Systems and methods for automatically logging into a user account

• US 9,380,039 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wildermuth, Sebastian Schnorf, Wos, Adam, Battre, Dominic Pascal, Lora Plata, Felipe Andres, Heimann, Tom, Jessen, Johan Ulrich Lewin, Micklitz, Stephan
• Primary Examiner(s): Desrosiers, Evans
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRACIA, GARY S
• Application Number:
  US13/843,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 726/7
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/65 Environment-dependent, e.g. using captured environmental data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Systems and methods for automatically logging into a user account are described, including receiving, using a device, data from an external source or from two or more sources comprising an internal source and another source, wherein the external source is not a user; determining, using the device, that at least a portion of received data is new data; and based on the received data, automatically logging in, from the device, to an account of the user.

Claims

1. A device-implemented method for automatically logging into a user account, comprising:

receiving, using a device, data from an external source that comprises data originated external to the device or from two or more sources comprising an internal source that comprises data originated internal to the device and another source, wherein the external source is not a user;

determining, using the device and without the user providing an instruction, that a new context associated with a physical computing environment of the user exists, based on at least a portion of received data being new data;

providing a user interface to select at least one recommendation that associates the determined new context with the automatically logging into the user account;

adapting the at least one recommendation based on a learned online services access pattern associated with historical access to online services by the user at the physical computing environment of the user; and

based on a response to the at least one recommendation received via the user interface, automatically logging in, from the device, to the user account without being initiated by the user; and

providing the user with an option to edit settings and the detected context to fine tune the automatically logging into the account, the providing comprising;

providing the user with an option to indicate that the automatic logging into the account should be performed and to discontinue the prompting of the user;

setting a flag that provides an indication to perform the automatically logging into the account when the context is detected; and

without providing the user with a user interface, performing the automatically logging into the account when the context is detected, based on the value of the flag; and

receiving information from the user that an indication of presence of another user physically located at a physical information environment of the user is the new context so as to perform the determining, and performing the providing the at least one recommendation based on the detection of the presence.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface further includes an input control configured for the user to provide feedback information to the device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically logging off another account of a user from the device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a request to log off the account from another device that is associated with the computing environment of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the account is an online account associated with at least an email service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data are from the two or more sources, the data includes time information from the internal source and action information from the another source, and the time information is the new data that represents a time associated with the account, and wherein the automatically logging into the account is further based on the action information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically logging into the account is further based on a setting indicating allowing automatically logging in.

8. The device-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing one or more questions to the user associated with the online services access patterns to generate a teaching by the user so that the device learns to provide the at least one recommendation if the new context is detected in the future, or learns that the new context requires additional or different data based on the teaching by the user being associated with answers to the series of questions.

9. The device-implemented method of claim 1, wherein when the at least one recommendation is determined by the user to not be correct, the device learns to not provide the at least one recommendation in the future.

10. The device-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one recommendation is fine-tuned by providing one or more questions to the user associated with a deviation in a context or a change in a proposed action, and teaching the device the context and accuracy of a detected context based on answers to the one or more questions.

11. The device-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the indication of presence comprises information from the user that a detection of audible sound of a voice of the another user physically located at the physical information environment of the user is the new context.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein computer executable instructions for:

receiving, using a device, data from an external source that comprises data originated external to the device or from two or more sources comprising an internal source that comprises data originated internal to the device and another source, wherein the external source is not a user;

determining, using the device and without the user providing an instruction, that a new context associated with a physical computing environment of the user exists, based on at least a portion of received data being new data;

providing a user interface to select at least one recommendation that associates the determined new context with the automatically logging into the user account;

adapting the at least one recommendation based on a learned online services access pattern associated with historical access to online services by the user at the physical computing environment of the user; and

based on a response to the at least one recommendation received via the user interface, automatically logging in, from the device, to the user account without being initiated by the user; and

providing the user with an option to edit settings and the detected context to fine tune the automatically logging into the account, the providing comprising;

providing the user with an option to indicate that the automatic logging into the account should be performed and to discontinue the prompting of the user;

setting a flag that provides an indication to perform the automatically logging into the account when the context is detected; and

without providing the user with a user interface, performing the automatically logging into the account when the context is detected, based on the value of the flag; and

receiving information from the user that an indication of presence of another user physically located at a physical information environment of the user is the new context so as to perform the determining, and performing the providing the at least one recommendation based on the detection of the presence.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the data are from the external source, the data comprise proximity data and the new data that represents a degree of physical closeness between the device associated with the account and another device in the computing environment of the user.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the data are from the two or more sources, the data includes gesture information from the internal source and calendar information from the another source, and the gesture information is the new data that represents a gesture associated with the account, and wherein the automatically logging into the account is further based on the calendar information.

15. At least one computing device comprising storage and a processor configured to perform:

receiving, using a device, data from an external source that comprises data originated external to the device or from two or more sources comprising an internal source that comprises data originated internal to the device and another source, wherein the external source is not a user;

determining, using the device and without the user providing an instruction, that a new context associated with a physical computing environment of the user exists, based on at least a portion of received data being new data;

providing a user interface to select at least one recommendation that associates the determined new context with the automatically logging into the user account;

adapting the at least one recommendation based on a learned online services access pattern associated with historical access to online services by the user at the physical computing environment of the user; and

based on a response to the at least one recommendation received via the user interface, automatically logging in, from the device, to the user account without being initiated by the user; and

providing the user with an option to edit settings and the detected context to fine tune the automatically logging into the account, the providing comprising;

providing the user with an option to indicate that the automatic logging into the account should be performed and to discontinue the prompting of the user;

setting a flag that provides an indication to perform the automatically logging into the account when the context is detected; and

without providing the user with a user interface, performing the automatically logging into the account when the context is detected, based on the value of the flag; and

receiving information from the user that an indication of presence of another user physically located at a physical information environment of the user is the new context so as to perform the determining, and performing the providing the at least one recommendation based on the detection of the presence.

16. The at least one computing device of claim 15, wherein the account is an online account associated with a plurality of services comprise an email service.

17. The at least one computing device of claim 15, wherein the data are from the external source, the data comprise at least one of audio and camera data, and the new data that represents at least one of a sound, image and video associated with the account.