Patents by Inventor Steven WELLINGTON

Steven WELLINGTON 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: 10579820
    Abstract: A system and method for a privacy mode are disclosed. A trusted execution environment and general operating system that has restricted access to the trusted execution environment are maintained on a processor. A privacy mode command indicating either one of a first value and a second value is received. A peripheral control interface, which is communicatively coupled to the trusted execution environment and otherwise communicatively isolated from the general operating system, is disabled when the privacy mode enable indicator has the first value and is enabled when the privacy mode enable indicator has the second value. An associated peripheral is disabled from providing signals to processing circuits when the peripheral control interface is in the disabled state and enabled to provide signals to processing circuits when the peripheral control interface is in the enabled state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Neil Patrick Adams, Steven Wellington, Roger Paul Bowman
  • Patent number: 10572690
    Abstract: A method at an electronic device having at least one slot to receive a removable security module, the method including detecting coupling of the security module to the electronic device; sending a challenge to the security module; receiving a response from the security module; checking whether the response is valid at the electronic device; and providing a signal based on results of the checking, wherein only a defined number of security modules are configured to provide a valid response per slot or for each security module type at the electronic device. Further, a method for preventing functionality on an electronic device, the method including replacing a valid security module coupled to the electronic device with a dummy security module; detecting uncoupling of the dummy security module; and providing an alert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Neil Patrick Adams, Steven Wellington
  • Publication number: 20180165472
    Abstract: A system and method for a privacy mode are disclosed. A trusted execution environment and general operating system that has restricted access to the trusted execution environment are maintained on a processor. A privacy mode command indicating either one of a first value and a second value is received. A peripheral control interface, which is communicatively coupled to the trusted execution environment and otherwise communicatively isolated from the general operating system, is disabled when the privacy mode enable indicator has the first value and is enabled when the privacy mode enable indicator has the second value. An associated peripheral is disabled from providing signals to processing circuits when the peripheral control interface is in the disabled state and enabled to provide signals to processing circuits when the peripheral control interface is in the enabled state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Inventors: Neil Patrick ADAMS, Steven WELLINGTON, Roger Paul BOWMAN
  • Publication number: 20180068133
    Abstract: A method at an electronic device having at least one slot to receive a removable security module, the method including detecting coupling of the security module to the electronic device; sending a challenge to the security module; receiving a response from the security module; checking whether the response is valid at the electronic device; and providing a signal based on results of the checking, wherein only a defined number of security modules are configured to provide a valid response per slot or for each security module type at the electronic device. Further, a method for preventing functionality on an electronic device, the method including replacing a valid security module coupled to the electronic device with a dummy security module; detecting uncoupling of the dummy security module; and providing an alert.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2016
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Neil Patrick ADAMS, Steven WELLINGTON