Patents by Inventor Herbert Little

Herbert 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: 9513779
    Abstract: A method is provided for reducing a number of keys that a user is required to depress on a device having a keyboard with a limited number of keys when the user enters a password. The method comprising the following steps. A subset of characters used to define the password is determined. A filter to apply to the keyboard is determined in accordance with the determined subset of characters. The filter is applied when the user depresses the keys. Devices and computer readable medium for implementing the method are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Michael Kenneth Brown, Neil Patrick Adams, George Babu, Herbert Little, Michael Stephen Brown
  • Patent number: 9077485
    Abstract: A mobile communications device, method, and computer program product for providing security on a mobile communications device are described. In accordance with one example embodiment, the mobile communications device comprises: a processor; a communications subsystem connected to the processor operable to exchange signals with a wireless network and with the processor; a storage element connected to the processor and having a plurality of application modules and data stored thereon, the data comprising at least user application data associated with the application modules and service data including data for establishing communications with the wireless network; and a security module operable to determine if a battery level falls below a predetermined threshold and perform a security action comprising erasing or encrypting at least some of the data on the storage element if the battery power falls below the predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Michael S. Brown, Neil Adams, Steven Fyke, Herbert Little
  • Patent number: 9049255
    Abstract: A method of event notification on a handheld communications device involves first receiving an indication of an occurrence of an event at the handheld communications device. The communications device comprises a display device, and the event has an associated notification definition for providing a visual notification of the occurrence of the event. The notification definition comprises a content parameter that specifies a scope of the content of the visual notification, and an action parameter that specifies the action to be taken on the communications device after the visual notification is initiated. Then, a visual notification of the occurrence is provided on the display device in accordance with the associated notification definition. The visual notification provides particulars of the event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: BLACKBERRY LIMITED
    Inventors: Tammy MacFarlane, Alain Gagne, Chris Wormald, Herbert Little
  • Patent number: 9013369
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling a first display module is provided, the first display module associated with a client device in communication with a server enabled to generate data for display on a second display module having a screen size larger than a screen size of the first display module, the data having an active area. Data is received at the client device. The first display module is controlled to generate a representation of a first portion of the data including the active area, the representation of the first portion representative of a peephole superimposed on the second display module, the peephole less than or equal to a size of a screen of the first display module. Input indicative that the peephole is to be shifted to an edge of the active area is received. The first display module is controlled to generate a representation of a second portion of the data including the edge, such that the peephole is shifted to the edge of the active area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Neil Adams, Herbert Little
  • Patent number: 8856207
    Abstract: A click detection method, apparatus and system is provided. An embodiment includes a method that receives a request from a client destined for a server and a unique identifier for the client. The method of the method also includes generating a representation of the unique identifier, and forwarding the unique identifier and the request to the server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Russell Owen, Michael Brown, Herbert Little
  • Patent number: 8701101
    Abstract: A system and method for management of a portable electronic device is provided. An embodiment includes a system that comprises a portable electronic device that is wirelessly connectable to a carrier administrative server and an enterprise administrative server. The portable electronic device maintains a policy that defines how upgrade requests are to be managed. The policy can define, for example, whether or not the carrier administrative server is permitted to instruct the portable electronic device to install upgrades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: David Clark, Herbert Little
  • Publication number: 20130305180
    Abstract: A method is provided for reducing a number of keys that a user is required to depress on a device having a keyboard with a limited number of keys when the user enters a password. The method comprising the following steps. A subset of characters used to define the password is determined. A filter to apply to the keyboard is determined in accordance with the determined subset of characters. The filter is applied when the user depresses the keys. Devices: and computer readable medium for implementing the method arc also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Michael Kenneth Brown, Neil Patrick Adams, George Babu, Herbert Little, Michael Stephen Brown
  • Patent number: 8583809
    Abstract: A method and system for establishing a secure over-the-air (OTA) connection between a connection owner and a server, the connection owner being associated with a wireless device connected to the server via a communications network. A secure session is instantiated on behalf of the connection owner, the secure session being maintained by the server and defining a context for the secure OTA connection. A registration key and a reset key are defined, and stored in association with the secure session on both the server and the wireless device. Access to the secure session is controlled using at least the registration key, and the secure session is maintained on the server only as long as the connection owner has a valid registration key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Alexander Sherkin, Srimantee Karmakar, Laura Doktorova, Brindusa Laura Fritsch, Kamen Vitanov, Herbert Little, Michael Hung
  • Patent number: 8527887
    Abstract: A method is provided for reducing a number of keys that a user is required to depress on a device having a keyboard with a limited number of keys when the user enters a password. The method comprising the following steps. A subset of characters used to define the password is determined. A filter to apply to the keyboard is determined in accordance with the determined subset of characters. The filter is applied when the user depresses the keys. Devices and computer readable medium for implementing the method are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Michael K. Brown, Neil Adams, George Babu, Herbert Little, Michael S. Brown
  • Patent number: 8522321
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to the management of privileges associated with certain applications that are accessible by users of electronic equipment, such as, for example, networked computers, mobile wireless communications devices, and the like. In particular, the disclosure is directed to systems and methods for managing privileges associated with particular applications and for revoking these privileges in a timely and robust manner. For example, the device keeps track of which applications get access to which privileges. When policies or application control changes, the system detects which privileges have been revoked for which applications. This can be accomplished by simply comparing the old set of privileges with the new set of privileges. For each revoked privilege for a given application, the system determines if the application has ever accessed that privilege in the past. If an application has accessed a privilege that is now revoked at any time in the past, the device is reset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Neil P. Adams, Herbert Little
  • Publication number: 20130067218
    Abstract: During generation of an implicit certificate for a requestor, a certificate authority incorporates information in the public-key reconstruction data, where the public-key reconstruction data is to be used to compute the public key of the requestor. The information may be related to one or more of the requestor, the certificate authority, and the implicit certificate. The certificate authority reversibly encodes the public-key reconstruction data in the implicit certificate and sends it to the requestor. After receiving the implicit certificate from the certificate authority, the requestor can extract the incorporated information from the public-key reconstruction data. The implicit certificate can be made available to a recipient, and the recipient can also extract the incorporated information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicants: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED, CERTICOM CORP.
