# US 8,474,029 B2 · Method and system of user authentication using a portable authenticator

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- Number: US 8,474,029 B2
- Document ID: US8474029B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/423,966
- Filed: 2012-03-19
- Published: 2012-09-13
- Granted: 2013-06-25
- Earliest claimed: 2003-04-07
- Assignees: Research In Motion Limited
- Applicants: Neil Patrick Adams; David Francis Tapuska; Michael Stephen Brown; Herbert Anthony Little
- Inventors: Neil Patrick Adams; David Francis Tapuska; Michael Stephen Brown; Herbert Anthony Little
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8474029B2

## CPC

- G06F 1/1656: {Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories (mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203)}
- G06F 1/1626: {with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]}
- G06F 1/1632: {External expansion units, e.g. docking stations}
- G06F 21/34: involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for facilitating access to an electronic device. Password information is stored on the electronic device, and on a portable authenticator. When a user attempts to access the electronic device, the user is prompted to enter a password at the electronic device. The portable authenticator determines the validity of the entered password. The electronic device receives the results of the validity determination from the portable authenticator, and provides access to the electronic device based on the received validity determination.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method in an electronic device of facilitating access to the electronic device, the method comprising:
detecting at the electronic device an attempt to access the electronic device;
in response to detecting the attempt, prompting for password entry at the electronic device;
receiving an entered password at the electronic device;
performing at the electronic device a first determination whether the entered password corresponds to a stored electronic device password;
transmitting the entered password to a portable authenticator that is communicably coupled to the electronic device, in order for the portable authenticator to perform a second determination whether the entered password corresponds to a stored portable authenticator password;
receiving the second determination from the portable authenticator; and
controlling access to the electronic device in accordance with the first determination and the second determination.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first determination is that the entered password corresponds to the stored electronic device password and the second determination is that the entered password corresponds to the stored portable authenticator password, the method further comprising:
providing access to the electronic device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:
maintaining access to the electronic device after detecting decoupling of the portable authenticator from the electronic device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:
terminating access to the electronic device after detecting decoupling of the portable authenticator from the electronic device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:
activating one or more security functions after detecting decoupling of the portable authenticator from the electronic device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the one or more security functions comprise clearing information from a display of the electronic device.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the one or more security functions comprise erasing previously encrypted information that was decrypted and stored at the electronic device after providing access to the electronic device.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second determination is that the entered password does not correspond to the stored portable authenticator password, the method further comprising:
denying unrestricted access to the electronic device.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method as claimed in claim 8, the method further comprising:
performing one or more error processing operations.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the one or more error processing operations comprise erasing one or more data items stored at the electronic device or erasing one or more data items stored at the portable authenticator or both.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first determination is that the entered password corresponds to the stored electronic device password and wherein the error processing operations comprise providing access only to one or more low-security functions of the electronic device.

### Claim 12

A method in an electronic device of facilitating access to the electronic device, the method comprising:
detecting an attempt to access the electronic device;
in response to detecting the attempt, prompting for entry of a first password and a second password at the electronic device;
receiving a first entered password and a second entered password at the electronic device;
performing at the electronic device a first determination whether the first entered password corresponds to a stored electronic device password;
transmitting the second entered password to a portable authenticator that is communicably coupled to the electronic device, in order for the portable authenticator to perform a second determination whether the second entered password corresponds to a first stored portable authenticator password;
receiving the second determination from the portable authenticator; and
controlling access to the electronic device in accordance with the first determination and the second determination.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first determination is that the first entered password corresponds to the stored electronic device password and the second determination is that the second entered password corresponds to the first stored portable authenticator password, the method further comprising:
providing access to the electronic device.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:
replacing the electronic device password with the second entered password.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the electronic device stores a second stored portable authenticator password, the method further comprising:
receiving the first stored portable authenticator password from the portable authenticator; and
wherein the first stored portable authenticator password does not correspond to the second stored portable authenticator password, replacing the second stored portable authenticator password stored at the electronic device with the first stored portable authenticator password received from the portable authenticator.

### Claim 16

An electronic device comprising:
a portable authenticator interface through which the electronic device is configured to be communicably coupled to a portable authenticator;
an input device through which the electronic device is configured to receive an entered password;
a processor communicably coupled to the portable authenticator interface and to the input device; and
a memory communicably coupled to the processor, the memory to store software arranged:
to prompt for password entry at the electronic device in response to detecting at the electronic device an attempt to access the electronic device;
to receive the entered password via the input device;
to perform at the electronic device a first determination whether the entered password corresponds to a stored electronic device password;
to transmit the entered password to the portable authenticator via the portable authenticator interface, in order for the portable authenticator to perform a second determination whether the entered password corresponds to a stored portable authenticator password;
to receive the second determination from the portable authenticator via the portable authenticator interface; and
to control access to the electronic device in accordance with the first determination and the second determination.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The electronic device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first determination is that the entered password does not correspond to the stored electronic device password and the second determination is that the entered password corresponds to the stored portable authenticator password, the software further arranged:
to receive portable authenticator information from the portable authenticator via the portable authenticator interface; and
where a portion of the portable authenticator information matches a corresponding portion of portable authenticator information stored in the memory of the electronic device, to provide access to a subset of functions of the electronic device and to deny unrestricted access to the electronic device.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The electronic device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first determination is that the entered password does not correspond to the stored electronic device password and the second determination is that the entered password corresponds to the stored portable authenticator password, the software further arranged:
to receive portable authenticator information from the portable authenticator via the portable authenticator interface; and
where the portable authenticator information matches portable authenticator information stored in the memory of the electronic device, to provide access to the electronic device.

