The Financial Post reports in its Thursday edition BlackBerry has been awarded at least 27 new U.S. patents, shedding light on what sort of devices are in the works at the smart phone company. A Bloomberg dispatch to the Post says among the patents are security features and a user interface for a conference-calling system. Chief executive officer John Chen said in September that BBM Meetings, a video-conferencing service, would debut by the end of the year. BlackBerry is expanding its range of products for corporate users after its attempts to reboot its consumer offerings fizzled last year. In November, BlackBerry will also show off a new phone and an updated Business Enterprise Server, the back-office software companies use to securely send e-mails and synchronize appointments. At a meeting with reporters in September, Mr. Chen said the company is at work on new devices, including one that will be introduced at the Mobile World Congress conference in March. One of the patents issued Wednesday explains how a small electronic device on a watch or lanyard could be used to grant access to a smart phone so users would not have to key in a passcode. BlackBerry closed Wednesday at $11.12, down 26 cents.