Securing content using a wireless authentication factor

• US 9,560,045 B1
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Leblang, Jonathan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahase, Pameshanand
• Application Number:
  US14/519,929
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/43 wireless channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• 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: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

A mobile device is described that stores and renders content. Access to certain content is predicated at least upon receiving a particular wireless signal from an external or separate device that has previously been associated with the mobile device or with content stored on the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first device, a user secret;

determining, by the first device, that the user secret matches a previously stored user secret associated with a user;

receiving, by the first device, one of a local area wireless communications signal or a Bluetooth signal originating from a second device associated with at least one of the user or a content item;

determining, by the first device, based at least partly on the user secret and on an attribute of one of the local area wireless communications signal or the Bluetooth signal, to grant access to the content item; and

granting, by the first device, permission to access the content item on the first device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a loss of one of the local area wireless communications signal or the Bluetooth signal; and

revoking access to the content item on the first device based at least in part on the loss of the at least one of the local area wireless communications signal or the Bluetooth signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the one of the local area wireless communications signal or the Bluetooth signal comprises an indication that a content provider has authorized access rights to the content item for a subset of users who have access to a network component.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the network component is a wireless access point located within a vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the one of the local area wireless communications signal or the Bluetooth signal indicates that the user has purchased access rights to the content item.

6. A mobile device comprising:

a display;

a wireless communications receiver; and

non-transitory computer-readable media storing one or more modules, the one or more modules including computer-readable instructions that when executed by a processor perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the mobile device and via the wireless transceiver, one of a local area wireless communications signal, an acoustic signal, or a Bluetooth signal;

determining, by the mobile device, that the one of the local area wireless communications signal or the Bluetooth signal originated from an external device that has been previously associated with the mobile device; and

granting, by the mobile device, permission to access a content item on the mobile device based at least in part on a determination that the one of a local area wireless communications signal or a Bluetooth signal originated from the external device associated with the mobile device.

7. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the content item is provided by the external device and granting permission to access the content item on the mobile device is temporary.

8. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein granting permission to access the content item on the mobile device is further based on a determination that authentication information received by the mobile device matches authentication information stored on the mobile device.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the authentication information stored on the mobile device is a user secret or biometric information.

10. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein determining that the one of the local area wireless communications signal or the Bluetooth signal originated from the external device that has been previously associated with the mobile device comprises verifying that the one of the local area wireless communications signal or the Bluetooth signal includes identification information identifying the external device.

11. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the mobile device is an electronic book reader and the content item is an electronic book.

12. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the external device is at least one of an audio device, an electronic headset, or a mobile communications device.

13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more computer processors of a mobile device, perform operations including:

receiving, by the mobile device, authentication information;

determining, by the mobile device, that the authentication information matches additional authentication information stored on the mobile device;

receiving, by the mobile device, one of a local area wireless communications signal or a Bluetooth signal;

determining, by the mobile device, that the one of the local area wireless communications signal or the Bluetooth signal originated from an external device associated with the user; and

granting, by the mobile device, permission to access a content item on the mobile device.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 13, the operations further comprising receiving, by the mobile device and from a content provider of the content item, an indication that the external device is associated with the user.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

detecting, by the mobile device, a presence of the external device;

displaying, by the mobile device, a user interface (UI) that includes a UI element selectable to associate the external device with the mobile device;

receiving, by the mobile device, a selection of the external device; and

storing, on the mobile device and based on the selection, an association between the external device and the mobile device.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

receiving, by the mobile device, a password for accessing the external device; and

establishing, by the mobile device and based at least in part on receiving the password, a communications channel with the external device.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

determining, by the mobile device, that the one of the local area wireless communications signal or the Bluetooth signal originated from the external device based at least in part on establishing the communications channel with the external device.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

determining, by the mobile device, that the one of the local area wireless communications signal or the Bluetooth signal originated from the external device based at least in part on receiving a device identifier from the external device.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

accessing, by the mobile device, multiple user permissions, wherein different user permissions correspond to different users of the mobile device, the multiple user permissions specify types of access to respective content items, and the content item is one of the respective content items; and

determining, by the mobile device and based at least partly on the multiple user permissions, that the user has permission to access the content item on the mobile device.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 13, wherein the additional authentication information includes an indication of a particular amount of force applied to a touch-sensitive display on the mobile device, and wherein receiving the authentication information includes receiving a force applied to the touch-sensitive display.