and

wherein the wireless device comprises a watch.

26. The method of claim 1 , wherein the screen unlock requesting screen corresponds to another screen unlock mode using password.

Priority Claims (2)
KR 10-2012-0139249 · Dec 3, 2012 · national
KR 10-2013-0026826 · Mar 13, 2013 · national
Continuity (5)
Continuation 16815712 · Mar 11, 2020
Division 16378846 · Apr 9, 2019
Continuation 15373087 · Dec 8, 2016
Continuation 14078170 · Nov 12, 2013
Related Publication 20210360404A1 · Nov 18, 2021
Cited By (12)
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