    Inventors: Herbert Little, Matthew Campagna, Scott Vanstone, Daniel Brown
  • Publication number: 20130064363
    Abstract: During generation of a signature on a message to create a signed message, a signer determines one of the signature components such that particular information can be extracted from the signature component. The particular information may be related to one or more of the signer and the message to be signed. After receiving a signed message purported to be signed by the signer, a verifier can extract the particular information from the signature component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicants: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED, CERTICOM CORP.
    Inventors: Herbert Little, Scott Vanstone, Daniel Brown, Matthew Campagna
  • Publication number: 20130045691
    Abstract: A wireless device may alert a wireless smart card reader that communication of data between the wireless device and the wireless smart card reader is probably imminent by sending an activation alert. Upon receipt of the activation alert, if the wireless smart card reader is in a low-power state, the wireless smart card reader may enter a higher-power state. If the wireless smart card reader is in the higher-power state upon receipt of the activation alert, the wireless smart card reader may remain in the higher-power state until a timeout period has expired. The wireless device may instruct the wireless smart card reader to enter the low-power state by sending a deactivation alert if the wireless device detects that communication of data between the wireless device and the wireless smart card reader is not likely to occur within a specified period of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Publication date: February 21, 2013
    Applicant: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Neil Adams, Herbert Little
  • Publication number: 20120328094
    Abstract: Various embodiments are described herein for a mobile communication device that utilizes a smart battery. The mobile device includes a main processor for controlling the operation of the mobile communication device. The smart battery is coupled to the main processor and provides supply power. The smart battery includes a battery processor for controlling the operation of the smart battery and communicating with the main processor, and a battery module having one or more batteries for providing the supply power. A battery interface is provided for coupling between the main processor and the battery processor for providing communication therebetween. The battery interface comprises a data communication line and protection circuitry for protecting the main processor from electrostatic discharge. A communication protocol is also provided for communication between the main processor and the battery processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
    Inventors: Christopher Pattenden, Christopher Book, Martin Guthrie, Jonathan Brubacher, Herbert Little
  • Patent number: 8341411
    Abstract: If a smart card is to be used for a particular purpose, and there is no certificate initialized on the smart card for this purpose, a computerized device enables a user to select one of the certificates already installed in the smart card for the particular purpose. The selected certificate may be imported into the computerized device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Michael K. Brown, Neil Adams, Herbert Little
  • Publication number: 20120322513
    Abstract: Various embodiments are described herein for a mobile communication device that utilizes a smart battery. The mobile device includes a main processor for controlling the operation of the mobile communication device. The smart battery is coupled to the main processor and provides supply power. The smart battery includes a battery processor for controlling the operation of the smart battery and communicating with the main processor, and a battery module having one or more batteries for providing the supply power. A battery interface is provided for coupling between the main processor and the battery processor for providing communication therebetween. The battery interface comprises a data communication line and protection circuitry for protecting the main processor from electrostatic discharge. A communication protocol is also provided for communication between the main processor and the battery processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
    Inventors: Christopher Pattenden, Christopher Book, Martin Guthrie, Jonathan Brubacher, Herbert Little
  • Publication number: 20120297195
    Abstract: If a smart card is to be used for a particular purpose, and there is no certificate initialized on the smart card for this purpose, a computerized device enables a user to select one of the certificates already installed in the smart card for the particular purpose. The selected certificate may be imported into the computerized device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
    Inventors: Michael K. Brown, Neil Adams, Herbert Little
  • Publication number: 20120210389
    Abstract: In one embodiment, there is provided a mobile communications device comprising: a processor; a communications subsystem operable to exchange signals with a wireless network; a storage element having application modules and data stored thereon, the data comprising at least user application data associated with the application modules and service data including data for establishing communications with the wireless network; and a security module operable to detect policy messages received by the device, and to perform a security action if a first policy message to enforce a first data protection policy is received and a subsequent policy message to enforce a second data protection policy is not received within a predetermined duration from the time at which the first policy message is received; wherein the security action comprises erasing or encrypting at least some of the data on the storage element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Michael S. Brown, Neil Adams, Steven Fyke, Herbert Little
  • Publication number: 20120208469
    Abstract: A wireless device may alert a wireless smart card reader that communication of data between the wireless device and the wireless smart card reader is probably imminent by sending an activation alert. Upon receipt of the activation alert, if the wireless smart card reader is in a low-power state, the wireless smart card reader may enter a higher-power state. If the wireless smart card reader is in the higher-power state upon receipt of the activation alert, the wireless smart card reader may remain in the higher-power state until a timeout period has expired. The wireless device may instruct the wireless smart card reader to enter the low-power state by sending a deactivation alert if the wireless device detects that communication of data between the wireless device and the wireless smart card reader is not likely to occur within a specified period of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
    Inventors: Neil Adams, Herbert Little
  • Publication number: 20120160909
    Abstract: A smart card reader receives an Answer to Reset (ATR) from a smart card and transmits the ATR over a communication link to a computing device without waiting for an ATR request from the computing device. The computing device may cache the ATR and use it for subsequent communication sessions with the smart card.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
    Inventors: Neil Adams, Herbert Little