Determining human stimuli at computing devices

• US 9,147,065 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gogo Business Aviation LLC (GOGO Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gogo LLC (GOGO Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lauer, Bryan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman, Brandon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ambaye, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US13/781,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20140250502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 726/5, 726/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha

Abstract

Techniques for granting access to an application or service based on a detected human stimulus at a computing device include detecting a stimulus that is generated by an external entity and independent of a CAPTCHA or CAPTCHA-like challenge. If the stimulus is included in a set of human stimuli, access to the application or service may be granted. Otherwise, access may be denied. The detected stimulus may be ad-hoc, or may be a response to an explicit challenge other than a CAPTCHA or CAPTCHA-like challenge. A background application may continuously test over time for ad-hoc stimuli that are consistent with a human presence, and may maintain or deny access accordingly. The detected stimulus may include changes in states of components of the computing device that are related to spatial orientation and/or location. Access to the application or service may be granted/denied based on the detected stimulus and an additional criteria.

Claims

1. A method of granting access to an application or service based on a detected human stimulus, comprising:

detecting, at a computing device of a user on-board an aircraft, an externally generated stimulus, the externally generated stimulus being a response to a contextual challenge issued at a user interface of the computing device, a content of the contextual challenge being contextual to the aircraft and suitable to determine if the externally generated stimulus is applied by a human and not by another computing device;

determining, at the computing device, if the externally generated stimulus is included in a set of suitable responses to the contextual challenge; and

causing, by the computing device, access to an application or service to be granted based on the determination that the externally generated stimulus is included in the set of suitable responses to the contextual challenge.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the contextual challenge is a first challenge; and

causing access to the application or service to be granted based on the determination that the externally generated stimulus is included in the set of suitable responses to the contextual challenge comprises causing access to the application or service to be granted based on (i) the determination that the externally generated stimulus is included in the set of suitable responses to the contextual challenge, and (ii) a reception of a suitable response to a second challenge.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein one of:

the second challenge is an explicit challenge issued by the computing device;

or

the second challenge is not an explicit challenge issued by the computing device and the suitable response to the second challenge is an ad-hoc stimulus.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the second challenge is a second contextual challenge issued by the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the access to the application or service to be granted comprises causing access to be granted to a first application or service that is in communicative connection with a second application or service stored on a second computing device, the second computing device being fixedly connected to a vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the response to the contextual challenge having the content that is contextual to the aircraft comprises detecting a response to a challenge having a content that is contextual to at least one of:

a flight of the aircraft, the user being on-board the aircraft, or the application or service being on-board the aircraft.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

detecting the response to the challenge having the content that is contextual to the flight of the aircraft comprises detecting a response to a request for at least one of a flight number, a departure airport, or an arrival airport of the aircraft;

detecting the response to the challenge having a content that is contextual to the user being on-board the aircraft comprises detecting a response to a request for at least one of a seat number assigned to the user or a flight record locator number assigned to the user; and

detecting the response to the challenge having the content that is contextual to the application or service being on-board the aircraft comprises detecting a response to a request for a name of an in-flight wireless network, wherein the name of the in-flight wireless network at least one of;

changes for different flights, or is made available only while the aircraft is aloft.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the user interface is a first user interface; and

the ad-hoc stimulus comprises at least one of a change in a spatial orientation of the mobile device or a user input at the first user interface or a second user interface of the mobile device.

7. A system for granting access to an application or service based on a detected human stimulus, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium or media;

machine readable instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium or media that, when executed by a processor, cause the system to;

receive an indication of a detection of an externally generated stimulus at a mobile device operated by a user on-board an aircraft, the externally generated stimulus being a response to a contextual challenge issued at the mobile device, a content of the contextual challenge being contextual to the aircraft and suitable to determine if the externally generated stimulus is applied by a human and not by another computing device;

determine whether or not the externally generated stimulus is included in a set of suitable responses to the contextual challenge;

cause access to an application or service to be granted when the externally generated stimulus is determined to be included in the set of suitable responses to the contextual challenge; and

cause access to the application or service to be denied when the externally generated stimulus is determined to be not included in the set of suitable responses to the contextual challenge.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the mobile device is a first computing device, and wherein at least one of:

at least a portion of the non-transitory computer readable storage medium or media is included in the mobile device, or at least a portion of the non-transitory computer readable storage medium or media is included in a second computing device in communicative connection with the mobile device.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium or media is included in the mobile device, and wherein at least a portion of the machine readable instructions are downloaded to the mobile device.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the mobile device is a first computing device, and wherein at least a portion of the non-transitory computer readable storage medium or media is included in a second computing device in communicative connection with the mobile device, and at least a subset of the portion of the machine readable instructions are executed as at least a part of the application or service.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the mobile device is a first computing device, and wherein the application or service stored on the mobile device is a first application or service in communicative connection with a second application or service on a second computing device.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the contextual challenge having the content that is contextual to the aircraft comprises a request for information contextual to a flight of the aircraft.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the information contextual to the flight of the aircraft includes at least one of:

a flight number, a departure airport, or an arrival airport of the aircraft.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein the contextual challenge having the content that is contextual to the aircraft comprises a request for information contextual to the user being on-board the aircraft.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the information contextual to the user being on-board the aircraft includes at least one of:

a seat number assigned to the user or a flight record locator number assigned to the user.

19. The system of claim 7, wherein the contextual challenge having the content that is contextual to the aircraft comprises a request for information contextual to the application or service being on-board the aircraft.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the information contextual to the application or service being on-board the aircraft includes a name of an in-flight wireless network, wherein the name of the in-flight wireless network at least one of:

changes for different flights, or is made available only while the aircraft is aloft.