Patents by Inventor Anthony A. Little

Anthony A. Little has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9558113
    Abstract: Methods and systems for performing garbage collection involving sensitive information on a mobile device are described herein. Secure information is received at a mobile device over a wireless network. The sensitive information is extracted from the secure information. A software program operating on the mobile device uses an object to access the sensitive information. Secure garbage collection is performed upon the object after the object becomes unreachable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Citrix Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Herbert Anthony Little, Neil Patrick Adams, Stefan E. Janhunen, John Fredric Arthur Dahms
  • Patent number: 9531731
    Abstract: A method, device and system for establishing plural modes of operation on a mobile device, including: associating each application on the mobile device with one of a plurality of modes; and restricting access to data on the mobile device to only a subset of applications based on the mode associated for the each application. A system includes connection of an untrusted device to a trusted device and restricting data access for restricted data to a subset of trusted applications on the untrusted device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Christopher Lyle Bender, Herbert Anthony Little, Michael Kenneth Brown, Michael Stephen Brown
  • Patent number: 9531828
    Abstract: In a system with a policy server, a first device able to communicate with the policy server and a second device able to communicate with the first device and unable to communicate with the policy server, the first device is to act as a policy proxy. The policy server may push to the first device a policy for the second device, and the first device may push the policy to the second device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: BLACKBERRY LIMITED
    Inventors: Michael Kenneth Brown, Neil Patrick Adams, Herbert Anthony Little
  • Patent number: 9525999
    Abstract: A method for securely transferring a service from a first mobile device to a second mobile device, the service being associated with a server configured for facilitating provisioning of services to mobile devices over a wireless communications network. The method includes generating in the first mobile device a shared key, the shared key being generated using a master key unique to the server and to the first mobile device, the master key being accessible by the server and by the first mobile device; and sending said shared key from the first mobile device to the second mobile device using an alternate communication mechanism independent from the server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: James Andrew Godfrey, Herbert Anthony Little, Christopher Lyle Bender, Connor Patrick O'Rourke
  • Publication number: 20160366542
    Abstract: Embodiments of the systems, devices and methods described herein generally facilitate performing Bluetooth pairing between a first device and a second device. In accordance with one example embodiment, a first device generates a barcode that encodes Bluetooth pairing data for transmission to the second device, wherein the pairing data comprises a Bluetooth address associated with the first device, and wherein the pairing data further comprises a personal identification number usable to complete the Bluetooth pairing, the barcode is transmitted to the second device, and Bluetooth pairing is performed with the second device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: Michael Stephen Brown, Herbert Anthony LITTLE
  • Patent number: 9519765
    Abstract: A method for differentiated access control on a computing device, and the computing device, the method including starting a timer on the computing device; resetting the timer if activity occurs on the computing device prior to the expiration of the timer; and preventing a subset of applications from being launched or enabled on expiry of the timer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Michael Kenneth Brown, Christopher Lyle Bender, Herbert Anthony Little
  • Patent number: 9507950
    Abstract: Systems and methods for establishing a data connection between a mobile device and a peripheral. The mobile device is configured to determine whether to handle user approval of the data connection between the mobile device and the peripheral. Through the mobile device, an input mechanism is provided for the user to provide input. The input is used in determining whether to approve the data connection between the mobile device and the peripheral.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Michael Kenneth Brown, Michael Grant Kirkup, Neil Patrick Adams, Herbert Anthony Little, Christopher Pattenden
  • Patent number: 9507920
    Abstract: A novel code signing system, computer readable media, and method are provided. The code signing method includes receiving a code signing request from a requestor in order to gain access to one or more specific application programming interfaces (APIs). A digital signature is provided to the requestor. The digital signature indicates authorization by a code signing authority for code of the requestor to access the one or more specific APIs. In one example, the digital signature is provided by the code signing authority or a delegate thereof. In another example, the code signing request may include one or more of the following: code, an application, a hash of an application, an abridged version of the application, a transformed version of an application, a command, a command argument, and a library.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: David P. Yach, Michael Steven Brown, Herbert Anthony Little
  • Publication number: 20160345290
    Abstract: A mobile communications device receives and handles an encoded message. State data about the encoded message is generated based upon a first access of the encoded message. The device stores the generated message state data in a cache of the mobile communications device; generates a message indicator based upon the message state data stored in the cache of the mobile device; and processes the encoded message on a background thread running on the mobile device. The process determines that a message state change has occurred since the message was last opened and provides an updated message indicator to a user of the mobile device that reflects the message state change.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Inventors: Michael Stephen BROWN, Neil Patrick ADAMS, Herbert Anthony LITTLE
  • Patent number: 9503261
    Abstract: An improved encryption and digital signature system and method in accordance with the invention reuses an encryption ephemeral key pair from an encryption process in a digital signature process. The reuse of the encryption ephemeral key pair in the digital signature process advantageously results in reduced byte size of the digital signature and reduction of costly computation overhead. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is based on the El Gamal encryption scheme and the Nyberg-Rueppel signature scheme. The present invention is particularly useful for operation in conjunction with small communication devices having limited processing and storage, wherein such devices may communicate via bandwidth sensitive RF links.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventor: Herbert Anthony Little
  • Patent number: 9503307
