DIRECTIONAL TOUCH UNLOCKING FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20150242613A1
• Filed: 05/13/2015
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: KUSCHER, Alexander Friedrich, WARR, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,626,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• 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 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent

Abstract

A system and machine-implemented method for matching input gestures on a touch interface to a security pattern to allow user access to an electronic device or account. The security pattern may correspond to a combination of linear and non-linear input gestures relating to directional changes of the input gestures. A determination of the security pattern may be based on the end motion and speed of each input gesture.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, an input pattern from a touch based input device without providing a visual display of the input pattern, the input pattern comprising one or more directional changes corresponding to directional changes of user gestures made on the input device with a plurality of fingers;

determining, by one or more processors, if the directional changes of the input pattern match directional changes of a security pattern associated with a user'"'"'s security profile; and

providing an unlock signal if the directional changes of the input pattern match the directional changes of the security pattern, the unlock signal granting user access to a user device or a user account.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the security pattern is a compilation of input measurements corresponding to the user gestures made on a touch interface, the input measurements comprising the direction and speed of the end movement of each user gesture.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determining if the directional changes of the input pattern match the directional changes of the security pattern is based on a speed of one or more of the user gestures.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determining if the directional changes of the input pattern matches the directional changes of the security pattern is based on an end movement and a speed of one or more of the user gestures.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a portion of the security pattern corresponds to at least one linear user gesture.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a portion of the security pattern corresponds to at least one non-linear user gesture.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising activating a focus on field function on the touch based input device to configure the touch based input device to receive the input pattern formed by using a predetermined number of fingers.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the touch based input device is a track pad associated with a computing device.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, if a user'"'"'s biometric input matches a biometric pattern in the user'"'"'s security profile; and

providing the unlock signal if the biometric input matches the biometric pattern.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, a second input pattern from the touch based input device, the second input pattern comprising one or more directional changes corresponding to directional changes of user gestures made on the input device;

determining, by the one or more processors, if the directional changes of the second input pattern match directional changes of a second security pattern associated with the user'"'"'s security profile; and

providing a second unlock signal if the directional changes of the second input pattern match the directional changes of the second security pattern, the second unlock signal granting user access to a secure feature on the user device.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein the security pattern and the second security pattern are different.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein the second input pattern is formed on the input device using a different number of fingers than for the input pattern.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, if the plurality of fingers matches a predetermined number of fingers; and

providing the unlock signal if the plurality of fingers matches the predetermined number of fingers.

14. A computing device comprising:

a touch based input device configured to receive a plurality of user gestures without providing a visual display of the user gestures;

a memory configured to store a security pattern; and

one or more processors configured to determine that the user gestures comprise an input pattern based on the user gestures being made with a plurality of fingers, to determine a match between the input pattern and the security pattern associated with a user'"'"'s security profile, and to generate an unlock signal when a match between the input pattern and the security pattern is determined.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to associate directional changes of the user gestures with the input pattern.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the determining the match comprises determining a match between the directional changes associated with the input pattern and directional changes associated with the security pattern.

17. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the touch based input device is configured to receive a plurality of second user gestures, the second user gestures comprising a second input pattern, wherein a second unlock signal is generated when a match between the second input pattern and a second security pattern stored in the memory is determined, the second unlock signal granting user access to a secure feature on the user device not made accessible by the first unlock signal.

18. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine if the plurality of fingers matches a predetermined number of fingers and to provide the unlock signal if the plurality of fingers matches the predetermined number of fingers.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising machine readable instructions for causing a processor to execute a method for unlocking an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, an input pattern from a touch based input device without providing a visual display of the input pattern, the input pattern comprising one or more directional changes corresponding to directional changes of user gestures made on the input device with a plurality of fingers;

determining, by one or more processors, if the directional changes of the input pattern match directional changes of a security pattern associated with a user'"'"'s security profile, wherein the security pattern is a compilation of input measurements corresponding to the user gestures made on a touch interface; and

providing an unlock signal if the directional changes of the input pattern match the directional changes of the security pattern, the unlock signal granting user access to a user device or a user account.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, if the plurality of fingers matches a predetermined number of fingers; and

providing the unlock signal if the plurality of fingers matches the predetermined number of fingers.