Patent ID: 8295894

Claim:
A portable wireless communications device to be carried by a holster and being removable therefrom, the portable wireless communications device comprising: a portable housing; a wireless transceiver carried by said portable housing; a holster sensor carried by said portable housing; a local alert indicator carried by said portable housing; a biometric sensor carried by said portable housing; and a controller carried by said portable housing and connected to said wireless transceiver, said holster sensor, said local alert indicator, and said biometric sensor; said controller storing application data and user data and being switchable to a pickpocket mode based upon input from said biometric sensor; said controller cooperating with said holster sensor for detecting, in the pickpocket mode, the removal of said portable housing from said holster; said controller, in response to detecting the removal of said portable housing from said holster, activating a timer and determining whether a user biometric authentication is input via said biometric sensor before expiration of the timer; said controller, upon expiration of the timer, activating said local alert indicator, wirelessly sending at least one remote alert message via said wireless transceiver, and rendering unusable at least a portion of the stored data upon removal from the holster unless a user biometric authentication is input before the expiration of the timer irrespective of a number of attempts to input the biometric user authentication.