# US 11,113,426 B2 · Method of interacting with an electronic device while the display screen is deactivated > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,113,426 B2 - Document ID: US11113426B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/231,703 - Filed: 2018-12-24 - Published: 2019-07-11 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2009-10-02 - Assignees: BlackBerry Limited - Applicants: BlackBerry Limited - Inventors: Dapeng Gao; Brian Alexander Oliver - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11113426B2 ## CPC - G06F 21/83: input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof - G06F 3/038: Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry - G06F 21/6218: {to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database} - G06F 21/84: output devices, e.g. displays or monitors - H04M 1/673: the user being required to key in a code - G06F 3/04842: Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) - G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures - H04M 2250/22: including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract A method of interacting with an electronic device while the display screen is deactivated and the electronic device is possibly locked is described. In one embodiment, the electronic devices generate a notification regarding a new event and/or device state using a notification element in response to receiving a predetermined key input from the hardware keyboard while the electronic device is in the locked state and while the display screen is deactivated, wherein the notification is generated while the display screen remains deactivated. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A handheld electronic device, comprising: a processor; a display screen coupled to the processor; an input device coupled to the processor; an output device coupled to the processor; and a communication subsystem coupled to the processor for communication over a wireless network; wherein the processor is configured to: turn off the display screen; detect a first input at the input device; and in response to the detection of the first input at the input device while the display screen remains turned off: determine a number and type of new events associated with the first input; and activate the output device a number of times equal to the number of new events of the event type associated with the first input. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first input comprises any one or more of pressing a special function key in the control keys, pressing a first key or key combination of keyboard or keypad of the handheld electronic device, a first touchscreen gesture performed using a touchscreen of the handheld electronic device, or a first motion-based gesture performed by moving the device and which is detected by an accelerometer of the handheld electronic device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The handheld electronic device of claim 1, comprising a plurality of output devices comprising a light emitting diode (LED), a vibrator and a speaker, wherein the output device that is activated is selected from the LED, vibrator and speaker in dependence on the event type associated with the first input. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein the output device is a vibrator, wherein the processor is configured to cause the vibrator to vibrate a number of times in dependence on the number of new events of the event type associated with the first input. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein the output device is a speaker, wherein the processor is configured to cause the speaker to generate an audible notification specifying the number of new events of the event type associated with the first input. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: monitor for the first input at the input device while the display screen is turned off. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: monitor for one or more triggers for turning off the display screen, wherein the display screen is turned off in response to detection of one of the triggers. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The handheld electronic device of claim 7, wherein the triggers comprise one or more of user input, user inactivity for a first duration, or initiation of a lock state on the handheld electronic device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: monitor for new events at the handheld electronic device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The handheld electronic device of claim 9, wherein a new event comprises any one of a receipt of a new data item, an upcoming calendar event or a change in device state. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The handheld electronic device of claim 10, wherein the new data item is a new electronic message. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The handheld electronic device of claim 11, wherein the new electronic message is one of a new email, new short message service (SMS) message, new Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message, new instant message (IM) or a new voicemail message. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The handheld electronic device of claim 10, wherein the new data item is a new image, new video, new audio file, or new task. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The handheld electronic device of claim 9, wherein a new event comprises a new or upcoming calendar event. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The handheld electronic device of claim 14, wherein an upcoming calendar event is a calendar event scheduled to occur within a first duration of a time at which the first input at the input device is received. ### Claim 16 A method of interacting with a handheld electronic device, comprising: turning off a display screen of the handheld electronic device; detecting a first input at an input device of the handheld electronic device; and in response to the detection of the first input at the input device while the display screen remains turned off: determining a number and type of new events associated with the first input; and activating an output device of the handheld electronic device a number of times equal to the number of new events of the event type associated with the first input. ### Claim 17 A non-transitory machine readable medium having tangibly stored thereon executable instructions for execution by a processor of a handheld electronic device, wherein the executable instructions, in response to execution by the processor of the handheld electronic device, cause the handheld electronic device to: turn off a display screen of the handheld electronic device; detect a first input at an input device of the handheld electronic device; and in response to the detection of the first input at the input device while the display screen remains turned off: determine a number and type of new events associated with the first input; and activate an output device of the handheld electronic device a number of times equal to the number of new events of the event type associated with the first input. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein the output device is a multi-color light emitting diode (LED), wherein the multi-color LED is activated in a particular one of a number of colors of the multi-color LED in dependence on the event type associated with the first input. ### Claim 19 A handheld electronic device, comprising: a processor; a display screen coupled to the processor; an input device coupled to the processor; a multi-color light emitting diode (LED) coupled to the processor; and a communication subsystem coupled to the processor for communication over a wireless network; wherein the processor is configured to: turn off the display screen; detect a first input at the input device; and activate the multi-color LED a number of times equal to a number of new events in response to detection of a first input at the input device while the display screen remains turned off, wherein the multi-color LED is activated in a particular one of a number of colors of the multi-color LED in dependence on an event type associated with the first input. ### Claim 20 A handheld electronic device, comprising: a processor; a display screen coupled to the processor; an input device coupled to the processor; a plurality of notification elements coupled to the processor, wherein the plurality of notification elements comprise a light emitting diode (LED), a vibrator and a speaker; and a communication subsystem coupled to the processor for communication over a wireless network; wherein the processor is configured to: turn off the display screen; detect a first input at the input device; and in response to the detection of the first input at the input device while the display screen remains turned off: determine a number and type of new events associated with the first input; and activate a notification element in the plurality of notification elements a number of times equal to the number of new events of the event type associated with the first input, wherein the notification element that is activated is selected from the LED, vibrator or speaker in dependence on the event type associated with the first input.