User identification in cell phones based on skin contact

• US 10,051,471 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2017
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pratt, James, Everett, Sarah, Sullivan, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Obayanju, Omoniyi
• Application Number:
  US15/455,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20170188236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• 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: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Screen time-outs on a portable electronic device can be customized based on user activity. In one aspect, a sensing component receives data from one or more sensors located on the portable electronic device, for example, skin conductivity sensors and determines whether the user is using the portable device, either actively or passively and also determines the identity of the user. A configuring component is employed to change one or more features or functions of the portable electronic device based on the information determined by the sensing component. In particular, the configuring component changes one of more features of the portable electronic device based on the preferences predefined by the identified user and device usage (active and passive usage).

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

obtaining touch data from a sensor of a user equipment relating to a touching of the user equipment, wherein the touch data comprises body mass index data representative of a body mass index of a first user identity;

based on the body mass index data, determining that the user equipment is not being utilized in association with the first user identity, and reducing a volume associated with a ringer of the user equipment from a first volume to a second volume lower than the first volume; and

in response to the reducing the volume, assigning a guest user identity to an unauthorized second user identity based on the body mass index data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the touch data is first touch data, and wherein the operations further comprise:

based on second touch data obtained from the sensor of the user equipment, determining that the user equipment is being utilized in association with the unauthorized second user identity.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the determining that the user equipment is being utilized in association with the unauthorized second user identity, adjusting a setting of the user equipment.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the adjusting the setting of the user equipment, granting a limited access to a feature of the user equipment.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the granting the limited access comprises initiating a display time-out protocol pursuant to which a display of the user equipment is modified.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the initiating the display time-out protocol comprises modifying a brightness of the display of the user equipment.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the modifying the brightness comprises reducing the brightness to dim the display, and wherein the display time-out protocol is based on preference data received during a setup procedure associated with the user equipment when previously used in association with the first user identity.

8. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the reducing the volume associated with the ringer, modifying a vibration parameter of the user equipment to increase a vibration capability of user equipment.

9. A method, comprising:

verifying, by a mobile device comprising a processor, that the mobile device is not being utilized in connection with a first user identity associated with a first user;

based on body mass index data received from a sensor of the mobile device, determining, by the mobile device, that the mobile device is being utilized in connection with a second user identity associated with a second user;

in response to the determining that the mobile device is being utilized in connection with the second user identity, determining, by the mobile device, that the second user identity is not an authorized user identity; and

based on the determining that the second user identity is not the authorized user identity;

adjusting, by the mobile device, a ringer volume associated with the mobile device from a first volume to a second volume, and

based on the body mass index data, assigning, by the mobile device, a guest user identity to the second user identity.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the verifying comprises verifying based on a result of comparing a first conductivity of skin relating to a currently touched area of the mobile device to a second conductivity of skin previously determined to correspond to the first user identity.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensor of the mobile device receives thermal data s comprising data associated with a change in temperature relating to a currently touched area of the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to determining that the second user identity is not the authorized user identity, restricting, by the mobile device, access to a feature of the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the restricting the access to the feature is based on a preference of the first user identity related to a security feature associated with the ringer volume of the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the security feature comprises dimming a display screen of the mobile device prior to further disabling the display screen after expiration of a time period starting with the dimming.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

based on first measurement data received from a sensor of a communication device, wherein the first measurement data comprises first body mass index data representative of a first body mass index, verifying that the communication device is not being utilized in association with a first user identity of the communication device;

based on second measurement data received from the sensor of the communication device, wherein the second measurement data comprises second body mass index data representative of a second body mass index, determining that the second measurement data is associated with a second user identity of the communication device, wherein the second user identity is determined to be an unauthorized user identity;

in response to the determining, adjusting a ringer volume associated with a ringer of the communication device; and

in response to the adjusting the ringer volume, assigning a guest user identity to the second user identity.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the adjusting the ringer volume comprises adjusting the ringer volume to a silent setting where the ringer is not hearable.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the ringer volume is a first ringer volume level, and wherein the adjusting the ringer volume comprises reducing the ringer volume to a second ringer volume level lower than the first ringer volume level.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the ringer volume is a first ringer volume level, and wherein the adjusting the ringer volume comprises increasing the ringer volume to a second ringer volume level higher than the first ringer volume level.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

restricting access of the unauthorized user identity to a feature associated with the ringer volume of the communication device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the determining that the second measurement data is associated with the second user identity, restricting use of the communication device by adjusting the ringer volume to be silent.