Multidevice authentication

• US 10,111,100 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2014
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Heeter, Ross David, Tuck, Jason Robert, Kanga, Cyrus
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Luu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baum, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US14/467,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20160057140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 726 4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Aspects of the invention can log a user into a primary device in a more efficient manner. For example, aspects of the invention may eliminate the need for the user to supply user credentials directly to a primary device. Instead, the companion device recognizes relevant primary devices located proximate to the companion device and automatically initiates a user login to the primary device without user intervention. Aspects of the invention can automatically login a user to known and unknown primary devices.

Claims

1. A method of connecting a companion device to a primary device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the companion device, a user credential for a media service, the user credential granting a user permission to access media content provided by the media service;

storing the user credential on the companion device;

determining that the companion device is located proximate to the primary device by determining that the companion device and the primary device are connected to the same local area network and by receiving a return of a quick response code, from the companion device, which was generated by the primary device;

prior to initiating a wireless communication session between the primary device and the companion device, the companion device is granted access to the primary device by the returned quick response code;

determining, at the companion device, that the primary device is an unknown primary device when the user has not previously supplied the user credential to the primary device and the primary device is further determined to be unknown because the companion device does not have access to a record that indicates the primary device is a known primary device that the user has previously accessed;

running, on the primary device, a media application that facilitates access to the media content through the primary device, the media application requiring the user credential to access the media content; and

establishing the wireless communication session between the companion device and the primary device over the local area network and in combination with the companion device being proximate to the primary device, causing, without user intervention, the user credential for the media service to automatically communicate to the primary device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, at the companion device, a security challenge message from the primary device, the security challenge message requesting a code for access to the primary device that is separate from the user credential for the media service;

outputting for display on the companion device a connection interface including a text entry interface for the user to enter the code;

receiving, at the companion device, the code from the text entry interface; and

communicating the code from the companion device to the primary device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, at the companion device, one or more primary devices running the media application;

receiving a user selection of the primary device from a connection interface that identifies the one or more primary devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the local area network is a Wi-Fi direct connection between the companion device and the primary device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the media service consists of one or more of a video streaming service, a video game service, and a productivity service.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

saving a record at the companion device that the primary device is a known primary device;

storing the user credential of the companion device used to provide access on the companion device to the media content provided by the media service; and

without user intervention, when the primary device is a known device, automatically authenticating the companion device with the media service using the stored user credential.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein when the primary device is a known primary device, not communicating the user credential for the media service from the companion device to the primary device.

8. One or more computer storage media comprising computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a computing device, connect a companion device to a primary device, the instructions causing the computing device to:

receive, at the primary device, information from the companion device identifying a user of the companion device, the primary device having a media application for a media service that requires a user credential to access a service provided by the media service;

determine, at the primary device, from the information that the companion device is associated with a user account for the media service;

determine that the companion device is located proximate to the primary device by determining that the companion device and the primary device are connected to the same local area network and by receiving a return of a quick response code, from the companion device, which was generated by the primary device;

prior to initiation of a wireless communication session between the primary device and the companion device, the companion device is granted access to the primary device by the returned quick response code;

establish the wireless communication session between the companion device and the primary device over the local area network and in combination with the determined companion device being in proximate to the primary device, without user intervention, automatically log the user into the media service at the primary device by communicating the user credential associated with the user account from the primary device to the media service, the user credential being used to log the user into the media service via the primary device.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

receive, at the primary device, a biometric template for the user from the media service;

receive, at the primary device, a biometric reading for the user; and

validate, at the primary device, the biometric reading against the biometric template prior to logging the user into the media service, wherein the biometric template is additional to the user credential.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the biometric reading is an image of a face of the user.

11. The media of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

receive a connection request from the companion device;

determine, at the primary device, that the companion device is not currently authorized to access the primary device;

communicate, from the primary device, a challenge message to the companion device requesting a code that is different from the user credential;

receive, at the primary device, the code from the companion device;

authorize the companion device to access the primary device; and

add the companion device to a list of authorized companion devices that are able to automatically connect with the primary device.

12. The media of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to receive, at the primary device, a control instruction from the companion device and manipulating a video game state for a video game running on the primary device on behalf of the user, wherein multiple users are logged into the primary device with different user accounts.

13. The media of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to communicate a progress report to the media service that describes progress made on a media title.

14. The media of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

communicate identification information for the companion device to the media service.

15. One or more computer storage media comprising computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a computing device, connect a companion device to a primary device, the instructions causing the computing device to:

determine that the companion device is located proximate to the primary device by determining that the companion device and the primary device are connected to the same local area network and by receiving a return of a quick response code, from the companion device, which was generated by the primary device;

prior to a initiated wireless communication session between the primary device and the companion device, the companion device is granted access to the primary device by the returned quick response code;

receive, at the primary device, a confirmation that the companion device is associated with a user account for the media service;

determine, at the primary device, that the companion device is unknown to the primary device, when the user has not previously supplied the user credential to the primary device and the primary device is further determined to be unknown because the companion device does not have access to a record that indicates the primary device is a known primary device that the user has previously accessed;

establish a wireless communication session between the companion device and the primary device over the local area network and in combination with the determined companion device being in proximate to the primary device, without user intervention, automatically log the user into the media service at the primary device by communicating the user credential associated with the user account from the primary device to the media service, the user credential being used to log the user into the media service via the primary device.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

receive, at the primary device, the user credential for the media service from the companion device; and

store the user credential on the primary device in association with the identity information.

17. The media of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

receive, at the primary device, the identity information from the companion device identifying the companion device.

18. The media of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

receive, at the primary device, a biometric template for the user from the media service,

receive, at the primary device, a biometric reading for the user; and

validate, at the primary device, the biometric reading against the biometric template prior to granting the companion device access to the primary device, wherein the biometric template is additional to the user credential.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein the biometric reading is an image of a face of the user.