AUTHENTICATING A MOBILE DEVICE BASED ON GEOLOCATION AND USER CREDENTIAL
First Claim
1. A method of authenticating a user to operate a mobile device, comprising steps of:
- (a) the mobile device determining its geographic location;
(b) comparing the determined geographic location to information defining one or more locations of permitted operation of the mobile device, stored in the mobile device, to determine whether or not the mobile device is at a location of permitted operation;
(c) only upon determining that the mobile device is at a location of permitted operation, the mobile device generating a prompt to the user to enter credential information into the mobile device;
(d) receiving input of credential information into the mobile device from the user; and
(e) permitting user access to operate the mobile device only upon a match of the input credential information to credential information of a valid user, stored in the mobile device.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Mobile devices provide security based on geographic location. With such a technique, a mobile device may automatically check its current location against geographic information as to the location(s) in which it is permitted to operate. When the user attempts access to the device, the mobile device will prompt the user for his/her credential only if the geographic location matches an allowed location. The user gains access then by inputting information corresponding to the credential, e.g. username and password, of a valid user. In the examples, if the geographic location does not match an allowed location, the mobile device provides a warning to the user, and the user is not allowed to enter any credential information. Optionally, the mobile device may send an alert message about the device being taken outside a specified boundary, e.g. to report the situation to other personnel.
67 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of authenticating a user to operate a mobile device, comprising steps of:
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(a) the mobile device determining its geographic location; (b) comparing the determined geographic location to information defining one or more locations of permitted operation of the mobile device, stored in the mobile device, to determine whether or not the mobile device is at a location of permitted operation; (c) only upon determining that the mobile device is at a location of permitted operation, the mobile device generating a prompt to the user to enter credential information into the mobile device; (d) receiving input of credential information into the mobile device from the user; and (e) permitting user access to operate the mobile device only upon a match of the input credential information to credential information of a valid user, stored in the mobile device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A mobile device, comprising:
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a user interface for outputting information to a user of the mobile device and for receiving inputs from the mobile device user; a programmable processor coupled to the user interface; at least one storage device accessible by the processor, for storing programming for execution by the processor and data for processing by the processor, wherein at least some of the programming configures the processor to enable the mobile device to perform functions for authenticating the user to operate the mobile device, comprising functions to; (a) determine geographic location of the mobile device; (b) compare the determined geographic location to information defining one or more locations of permitted operation of the mobile device, stored in the at least one storage device, to determine whether or not the mobile device is at a location of permitted operation; (c) only upon determining that the mobile device is at a location of permitted operation, generate a prompt via the user interface to the user prompting the user to enter credential information; (d) receive input of credential information from the user via the user interface; and (e) permit user access to operate the mobile device only upon a match of the input credential information to credential information of a valid user, stored in the at least one storage device. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An article of manufacture, comprising:
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a machine readable storage medium; and programming stored on the medium for execution by a programmable processor of a mobile device, wherein execution of the programming configures the processor to enable the mobile device to perform functions for authenticating a user to operate the mobile device, comprising functions to; (a) determine geographic location of the mobile device; (b) compare the determined geographic location to information defining one or more locations of permitted operation of the mobile device, stored in at least one storage of the mobile device, to determine whether or not the mobile device is at a location of permitted operation; (c) only upon determining that the mobile device is at a location of permitted operation, generate a prompt via the user interface to the user prompting the user to enter credential information; (d) receive input of credential information from the user via a user interface of the mobile device; and (e) permit user access to operate the mobile device only upon a match of the input credential information to credential information of a valid user, stored in the at least one storage. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification