Enhanced device authentication using magnetic declination

• US 10,509,476 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2015
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Mantri, Viraj C., Nyshadham, Shivaramakrishna, Mehrotra, Prateek, Bhasin, Vishal
• Primary Examiner(s): Kabir, Jahangir
• Application Number:
  US14/790,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20170004293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,629 Days
• Field of Search: 726 19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent

Abstract

Techniques described herein may allow for an enhanced authentication of a user of a user device, such as a mobile telephone. Some such techniques may be applicable when transitioning the user device from a locked state to an unlocked state. The user device may determine an orientation associated with the user device (e.g., a magnetic declination, which may be expressed in terms of degrees from north), and may output the direction to an authentication server. The authentication server may determine whether the orientation matches a previously stored orientation, and may indicate to the user device whether the user device should activate a public mode or a private mode. The authentication server may also notify one or more application servers regarding the mode of the user device. In private mode, the presenting, sending, or receiving of certain types of data (e.g., sensitive data) may be restricted.

Claims

1. A user device, comprising:

a display device;

a memory device storing a set of processor-executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the user device to;

present, via the display device, a lock screen indicating that the user device is in a locked state in which a particular application is inaccessible, wherein the lock screen includes;

an option to provide authentication credentials via at least one of;

a personal identification number (“

PIN”

) code,

biometric information associated with the user, or

a swipe pattern, and

a graphical element that displays a direction that the user device is facing;

receive authentication credentials via the lock screen, the receiving including receiving at least one of the PIN, the biometric information, or the swipe pattern;

validate the authentication credentials by validating at least one of the PIN code, the biometric information, or the swipe pattern;

determine a direction that the user device is facing at a time that the validated authentication credentials were received;

determine a sequence of orientations or movements, in three-dimensional space, of the user device;

compare the direction that the user device is facing, at the time the authentication credentials were received, to a previously configured direction associated with a first unlocked mode;

compare the sequence of orientations or movements to a previously configured sequence of orientations or movements associated with the first unlocked mode;

select a particular unlocked mode, between the first unlocked mode or a second unlocked mode, based on;

the comparison of the determined direction, that the user device is facing at the time the authentication credentials were received, to the previously configured direction associated with the first unlocked mode, and

the comparison of the sequence of orientations or movements of the user device,

the selecting including;

selecting the first unlocked mode when the direction that the user device is facing, at the time the authentication credentials were received, matches the previously configured direction associated with a first unlocked mode and when the sequence of orientations or movements matches the previously configured sequence of orientations or movements associated with the first unlocked mode, and

selecting the second unlocked mode when the direction that the user device is facing, at the time the authentication credentials were received, does not match the previously configured direction associated with a first unlocked mode or when the sequence of orientations or movements does not match the previously configured sequence of orientations or movements associated with the first unlocked mode,

wherein the particular application is accessible in both the first unlocked mode and the second unlocked mode,

wherein the second unlocked mode causes the user device, when the user device is in the second unlocked mode, to;

restrict the presenting, sending, or receiving of a first type of data, associated with the particular application, and

forgo restricting the presenting, sending, or receiving of a second type of data, associated with the particular application, and

wherein the first unlocked mode causes the user device to forgo restricting the presenting, sending, or receiving of the first and second types of data, when the user device is in the first unlocked mode; and

exit, after validating the authentication credentials and selecting the particular unlocked mode from between the first and second unlocked modes, the locked state by entering the selected particular unlocked mode and restricting or forgoing the presenting, sending, or receiving of data in accordance with the selected particular unlocked mode.

2. The user device of claim 1, wherein the direction that the user device is facing is based on a magnetic declination of the user device.

3. The user device of claim 1, wherein the lock screen further indicates an orientation of another device that is communicatively coupled to the user device,

wherein the selection between the first unlocked mode or the second unlocked mode is further based on the orientation of the other device at the time that the authentication credentials are received.

4. The user device of claim 2, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions further causes the user device to:

determine a local rotation, in three-dimensional space, of the user device, the local rotation including at least one of yaw, pitch, or roll,

wherein the selection between the first unlocked mode or the second unlocked mode is further based on the local rotation of the user device.

5. The user device of claim 1, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions further causes the user device to:

display, after receiving the authentication credentials, a confirmation screen that indicates which unlocked mode, of the first unlocked mode or the second unlocked mode, is being entered.

6. The user device of claim 5, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to display the confirmation screen, further causes the user device to:

when the direction that the user device is facing matches a preconfigured direction associated with the second unlocked mode, indicate that the direction that the user device is facing matches the preconfigured direction associated with the second unlocked mode, and

when the direction that the user device is facing does not match the preconfigured direction associated with the second unlocked mode, indicate that the direction that the user device is facing does not match the preconfigured direction associated with the second unlocked mode.

7. The user device of claim 1, wherein the sequence of orientations or movements includes at least three distinct orientations or movements of the user device in three-dimensional space.

8. The user device of claim 1, wherein the direction that the user device is facing is a first direction, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions further causes the user device to:

determine, while the lock screen is presented, a second direction that the user device is facing subsequent to the facing the first direction,

wherein the selection between the first and second unlocked modes is further based on whether the first and second directions match a previously stored set of directions associated with the first unlocked mode.

