Authentication of users with tremors

• US 9,747,734 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2014
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chaar, Jarir K., Farrell, Robert G., Hartley, John C., Kanevsky, Dimitri, Trewin, Sharon M.
• Primary Examiner(s): PENDLETON, DIONNE
• Application Number:
  US14/568,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20160171804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/16 by matching signal segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/993 Evaluation of the quality of the acquired pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/67 by interactive indications to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/25 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/33 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

A device receives a first input for authenticating a user and determines the first input fails to authenticate the user. One or more errors are identified in the input which match a tremor pattern for the user and the one or more errors are corrected to generate a corrected input. The user is authenticated using the corrected input.

Claims

1. A method for authenticating users, the method comprising:

receiving, by a device, a first input for authenticating a user;

determining the first input fails to authenticate the user;

identifying one or more errors in the first input which match a tremor pattern for the user;

correcting the one or more errors to generate a corrected input; and

authenticating the user using the corrected input, wherein the tremor pattern is generated using a tremor profile and a device profile, the tremor profile comprising an amplitude of a tremor, the device profile indicating locations of targets that receive input for the device, and wherein the tremor profile further comprises a frequency of the tremor, information regarding a body part affected by the tremor, and information regarding the 3-D orientation of the body part affected by the tremor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a tremor profile for the user by monitoring sensors in the device during use of the device by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a set of errors across a plurality of inputs;

determining an error probability based on the set of errors; and

modifying the tremor pattern based on the error probability.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input is received through a touchscreen.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the correcting the one or more errors to generate a corrected input includes correcting the one or more errors according to a confusion matrix, the confusion matrix taking into account:

the expected distance of errors from targets based on the amplitude and orientation of the tremor;

the expected direction of errors based on the orientation of the tremor;

the expected probability and timing of bounce errors based on the frequency, amplitude, and orientation of the tremor; and

the expected errors for a given affected body part, the method further comprising;

determining that the correcting the one or more errors to generate the corrected input results in security below a threshold level; and

authenticating the user using a second form of authentication, wherein the authenticating the user using the corrected input occurs in response to the authenticating the user using the second form of authentication.

6. A computer program product for authenticating users, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a computing device to cause the device to perform a method comprising:

receiving a first input for authenticating a user;

determining the first input fails to authenticate the user;

identifying one or more errors in the first input which match a tremor pattern for the user;

correcting the one or more errors to generate a corrected input; and

authenticating the user using the corrected input, wherein the tremor pattern is generated using a tremor profile and a device profile, the tremor profile comprising an amplitude of a tremor, the device profile indicating locations of targets that receive input for the device, and wherein the tremor profile further comprises a frequency of the tremor, information regarding a body part affected by the tremor, and information regarding the 3-D orientation of the body part affected by the tremor.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

generating a tremor profile for the user by monitoring sensors in the device during use of the device by the user.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a set of errors across a plurality of inputs;

determining an error probability based on the set of errors; and

modifying the tremor pattern based on the error probability.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the first input is received through a touchscreen.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the correcting the one or more errors to generate a corrected input includes correcting the one or more errors according to a confusion matrix, the confusion matrix taking into account:

the expected distance of errors from targets based on the amplitude and orientation of the tremor;

the expected direction of errors based on the orientation of the tremor;

the expected probability and timing of bounce errors based on the frequency, amplitude, and orientation of the tremor; and

the expected errors for a given affected body part, wherein the method further comprises;

determining that the correcting the one or more errors to generate the corrected input results in security below a threshold level; and

authenticating the user using a second form of authentication.

11. A system for authenticating users, the system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the program instructions configured to cause the system to perform a method comprising;

receiving a first input for authenticating a user;

determining the first input fails to authenticate the user;

identifying one or more errors in the first input which match a tremor pattern for the user;

correcting the one or more errors to generate a corrected input; and

authenticating the user using the corrected input, wherein the correcting the one or more errors to generate a corrected input includes correcting the one or more errors according to a confusion matrix, the confusion matrix taking into account;

the expected distance of errors from targets based on the amplitude and orientation of the tremor;

the expected direction of errors based on the orientation of the tremor;

the expected probability and timing of bounce errors based on the frequency, amplitude, and orientation of the tremor; and

the expected errors for a given affected body part, and wherein the method further comprises;

determining that the correcting the one or more errors to generate the corrected input results in security below a threshold level; and

authenticating the user using a second form of authentication.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the tremor pattern is generated using a tremor profile and a device profile, the tremor profile comprising an amplitude of a tremor, the device profile indicating locations of targets that receive input for the system.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

one or more sensors, wherein the method further comprises generating a tremor profile for the user by monitoring the one or more sensors during use of the system by the user.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the tremor profile further comprises a frequency of the tremor.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a set of errors across a plurality of inputs;

determining an error probability based on the set of errors; and

modifying the tremor pattern based on the error probability.