METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20150082406A1
• Filed: 09/19/2013
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Park, Min-Kyu, Kim, Taesu, Yun, Sungrack, Hwang, Kyu Woong, Cho, Jun-Cheol
• Granted Patent: US 9,769,160 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• 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 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/33 using wearable devices, e.g. using a smartwatch or smart-glasses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent

Abstract

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling access to a plurality of electronic devices is disclosed. The method includes detecting whether a first device is in contact with a user, adjusting a security level of the first device to activate the first device when the first device is in contact with the user, detecting at least one second device within a communication range of the first device, and adjusting a security level of the at least one second device to control access to the at least one second device based on a distance between the first device and the at least one second device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling access to a plurality of electronic devices, the method comprising:

detecting whether a first device is in contact with a user;

adjusting a security level of the first device to activate the first device when the first device is in contact with the user;

detecting at least one second device within a communication range of the first device; and

adjusting a security level of the at least one second device to control access to the at least one second device based on a distance between the first device and the at least one second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting whether the first device is in contact with the user comprises detecting an input to unlock the first device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is a wearable device and wherein detecting whether the first device is in contact with the user comprises detecting whether the wearable device is worn by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device includes an accelerometer and wherein detecting whether the first device is in contact with the user comprises detecting, by the accelerometer, a motion of the first device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the at least one second device comprises detecting the at least one second device having a same user identification code as a user identification code of the first device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the security level of the first device comprises unlocking the first device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the security level of the first device and the at least one second device when the first device is no longer in contact with the user for a first time.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein adjusting the security level of the first device and the at least one second device comprises locking the first device and the at least one second device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the security level of the at least one second device comprises lowering the security level of the at least one second device that is located within a first distance of the first device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein lowering the security level of the at least one second device comprises unlocking the at least one second device that is located within the first distance of the first device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the security level of the at least one second device comprises increasing the security level of the at least one second device that is located beyond a first distance of the first device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein increasing the security level of the at least one second device comprises locking the at least one second device that is located beyond the first distance of the first device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the security level of the at least one second device comprises generating a notification indicating that the security level of the at least one second device is adjusted.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring a first distance between the first device and the at least one second device; and

adjusting the security level of the at least one second device based on the first distance.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein adjusting the security level of the at least one second device based on the first distance comprises locking the at least one second device based on the first distance.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the distance between the first device and the at least one second device is determined based on a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the distance between the first device and the at least one second device is determined based on an ultrasound signal.

18. An electronic device, comprising:

a user detection unit configured to detect whether the electronic device is in contact with a user;

a device managing unit configured to detect at least one first device within a communication range from the electronic device and determine a distance between the electronic device and the at least one first device; and

a security managing unit configured to adjust a security level of the electronic device to activate the electronic device when the electronic device is in contact with the user and adjust a security level of the at least one first device to control access to the at least one first device based on the distance between the electronic device and the at least one first device.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the user detection unit is further configured to detect an input to unlock the electronic device.

20. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the electronic device is a wearable device and the user detection unit is further configured to detect whether the wearable device is worn by the user.

21. The electronic device of claim 18, further comprising an accelerometer configured to receive a motion input of the electronic device,

wherein the user detection unit is further configured to detect whether the electronic device is in contact with the user based on the motion input from the accelerometer.

22. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the device managing unit is further configured to detect the at least one first device having a same user identification code as a user identification code of the electronic device.

23. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the security managing unit is further configured to unlock the electronic device.

24. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the user detection unit is further configured to detect whether the electronic device is no longer in contact with the user for a first time.

25. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the security managing unit is further configured to adjust the security level of the electronic device and the at least one first device when the electronic device is no longer in contact with the user for the first time.

26. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the security managing unit is further configured to lower the security level of the at least one first device that is located within a first distance of the electronic device.

27. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the security managing unit is further configured to increase the security level of the at least one first device that is located beyond a first distance of the electronic device.

28. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the security managing unit is further configured to generate a notification indicating that the security level of the at least one first device is adjusted.

29. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the device managing unit is further configured to determine the distance between the electronic device and the at least one first device based on an RSSI.

30. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the device managing unit is further configured to determine the distance between the electronic device and the at least one first device based on an ultrasound signal.

31. An electronic device, comprising:

means for detecting whether the electronic device is in contact with a user;

means for adjusting a security level of the electronic device to activate the electronic device when the electronic device is in contact with the user;

means for detecting at least one first device within a communication range of the electronic device; and

means for adjusting a security level of the at least one first device to control access to the at least one first device based on a distance between the electronic device and the at least one first device.

32. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the means for detecting whether the electronic device is in contact with the user is configured to detect an input to unlock the electronic device.

33. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the electronic device is a wearable device and the means for detecting whether the electronic device is in contact with the user is configured to detect whether the wearable device is worn by the user.

34. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the means for adjusting the security level of the electronic device is configured to unlock the electronic device.

35. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the means for detecting whether the electronic device is in contact with the user is configured to detect whether the electronic device is no longer in contact with the user for a first time.

36. The electronic device of claim 35, wherein the means for adjusting the security level of the electronic device is further configured to adjust the security level of the electronic device when the electronic device is no longer in contact with the user for the first time.

37. The electronic device of claim 35, wherein the means for adjusting the security level of the at least one first device is further configured to adjust the security level of the at least one first device when the electronic device is no longer in contact with the user for the first time.

38. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the means for adjusting the security level of the at least one first device is configured to lower the security level of the at least one first device that is located within a first distance of the electronic device.

39. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the means for adjusting the security level of the at least one first device is configured to increase the security level of the at least one first device that is located beyond a first distance of the electronic device.

40. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for controlling access to a plurality of electronic devices, the instructions causing a processor of an electronic device to perform the operations of:

detecting whether a first device is in contact with a user;

adjusting a security level of the first device to activate the first device when the first device is in contact with the user;

detecting at least one second device within a communication range of the first device; and

adjusting a security level of the at least one second device to control access to the at least one second device based on a distance between the first device and the at least one second device.

41. The storage medium of claim 40, wherein detecting whether the first device is in contact with the user comprises detecting an input to unlock the first device.

42. The storage medium of claim 40, wherein the first device is a wearable device and wherein detecting whether the first device is in contact with the user comprises detecting whether the wearable device is worn by the user.

43. The storage medium of claim 40, wherein adjusting the security level of the first device comprises unlocking the first device.

44. The storage medium of claim 40, wherein the instructions further comprise adjusting the security level of the first device and the at least one second device when the first device is no longer in contact with the user for a first time.

45. The storage medium of claim 40, wherein adjusting the security level of the at least one second device comprises lowering the security level of the at least one second device that is located within a first distance of the first device.

46. The storage medium of claim 40, wherein adjusting the security level of the at least one second device comprises increasing the security level of the at least one second device that is located beyond a first distance of the first device.