    Abstract: Authenticity of a proposed future or current participant in a multi-party dialog is checked by splitting an authenticity challenge query into at least two portions wherein none of the portions individually contains sufficient information to fully define the challenge query. These separated portions are then sent to another dialog participant over at least two different communication channels thus enhancing the probability that a successive challenge response is authentic. The authenticity challenge query and splitting thereof into plural portions may include formation of a logical combination (e.g., exclusive-OR) of first and second data strings (one of which may be a challenge question) to produce a resultant third data string where the separated and separately communicated portions include the first and third data strings as separate portions as being sent over respectively different communication channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Inventors: David P. Yach, Herbert Anthony Little, Gerhard Dietrich Klassen
  • Publication number: 20160337363
    Abstract: Systems and methods for secure control of a wireless mobile communication device are disclosed. Each of a plurality of domains includes at least one wireless mobile communication device asset. When a request to perform an operation affecting at least one of the assets is received, it is determined whether the request is permitted by the domain that includes the at least one affected asset, by determining whether the entity with which the request originated has a trust relationship with the domain, for example. The operation is completed where it is permitted by the domain. Wireless mobile communication device assets include software applications, persistent data, communication pipes, and configuration data, properties or user or subscriber profiles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Publication date: November 17, 2016
    Inventors: Russell Norman Owen, Herbert Anthony Little, David Paul Yach, Michael Shenfield
  • Patent number: 9490979
    Abstract: A method and system is operable to provide credentials by generating a first credential that conforms to a first specified format. A second credential conforming to a second specified format is included in the first credential so that the second credential may be distributed through the cryptosystem using the first specified format. The credential may be a digital certificate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Matthew John Campagna, Herbert Anthony Little, Anthony Rosati, Scott Alexander Vanstone
  • Publication number: 20160323285
    Abstract: Systems and methods for secure control of a wireless mobile communication device are disclosed. Each of a plurality of domains includes at least one wireless mobile communication device asset. When a request to perform an operation affecting at least one of the assets is received, it is determined whether the request is permitted by the domain that includes the at least one affected asset, by determining whether the entity with which the request originated has a trust relationship with the domain, for example. The operation is completed where it is permitted by the domain. Wireless mobile communication device assets include software applications, persistent data, communication pipes, and configuration data, properties or user or subscriber profiles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Publication date: November 3, 2016
    Inventors: Russell Norman Owen, Herbert Anthony Little, David Paul Yach, Michael Shenfield
  • Publication number: 20160306987
    Abstract: A method for differentiated access control on a computing device having a connection with a second device, the method checking whether a timer has expired on the second device or if a connection is lost to the second device; and preventing at least one of the plurality of application subsets from being launched or enabled if the timer has expired on the second device or the connection is lost to the second device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2016
    Publication date: October 20, 2016
    Inventors: Michael Kenneth BROWN, Christopher Lyle BENDER, Herbert Anthony LITTLE, Michael Stephen BROWN
  • Patent number: 9467802
    Abstract: Embodiments of the systems, devices and methods described herein generally facilitate performing Bluetooth pairing between a first device and a second device. In accordance with one example embodiment, a first device generates a barcode that encodes Bluetooth pairing data for transmission to the second device, wherein the pairing data comprises a Bluetooth address associated with the first device, and wherein the pairing data further comprises a personal identification number usable to complete the Bluetooth pairing, the barcode is transmitted to the second device, and Bluetooth pairing is performed with the second device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: BLACKBERRY LIMITED
    Inventors: Michael Stephen Brown, Herbert Anthony Little
  • Patent number: 9425957
    Abstract: Data is secured on a device in communication with a remote location using a password and content protection key. The device stores data encrypted using a content protection key, which itself may be stored in encrypted form using the password and a key encryption key. The remote location receives a public key from the device. The remote location uses the public key and a stored private key to generate a further public key. The further public key is sent to the device. The device uses the further public key to generate a key encryption key, which is then used to decrypt the encrypted content protection key. A new content encryption key may then be created.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Michael Kenneth Brown, Michael Stephen Brown, Herbert Anthony Little
  • Patent number: 9401917
    Abstract: A method executed on a first electronic device for accessing an application server on a second electronic device includes receiving a cache manifest for an application, the cache manifest identifying a resource item that can be pre-cached on the first electronic device, pre-caching the resource item as a cached resource item in a cache memory of the first electronic device prior to launching an application client on the first electronic device. The method further includes, upon launching the application client on the first electronic device, retrieving data from the application server, wherein the data includes content and a reference to the resource item, obtaining, from the cache memory, the cached resource item that corresponds to the resource item, and displaying an output based upon the content and the cached resource item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Michael Stephen Brown, Herbert Anthony Little, Terrill Mark Dent
  • Publication number: 20160203076
    Abstract: Methods and systems for performing garbage collection involving sensitive information on a mobile device are described herein. Secure information is received at a mobile device over a wireless network. The sensitive information is extracted from the secure information. A software program operating on the mobile device uses an object to access the sensitive information. Secure garbage collection is performed upon the object after the object becomes unreachable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Publication date: July 14, 2016
    Inventors: Herbert Anthony Little, Neil Patrick Adams, Stefan E. Janhunen, John Fredric Arthur Dahms
  • Patent number: RE46083
    Abstract: Systems and methods for managing data transfers between a secure location and a less secure location. A data transfer checker operating on a mobile device determines whether an attempted data transfer between two locations is permitted. If it is not permitted, then the data transfer is prevented and the user may be notified of the data transfer prevention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Herbert Anthony Little, Neil Patrick Adams, Michael Grant Kirkup