9. A device, comprising:

a memory device storing a set of processor-executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the device to;

receive and store information indicating;

a direction associated with a user device while the user device is in a locked state in which a particular application is inaccessible to a user of the user device, and

a sequence of orientations or movements of the user device, in three-dimensional space;

receive, subsequent to the storing of the information, a request to authenticate the user of a user device,

the request being sent by the user device after the user device has validated a first authentication factor;

the request including, as a second authentication factor;

a particular direction associated with the user device at a time that corresponds to the request to authenticate the user and while the user device is in the locked state, and

a particular sequence of orientations or movements sensed at the user device,

the request being outputted by the user device after the user device has validated a first authentication factor and has displayed the particular direction on a lock screen of the user device while the user device is in the locked state;

compare, based on the request, the particular direction to the stored direction;

compare, based on the request, the particular sequence of orientations or movements sensed at the user device to the stored sequence of orientations or movements;

select a particular unlocked mode, out of a set of modes that includes a first unlocked mode and a second unlocked mode, based on whether the particular direction matches the stored direction and whether the particular sequence of orientations or movements matches the stored sequence of orientations or movements, wherein the selection of the particular mode includes;

selecting the first unlocked mode when the particular direction matches the stored direction and when the particular sequence of orientations or movements sensed at the user device matches the stored sequence of orientations or movements, and

selecting the second unlocked mode when the particular direction does not match the stored direction or when the particular sequence of orientations or movements sensed at the user device does not match the stored sequence of orientations or movements; and

output, to the user device, a response that indicates the selected particular mode, out of the set of modes,

the response causing the user device to enter either the selected particular unlocked mode indicated in the response,

wherein when the selected particular unlocked mode is the second first unlocked mode, entering the selected particular unlocked mode causes the user device to;

restrict the presenting, sending, or receiving of a first type of information, associated with the particular application, and

forgo restricting the presenting, sending, or receiving of a second type of information, associated with the particular application, and

wherein when the selected particular unlocked mode is the first unlocked mode, entering the selected particular unlocked mode causes the user device to forgo restricting the presenting, sending, or receiving of the first and second types of information, associated with the particular application.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the request further includes information identifying the particular application associated with the user device, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions further causes the device to:

output, to a server device associated with the particular application and based on the comparing, a notification regarding whether the particular direction matches the stored direction,

wherein the server device is a separate device from the user device.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein when the notification, outputted to the server device, indicates that the particular direction does not match the stored direction, the server device is restricted from sending the first type of information to the user device but is permitted to send the second type of information to the user device.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein when the notification, outputted to the server device, indicates that the particular sequence of orientations or movements does not match the stored sequence of orientations or movements, the server device is restricted from sending the first type of information to the user device but is permitted to send the second type of information to the user device.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the direction associated with the user device is based on an orientation of another device communicatively coupled to the user device.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the orientation of the other device includes at least one of:

a magnetic declination of the other device, or

a local rotation of the other device.

15. A method, comprising:

storing, by a device, information indicating;

a direction associated with a user device, and

a sequence of orientations or movements, in three-dimensional space, associated with the user device;

receiving, subsequent to the storing of the information, an authentication request from the user device,

the authentication request including, as a second authentication factor;

a particular direction associated with the user device at a time that corresponds to the authentication request, and

a particular sequence of orientations or movements sensed at the user device,

the authentication request being received from the user device after the user device has validated a first authentication factor and has displayed the particular direction on a lock screen of the user device while the user device was in a locked state in which a particular application is inaccessible to a user of the user device;

comparing, based on the request, the particular direction to the stored direction;

comparing, based on the request, the particular sequence of orientations or movements sensed at the user device to the stored sequence of orientations or movements;

selecting a particular unlocked mode, out of a set modes that includes a first unlocked mode and a second unlocked mode, based on whether the particular direction matches the stored direction and whether the particular sequence of orientations or movements matches the stored sequence of orientations or movements, the selecting including;

selecting the first unlocked mode when the particular direction matches the stored direction and when the particular sequence of orientations or movements sensed at the user device matches the stored sequence of orientations or movements, and

selecting the second unlocked mode when the particular direction does not match the stored direction or when the particular sequence of orientations or movements sensed at the user device does not match the stored sequence of orientations or movements; and

outputting, to the user device, a response that indicates the selected particular mode, out of the set of modes,

the response causing the user device to enter the selected particular unlocked mode indicated in the response,

wherein when the selected particular unlocked mode is the second unlocked mode, entering the selected particular unlocked mode causes the user device to;

restrict the presenting, sending, or receiving of a first type of information, associated with the particular application, and

forgo restricting the presenting, sending, or receiving of a second type of information, associated with the particular application, and

wherein when the selected particular unlocked mode is the first unlocked mode, entering the selected particular unlocked mode causes the user device to forgo restricting the presenting, sending, or receiving of the first and second types of information, associated with the particular application.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the request further includes information identifying the particular application associated with the user device, the method further comprising:

outputting, to a server device associated with the particular application and based on the comparing, a notification regarding whether the particular direction matches the stored direction,

wherein the server device is a separate device from the user device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein when the notification, outputted to the server device, indicates that the particular direction does not match the stored direction, the server device is restricted from sending the first type of information to the user device but is permitted to send the second type of information to the user device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein when the notification, outputted to the server device, indicates that the particular sequence of orientations or movements does not match the stored sequence of orientations or movements, the server device is restricted from sending the first type of information to the user device but is permitted to send the second type of information to the user device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the stored direction comprises a range of directions.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the particular direction is a magnetic declination associated with the user device.