Authentication and notification heuristics

• US 9,203,624 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2012
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kelly, Sean B., Cranfill, Elizabeth Caroline Furches, Alsina, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, CHAU D
• Application Number:
  US13/488,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20130326606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 726/7
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1396 specially adapted for monitoring users' activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3228 One-time or temporary data, i.e. information which is sent for every authentication or authorization, e.g. one-time-password, one-time-token or one-time-key
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Server-side authentication of user accounts by using multiple authentication tokens and transmission of update statement to users for updates to applications installed on their devices. Prompting users that updates are available upon determining that a threshold event has occurred and if requisite network and situational conditions exist. Batching and sending notifications or requests for authentications that are required for each application update that is currently ready for download.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

sending, by a server, to a client device, an update statement indicating that an update is newly available for one or more applications on the client device;

determining, by the server, whether a threshold amount of update statements have been received on the client device;

upon determining, by the server, that a threshold amount of update statements have been received on the client device, checking whether a user'"'"'s network preferences are presently supported in the client-side environment; and

upon determining that the user'"'"'s network preferences are presently supported in the client-side environment, sending an instruction to the client device that causes the client device to prompt the user with a dialog box that a batch of updates are available for download and installation, wherein the dialog box requires a response by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a threshold amount of update statements have been received on the client device comprises the server determining whether a requisite number of update statements have been present on the client device for a requisite amount of time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein checking whether a user'"'"'s network preferences are presently supported in the client-side environment comprises the server determining whether the user'"'"'s client device is currently connected to a Wi-Fi network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, upon determining that a user'"'"'s client device is not currently connected to a Wi-Fi network, waiting a predefined amount of time for the client device to connect to a Wi-Fi network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, upon the expiration of the predefined amount of time, causing the client device to utilize a cellular data network for the downloading a batch of updates.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

upon determining that a user'"'"'s client device is not currently connected to a Wi-Fi network, determining, by the server, that at least one update in the batch of updates is important; and

send an instruction to the client device that causes the client device to download the update deemed important despite the update causing the user'"'"'s client device to expend cellular data bandwidth.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing, from the client device, a set of situation preferences defining situations in which interacting with a client device or being interrupted by a prompt is prohibited or unwanted, and

upon determining that the user'"'"'s situational preferences are presently supported in the client-side environment, send an instruction to the client device that causes the client device to prompt a user that a batch of updates are available for download and installation.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the client device is in an idle state; and

sending an instruction to the client device that causes the client device to download the batch of updates.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining that the client device is in an idle state includes receiving an idle notification from the client device, the idle notification indicating that the device has been plugged in for a determined period of time.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication from the client device that a user has chosen to forego a batch of updates, placing the foregone updates on a blacklist of updates, and

ignoring the blacklisted update statements during a subsequent determinations of whether a threshold amount of new update statements have been received on the client device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, by the server, that an update in the batch of updates is critical; and

downloading the update deemed critical despite the indication to forego the update.

12. A network-based application distribution system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory configured to store one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a processes comprising;

sending update statements to a client device when an application installed on the client device has an update added to the applications database;

determining whether a threshold amount of update statements have been received on the client device;

upon determining that a threshold amount of update statements have been received on the client device, checking whether a user'"'"'s network preferences are presently supported in the client device'"'"'s environment; and

upon determining that the user'"'"'s network preferences are presently supported in the client-side environment, sending an instruction to the client device that causes the client device to prompt the user with a dialog box that a batch of updates are available for download and installation, wherein the dialog box requires a response by the user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to determine a state of a client device with respect to variables pertinent to updating applications on the client device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to determine the variable of network connection type comprises at least one of Wi-Fi and cellular.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to determine that at least one update in the batch of updates is sufficiently important, and cause the client device to download the update deemed sufficiently important.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to determine

that a user has configured a password protection scheme to prevent unauthorized operation of the client device receive a report from the client device indicating a successful receipt of a password that satisfies the password protection scheme, and accept the report in substitution for a request for user feedback.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to detect

that the client device is connected to a network known to be a home network and accept the detection of the connection to the home network in substitution for a request for user feedback.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the processors to perform a method, comprising:

sending, by a server, to a client device, an update statement indicating that an update is newly available for one or more applications on the client device;

determining, by the server, whether a threshold amount of update statements have been received on the client device;

upon determining, by the server, that a threshold amount of update statements have been received on the client device, checking whether a user'"'"'s network preferences are presently supported in the client-side environment; and

upon determining that the user'"'"'s network preferences are presently supported in the client-side environment, sending an instruction to the client device that causes the client device to prompt the user with a dialog box that a batch of updates are available for download and installation, wherein the dialog box requires a response by the user.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the processors to determine a state of a client device with respect to variables pertinent to updating applications on the client device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the processors to determine that the variable of network connection type comprises at least one of Wi-Fi and cellular.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the processors to determine that at least one update in the batch of updates is sufficiently important, and causing the client device to download the update deemed sufficiently important.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the processors to determine that a user has configured a password protection scheme to prevent unauthorized operation of the client device, receive a report from the client device indicating a successful receipt of a password that satisfies the password protection scheme, and accept the report in substitution for a request for user feedback.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the processors to detect that the client device is connected to a network known to be a home network and accept the detection of the connection to the home network in substitution for a request for user feedback.