Dual microphone voice authentication for mobile device

• US 8,676,579 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Hymel, James Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): GUERRA-ERAZO, EDGAR X
• Application Number:
  US13/459,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20130289999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 704/235, 704/243, 704/246, 704/247, 704/251, 704/252, 704/270, 704/270.1, 704/275
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/20 Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic H04R2203/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A method of authenticating a user of a mobile device having a first microphone and a second microphone, the method comprising receiving voice input from the user at the first and second microphones, determining a position of the user relative to the mobile device based on the voice input received by the first and second microphones, and authenticating the user based on the position of the user.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating a user of a mobile device having a first microphone and a second microphone, the method comprising:

receiving voice input from the user at the first and second microphones;

determining a position of the user relative to the mobile device based on the voice input received by the first and second microphones; and

authenticating the user based on the position of the user.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein determining the position comprises computing a time-of-arrival difference for the voice input received at the first and second microphones.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising receiving user input to define an authentication zone within which the voice input will be authenticated.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 further comprising displaying the authentication zone that has been defined by the user.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3 further comprising:

receiving multiple voice inputs over a predetermined period of time;

determining an average authentication position;

automatically defining the authentication zone; and

displaying the authentication zone to the user.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, in response to the mobile device determining that the position of the user does not match an authentication zone, displaying an indication that a zone corresponding to the position of the user when the voice input was received does not match the authentication zone to thereby guide the user to provide further voice input in a new position relative to the mobile device.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions in code which when loaded into a memory and executed by a processor of a mobile device cause the mobile device to perform acts of:

receiving voice input from the user at the first and second microphones;

determining a position of the user relative to the mobile device based on the voice input received by the first and second microphones; and

authenticating the user based on the position of the user.

8. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 7 wherein determining the position comprises computing a time-of-arrival difference for the voice input received at the first and second microphones.

9. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 7 further comprising receiving user input to define an authentication zone within which the voice input will be authenticated.

10. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 9 further comprising displaying the authentication zone that has been defined by the user.

11. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 9 further comprising code for further causing the device to perform acts of:

receiving multiple voice inputs over a predetermined period of time;

determining an average authentication position;

automatically defining the authentication zone; and

displaying the authentication zone to the user.

12. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 7 further comprising, in response to the mobile device determining that the position of the user does not match an authentication zone, displaying an indication that a zone corresponding to the position of the user when the voice input was received does not match the authentication zone to thereby guide the user to provide further voice input in a new position relative to the mobile device.

13. A mobile device comprising:

first and second microphones for receiving voice input from a user of the mobile device; and

a processor operatively coupled to a memory for determining a position of the user relative to the mobile device based on the voice input received at the first and second microphones and for authenticating the user based on the position of the user.

14. The mobile device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the processor is configured to compute a time-of-arrival difference for the voice input received at the first and second microphones.

15. The mobile device as claimed in claim 13 comprising a user input device for receiving user input to define an authentication zone within which the voice input will be authenticated.

16. The mobile device as claimed in claim 13 comprising a display for displaying the authentication zone that has been defined by the user.

17. The mobile device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the processor is configured to determine an average authentication position based on multiple voice inputs received over a predetermined period of time, to automatically define the authentication zone based on the average authentication position, and to display the authentication zone to the user.

18. The mobile device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the processor is configured to determine if the position matches an authentication zone and, in response to the processor determining that the position of the user does not match an authentication zone, causes a display of the mobile device to present an indication that a zone corresponding to the position of the user when the voice input was received does not match the authentication zone to thereby guide the user to provide further voice input in a new position relative to the mobile device.