Oral authentication management

• US 10,296,736 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2018
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ahmad, Faraz, John, Anto Ajay Raj
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tongoc
• Application Number:
  US16/113,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20180365408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 267 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00

Abstract

A user manages security of one or more user devices by manipulating one or more sensors located in the user'"'"'s mouth in a predetermined pattern corresponding to a password. The matching of the predetermined pattern to the password unlocks at least a portion of at least one user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring a plurality of sensors located in an oral cavity of a user and configured to measure a property controllable by the user;

identifying a sequence of stimuli, wherein the sequence of stimuli comprises, for each respective stimulus, a respective pressure on a respective sensor, wherein the respective pressure is above a pressure threshold and is applied by a tongue of the user contacting the respective sensor;

matching the sequence of stimuli to a password associated with a user device, wherein the password comprises;

a first pressure above the pressure threshold on a first sensor of the plurality of sensors for a first time within a first time range; and

a second pressure above the pressure threshold on a second sensor of the plurality of sensors for a second time within a second time range, wherein the second pressure is sequential to the first pressure, and wherein a time between the first pressure and the second pressure is below a consecutive time threshold; and

unlocking a portion of the user device in response to matching the sequence of stimuli to the password.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording the sequence of stimuli, the recording comprising a sequence of sensors and a sequence of times, the sequence of sensors corresponding to sensors receiving a pressure above the pressure threshold, and the sequence of times corresponding to respective times the respective sensors in the sequence received pressure above the pressure threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each stimulus of the sequence of stimuli is within a first location range, wherein the first location range comprises a permissible physical range of a stimulus relative to a respective sensor of the plurality of sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of user devices wherein each respective user device is unlocked in response to determining, based on comparing the sequence of stimuli to the password, that the sequence of stimuli matches the password.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a prompt for authentication based on a user input, wherein the prompt for authentication comprises a pressure above the pressure threshold for at least a first time on a sensor of the plurality of sensors; and

wherein monitoring the plurality of sensors comprises monitoring the plurality of sensors in response to receiving the prompt for authentication.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each pair of stimuli is separated by a time below a time threshold.

7. A system comprising:

a plurality of sensors each configured to sense a user-controlled stimulus and located in an oral cavity of a user;

a memory configured to store a first sequence of stimuli corresponding to a password, wherein the password comprises;

a first pressure above the pressure threshold on a first sensor of the plurality of sensors for a first time within a first time range; and

a second pressure above the pressure threshold on a second sensor of the plurality of sensors for a second time within a second time range, wherein the second pressure is sequential to the first pressure, and wherein a time between the first pressure and the second pressure is below a consecutive time threshold;

a processing unit communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors and the memory, the processing unit configured to;

monitor the plurality of sensors to detect a second sequence of stimuli and to match the second sequence of stimuli to the first sequence of stimuli, wherein the second sequence of stimuli comprises, for each respective stimulus, a respective pressure on a respective sensor, wherein the respective pressure is above the pressure threshold and is applied by a tongue of the user contacting the respective sensor; and

unlock a portion of a user device in response to matching the second sequence of stimuli to the first sequence of stimuli.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of sensors are further configured to identify a location associated with each respective stimulus, and wherein the first sequence of stimuli comprises a sequence of locations.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of sensors are further configured to sense stimuli being within a threshold range, wherein the threshold range comprises a distance between a respective stimulus and a respective sensor of the plurality of sensors.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein each user-controlled stimulus further comprises a temperature above a temperature threshold.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing unit is located in the user device.

12. A computer program product for authenticating a user device, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

monitoring respective data received from a plurality of sensors each located in a mouth of a user and configured to sense stimuli controllable by the user;

determining a sequence of stimuli, wherein the sequence of stimuli comprises, for each respective stimulus, a respective pressure on a respective sensor, wherein the respective pressure is above a pressure threshold and is applied by a tongue of the user contacting the respective sensor;

matching the sequence of stimuli to a password associated with a user device, wherein the password comprises;

a first pressure above the pressure threshold on a first sensor of the plurality of sensors for a first time within a first time range; and

a second pressure above the pressure threshold on a second sensor of the plurality of sensors for a second time within a second time range, wherein the second pressure is sequential to the first pressure, and wherein a time between the first pressure and the second pressure is below a consecutive time threshold;

unlocking a portion of the user device in response to matching the sequence of stimuli to the password.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the sequence of stimuli comprises a sequence of pressures, wherein each respective pressure is associated with a location.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the password comprises a sequence of locations based on the sequence of sensors.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, the processor being configured to perform a method further comprising:

unlocking at least a portion of a second user device in response to matching the sequence of stimuli to the password.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the processor being configured to perform a method further comprising:

receiving a prompt for authentication based on user input; and

wherein monitoring the plurality of sensors comprises monitoring the plurality of sensors in response to receiving the prompt for authentication.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the processor being further configured to perform a method comprising:

determining, for each respective stimulus, that the respective stimulus is above a property threshold.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein determining that the stimulus is above a property threshold further comprises determining that the stimulus is within a first location range, wherein the first location range comprises an acceptable distance relative to a respective sensor of the plurality of sensors.

19. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the password further comprises:

a third pressure above the pressure threshold on a third sensor of the plurality of sensors for a third time within a third time range.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the third pressure is sequential to the second pressure, and wherein a time between the second pressure and the third pressure is below the consecutive time threshold.