Accelerometer-Based Biometric Data

• US 20140160003A1
• Filed: 12/10/2012
• Published: 06/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Follis, Benjamin D., Griffin, Dennis E.
• Granted Patent: US 11,194,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 21/30 Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
• 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 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• 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: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information

Abstract

A user can provide input to a device in a 2-dimensional manner (such as by entering the data using a stylus or finger to apply pressure to a touchscreen) or in a 3-dimensional manner (such as by moving the device in 3-dimensional space). While the user input is being received, biometric data in the form of accelerometer data is collected. The accelerometer data indicates an amount of force applied in each of one or more directions over time. The collected accelerometer data thus provides an indication of the manner in which the device was moved, whether intentionally or unintentionally, while the user input was being received. The collected accelerometer data can be used in various manners, such as to verify the user input, as a signature of the user, as an authentication value to access a service or device, and so forth.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a user input at a device;

collecting, at the device, accelerometer data that identifies movement of the device while receiving the user input at the device; and

storing the accelerometer data as associated with the user input.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, receiving the user input comprising receiving a signature of the user.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, the receiving the signature comprising receiving the signature in 2-dimensional space via a touchscreen of the device, and the collecting accelerometer data comprising collecting accelerometer data identifying movement of the device in 3-dimensional space.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, the collecting accelerometer data comprising collecting the accelerometer data at fixed intervals.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, the collecting accelerometer data comprising collecting the accelerometer data in response to a force along one or more axes of the device changing by at least a threshold amount.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, the storing the accelerometer data comprising embedding the accelerometer data in a document.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising embedding user input data for the user input in the document.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, the receiving the user input comprising receiving a user input that is an authentication value to access a service, the method further comprising providing the accelerometer data to a verification system to determine whether the user is permitted to access the service.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, the collecting accelerometer data that identifies movement of the device comprising collecting accelerometer data that identifies an amount of force applied along each of multiple axes of the device.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, the receiving the user input comprising receiving the user input in 2-dimensional space via the device.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, the collecting accelerometer data comprising collecting accelerometer data identifying inadvertent movement of the device in 3-dimensional space.

12. A method comprising:

identifying movement, in 3-dimensional space, of a device by a user;

collecting, at the device, accelerometer data that identifies the movement of the device in 3-dimensional space; and

storing the collected accelerometer data as a signature of the user.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, the identifying movement of the device comprising identifying a tracing in 3-dimensional space of a pre-defined shape to be used as the signature of the user.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, the storing comprising storing the collected device movement data for use as the signature of the user on multiple documents.

15. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising providing the collected accelerometer data to a verification system for verification of the signature.

16. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising

identifying additional movement of the device in 3-dimensional space;

checking whether the additional movement of the device is a tracing of a pre-defined shape; and

allowing access to a document to be signed by the user only if the additional movement of the device is a tracing of the pre-defined shape.

17. A device comprising:

a user input module configured to receive a user input to the device;

one or more accelerometers configured to generate accelerometer data that identifies movement of the device while receiving the user input; and

an accelerometer data collection module configured to record the accelerometer data as associated with the user input.

18. A device as recited in claim 17, further comprising a verification module configured to use the accelerometer data as an authentication value to log into the device, and to permit access to log into the device based on whether verification data for the accelerometer data is verified.

19. A device as recited in claim 17, further comprising a verification module configured to use the accelerometer data as an authentication value to access a document, and to permit access to the document based on whether verification data for the accelerometer data is verified.

20. A device as recited in claim 17, further comprising an interface configured to provide, to an online service, the accelerometer data as an authentication value to access the online service.

21. A device as recited in claim 17, further comprising an accelerometer data store, the accelerometer data collection module being configured to record the accelerometer data as associated with the user input by storing the accelerometer data and the associated user input in the accelerometer data store.

22. A device as recited in claim 17, the one or more accelerometers being further configured to generate the accelerometer data that identifies movement of the device in 3-dimensional space.

23. A device as recited in claim 17, the one or more accelerometers being configured to generate as accelerometer data an amount of force applied along each of one or more axes of the device at particular points in time.