Supplemental hand gesture authentication

• US 10,460,091 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2017
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bradley, Lisa Wood, Harpur, Liam, Quirk, Aaron J., Sun, Lin
• Primary Examiner(s): Waliullah, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US15/848,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20180232505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2139 Recurrent verification

Abstract

Providing supplemental authentication of a user based on hand gesture activity of a user with an application of a device after a user has completed a successful authentication challenge to initially access the device. Hand gesture activity of the user with the device is recorded during current use of an application of the device. The recorded hand gesture activity during current use of an application of the device is compared to previous recorded hand gesture activity during use of the same application of the device by an authorized user to provide a supplemental authentication of the user. When the recorded hand gesture activity does not match the previously recorded hand gesture activity during use of the same application, the use of the application on the device is halted and an additional authentication challenge requiring input from the user is presented to the user.

Claims

1. A method of supplemental authentication based on hand gesture activity of a user with an application of a device computer comprising the steps of:

after a user has completed a successful authentication challenge to initially access at least the device computer,

the device computer recording hand gesture activity of the user during current use of the application of the device computer at a time other than during an authentication challenge provided to the user for user input;

the device computer comparing the recorded hand gesture activity of the user during current use of the application of the device computer at a time other than during an authentication challenge provided to the user for user input to previously recorded hand gesture activity during use of a same application of the device computer to provide a supplemental authentication of the user of the device computer; and

when the recorded hand gesture activity of the user does not match the previously recorded hand gesture activity during use of the same application, the use of the application of the device computer is halted and an additional authentication challenge requiring input from the user is presented to the user; and

when the additional authentication challenge is passed, resuming the use of the application of the device computer for the user, and updating a hand gesture representation associated with the application of the user with the device computer which is used to compare to current user usage of the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the device computer comparing the recorded hand gesture activity of the user during current use of the application of the device computer to previous recorded hand gesture activity during use of the same application of the device computer to provide a supplemental authentication of the user of the device computer, takes place at an interval, wherein a frequency of the interval is determined by an amount of confidential data exposed through use of the application by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the hand gesture activity further comprises common locations in which the user uses the application on the device computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the hand gesture activity further comprises a distance the user holds the device computer from a face of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the hand gesture activity comprises a distance between the fingers of the user when holding the device computer.