Methods and systems of adding a user account to a device

• US 10,050,960 B1
• Filed: 08/24/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Czeskis, Alexei, Balfanz, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Thanhnga B
• Application Number:
  US15/245,530
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 370320, 370338, 455415, 455418, 4554563, 713155, 713168, 726 2- 5, 726 9, 348 E5096, 348 E7024, 463 40, 725109, 725110, 725131, 725 63, 725 80, 725 81
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/43 wireless channels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• 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 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/65 Environment-dependent, e.g. using captured environmental data

Abstract

A method of adding a user account to an unassociated device may include detecting, by an associated device that is associated with a user account, an audio signal broadcast by an unassociated device that is not associated with the user account, where the audio signal includes a token. The method may include sending the token to a computing device associated with a service provider of the user account, receiving, by the associated device, a command, determining that the received command is an authorization command, and in response to determining that the received command is an authorization command, sending one or more authorization instructions to the computing device. The one or more authorization instructions may instruct the computing device to send one or more credentials associated with the user.

Claims

1. A method of adding a user account to an unassociated device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device associated with a service provider of a user account, a request from an unassociated device, wherein the request comprises device information associated with the unassociated device, wherein the unassociated device is not associated with the user account;

generating, by the computing device, a token;

storing the token and device information;

sending the token to the unassociated device;

receiving, by the computing device, the token and one or more authorization instructions from an associated device, wherein the one or more authorization instructions are associated with an authorization command received by the associated device from a user of the associated device that instructs the associated device to bootstrap the unassociated device with one or more credentials associated with the user account, wherein the associated device is associated with the user account;

using, by the computing device, the received token to identify the unassociated device;

verifying whether the unassociated device and the associated device are in proximity to one another before sending the one or more credentials to the unassociated device by comparing a first audio fingerprint that corresponds to an audio recording of an environment of the unassociated device and a second audio fingerprint that corresponds to an audio recording of an environment of the associated device to determine whether they are similar; and

sending, by the computing device to the unassociated device, the one or more credentials associated with the user account that will allow the user account to be added to the unassociated device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the authorization command comprises one or more voice commands.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the first audio fingerprint from the unassociated device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the second audio fingerprint from the associated device.

5. A system of adding a user account to an unassociated device, the system comprising:

a computing device associated with a service provider of a user account; and

a computer-readable storage medium in communication with the computing device, wherein the computer-readable storage medium comprises one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the computing device to;

receive a request from an unassociated device, wherein the request comprises device information associated with the unassociated device, wherein the unassociated device is not associated with the user account,

generate a token,

store the token and device information,

send the token to the unassociated device,

receive the token and one or more authorization instructions from an associated device, wherein the one or more authorization instructions are associated with an authorization command received by the associated device from a user of the associated device that instructs the associated device to bootstrap the unassociated device with one or more credentials associated with the user account, wherein the associated device is associated with the user account,

use the received token to identify the unassociated device,

verify whether the unassociated device and the associated device are in proximity to one another before sending the one or more credentials to the unassociated device by comparing a first audio fingerprint that corresponds to an audio recording of an environment of the unassociated device and a second audio fingerprint that corresponds to an audio recording of an environment of the associated device to determine whether they are similar, and

send, to the unassociated device, one or more credentials associated with the user account that will allow the user account to be added to the unassociated device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the authorization command comprises one or more voice commands.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the computing device to:

receive the first audio fingerprint from the unassociated device.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the computing device to receive the second audio fingerprint from the associated device.