Oral authentication management

• US 10,216,920 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ahmad, Faraz, John, Anto Ajay Raj
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tongoc
• Application Number:
  US15/798,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20180052989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00

Abstract

A user manages security of one or more user devices by manipulating one or more sensors located in the user'"'"'s mouth in a predetermined pattern corresponding to a password. The matching of the predetermined pattern to the password unlocks at least a portion of at least one user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring a plurality of sensors located in an oral cavity of a user and configured to measure one or more properties controllable by the user;

identifying a sequence of stimuli based on monitoring the plurality of sensors, wherein the sequence of stimuli comprises, for each respective stimulus, a respective pressure on a respective sensor, wherein the respective pressure is above a pressure threshold and is applied by a tongue of the user contacting the respective sensor;

recording the sequence of stimuli, the recording comprising a sequence of sensors and a sequence of times, the sequence of sensors corresponding to sensors receiving a pressure above the pressure threshold, and the sequence of times corresponding to respective times the respective sensors in the sequence received pressure above the pressure threshold;

comparing the sequence of stimuli to a password, wherein the password is associated with a user device, wherein the password comprises a pressure above the pressure threshold for each sensor in a sequence of sensors;

unlocking at least a portion of the user device in response to determining, based on comparing the sequence of stimuli to the password, that the sequence of stimuli matches the password.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the password comprises a sequence of locations based on the sequence of sensors.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each stimulus of the sequence of stimuli is within a first location range, wherein the first location range comprises a permissible physical range of a stimulus relative to a respective sensor of the plurality of sensors.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of user devices wherein each respective user device is unlocked in response to determining, based on comparing the sequence of stimuli to the password, that the sequence of stimuli matches the password.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a prompt for authentication based on a user input, wherein the prompt for authentication comprises a pressure above the pressure threshold for at least a first time on a sensor of the plurality of sensors; and

wherein monitoring the plurality of sensors comprises monitoring the plurality of sensors in response to receiving the prompt for authentication.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each pair of stimuli is separated by a time below a time threshold.

7. A system comprising:

a plurality of sensors each configured to sense a respective user-controlled stimulus and located in an oral cavity of a user;

a memory configured to store a first sequence of stimuli corresponding to a password, wherein the password comprises a pressure above a pressure threshold for each sensor in a sequence of sensors;

a processing unit communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors and the memory, the processing unit configured to;

monitor the plurality of sensors to detect a second sequence of stimuli and to compare the second sequence of stimuli to the first sequence of stimuli, wherein the second sequence of stimuli comprises, for each respective stimulus, a respective pressure on a respective sensor, wherein the respective pressure is above the pressure threshold and is applied by a tongue of the user contacting the respective sensor;

record the sequence of stimuli, the recording comprising a sequence of sensors and a sequence of times, the sequence of sensors corresponding to sensors receiving a pressure above the pressure threshold, and the sequence of times corresponding to respective times the respective sensors in the sequence received pressure above the pressure threshold; and

unlock at least a portion of a user device in response to matching the second sequence of stimuli to the first sequence of stimuli based on comparing the first sequence of stimuli to the second sequence of stimuli.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of sensors are further configured to identify a location associated with each respective stimulus, and wherein the first sequence of stimuli comprises a sequence of locations.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of sensors are further configured to sense stimuli being within a threshold range, wherein the threshold range comprises a distance between a respective stimulus and a respective sensor of the plurality of sensors.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein each respective user-controlled stimulus further comprises a temperature above a temperature threshold.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing unit is located in the user device.

12. A computer program product for authenticating a user device, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

monitoring respective data received from a plurality of sensors each located in a mouth of a user and configured to sense respective stimuli controllable by the user;

determining a sequence of stimuli based on the monitored data received from the plurality of sensors, wherein the sequence of stimuli comprises, for each respective stimulus, a respective pressure on a respective sensor, wherein the respective pressure is above a pressure threshold and is applied by a tongue of the user contacting the respective sensor;

recording the sequence of stimuli, the recording comprising a sequence of sensors and a sequence of times, the sequence of sensors corresponding to sensors receiving a pressure above the pressure threshold, and the sequence of times corresponding to respective times the respective sensors in the sequence received pressure above the pressure threshold;

comparing the sequence of stimuli to a password, wherein the password is associated with a user device, wherein the password comprises a pressure above the pressure threshold for each sensor in a sequence of sensors;

unlocking at least a portion of the user device in response to determining, based on comparing the sequence of stimuli to the password, that the sequence of stimuli matches the password.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the sequence of stimuli comprises a sequence of pressures, wherein each respective pressure is associated with a location.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the password comprises a sequence of locations based on the sequence of sensors.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, the processor being configured to perform a method further comprising:

unlocking at least a portion of a second user device in response to determining, based on comparing the sequence of stimuli to the password, that the sequence of stimuli matches the password.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the processor being configured to perform a method further comprising:

receiving a prompt for authentication based on user input; and

wherein monitoring the plurality of sensors comprises monitoring the plurality of sensors in response to receiving the prompt for authentication.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the processor being further configured to perform a method comprising:

determining, for each respective stimulus, that the respective stimulus is above a property threshold.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein determining that the stimulus is above a property threshold further comprises determining the stimulus is within a first location range, wherein the first location range comprises an acceptable distance relative to a respective sensor of the plurality of sensors.