### Claim 19

An electronic device comprising:
a portable authenticator interface through which the electronic device is configured to be communicably coupled to a portable authenticator;
an input device through which the electronic device is configured to receive a first entered password and a second entered password;
a processor communicably coupled to the portable authenticator interface and to the input device; and
a memory communicably coupled to the processor, the memory to store software arranged:
to prompt for entry of a first password and a second password at the electronic device in response to detecting an attempt to access the electronic device;
to receive the first entered password and the second entered password via the input device;
to perform at the electronic device a first determination whether the first entered password corresponds to a stored electronic device password;
to transmit the second entered password to a portable authenticator via the portable authenticator interface, in order for the portable authenticator to perform a second determination whether the second entered password corresponds to a stored portable authenticator password;
to receive the second determination from the portable authenticator via the portable authenticator interface; and
to control access to the electronic device in accordance with the first determination and the second determination.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the first determination is that the first entered password corresponds to the stored electronic device password and the second determination is that the second entered password corresponds to the stored portable authenticator password, the software further arranged:
to provide access to the electronic device.

### Claim 21 (depends on 19)

The electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the second determination is that the second entered password does not correspond to the stored portable authenticator password, the software further arranged:
to deny unrestricted access to the electronic device.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The electronic device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the first determination is that the first entered password corresponds to the stored electronic device password, the software further arranged:
to provide access only to one or more low-security functions of the electronic device.

### Claim 23

A non-transitory computer readable medium able to be communicably coupled to a processor of an electronic device, the computer readable medium storing software arranged:
to prompt for password entry at the electronic device in response to detecting at the electronic device an attempt to access the electronic device;
to receive an entered password via an input device of the electronic device;
to perform at the electronic device a first determination whether the entered password corresponds to a stored electronic device password;
to transmit the entered password from the electronic device to a portable authenticator via a portable authenticator interface of the electronic device, in order for the portable authenticator to perform a second determination whether the entered password corresponds to a stored portable authenticator password;
to receive the second determination from the portable authenticator via the portable authenticator interface; and
to control access to the electronic device in accordance with the first determination and the second determination.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 23, wherein the first determination is that the entered password does not correspond to the stored electronic device password and the second determination is that the entered password corresponds to the stored portable authenticator password, the software further arranged:
to receive portable authenticator information from the portable authenticator via the portable authenticator interface; and
a portion of the portable authenticator information matches a corresponding portion of portable authenticator information stored in the memory of the electronic device, to provide access to a subset of functions of the electronic device and to deny unrestricted access to the electronic device.

### Claim 25 (depends on 23)

The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 23, wherein the first determination is that the entered password does not correspond to the stored electronic device password and the second determination is that the entered password corresponds to the stored portable authenticator password, the software further arranged:
to receive portable authenticator information from the portable authenticator via the portable authenticator interface; and
where the portable authenticator information matches portable authenticator information stored in the memory of the electronic device, to provide access to the electronic device.

### Claim 26

A non-transitory computer readable medium able to be communicably coupled to a processor of an electronic device, the computer readable medium storing software arranged:
to prompt for entry of a first password and a second password at the electronic device in response to detecting an attempt to access the electronic device;
to receive a first entered password and a second entered password via an input device of the electronic device;
to perform at the electronic device a first determination whether the first entered password corresponds to a stored electronic device password;
to transmit the second entered password from the electronic device to a portable authenticator via a portable authenticator interface of the electronic device, in order for the portable authenticator to perform a second determination whether the second entered password corresponds to a stored portable authenticator password;
to receive the second determination from the portable authenticator via the portable authenticator interface; and
to control access to the electronic device in accordance with the first determination and the second determination.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 26, wherein the first determination is that the first entered password corresponds to the stored electronic device password and the second determination is that the second entered password corresponds to the stored portable authenticator password, the software further arranged:
to provide access to the electronic device.

### Claim 28 (depends on 26)

The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 26, wherein the second determination is that the second entered password does not correspond to the stored portable authenticator password, the software further arranged:
to deny unrestricted access to the electronic device.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 28, wherein the first determination is that the first entered password corresponds to the stored electronic device password, the software further arranged:
provide access only to one or more low-security functions of the electronic device.