Methods and system for passive authentication through user attributes

• US 10,460,090 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobres, Erick, Antonakakis, Stavros, Mulani, Ajay Gordhandas, Mishra, Ravi Prakash, Bhowmick, Suman Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Iwarere, Oluseye
• Application Number:
  US14/633,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20160063492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 705 16, 726 7, 726 1, 726 5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/206 comprising security or operator identification provisions, e.g. password entry
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4016 involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/33 using wearable devices, e.g. using a smartwatch or smart-glasses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/40 Security arrangements using identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 : Secure pairing of devices

Abstract

Data is automatically collected; the data relevant to user attributes. That data is provided as factors for passive authenticating the user for access to a device and/or a resource. In an embodiment, the data is used to establish a profile or a pattern for the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

collecting, on a device, data relevant to attributes of a user;

passively authenticating the user based on the data by computing a value based on the data, wherein computing further includes chaining a first instance of a confidence calculator that executes on the device within a first processing environment with a second instance of the confidence calculator that executes on a second and different device within a second and different processing environment to produce the value by computing, by the first instance, a first portion of the value, providing, by the first instance, the first portion to the second instance as input data, computing, by the second instance, a second portion of the value from the first portion, and combining the first portion and the second portion as the value; and

automatically providing the user access to an electronic resource at a particular access level selected from a plurality of access levels based on a difference between a predetermined value and the value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting further includes gathering the data during an automatically triggered interval of time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein gathering further includes starting the interval of time upon detection of a starting event and ending the interval of time upon detection of an ending event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein starting further includes identifying the starting event as initial handling by the user of a shopping apparatus and identifying the ending event as an initiation of a checkout transaction at a Point-Of-Sale (POS) terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting further includes continuously gathering and updating the data when the user accesses one or more predefined resources executing on the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting further includes maintaining a profile or a pattern for the user based on the data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein maintaining further includes continuously updating the profile or the pattern based on new collected data relevant to the attributes of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting further includes automatically collecting the data based on user operation of an apparatus to which the device is attached.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting further includes automatically collecting the data from sensors interfaced to the device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein automatically collecting further includes obtaining at least a portion of the data as a smell value from a smell sensor interfaced to the device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein automatically collecting further includes obtaining at least a portion of the data as activity data from an activity sensor interfaced to the device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein passively authenticating further includes automatically providing the data from the device to a passive authentication system at a Point-Of-Sale (POS) terminal during a checkout operation for a transaction being conducted by the user at the POS terminal.