USER IDENTIFICATION IN CELL PHONES BASED ON SKIN CONTACT

• US 20150133086A1
• Filed: 11/11/2014
• Published: 05/14/2015
• 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, Sullivan, Marc, Everett, Sarah
• Granted Patent: US 9,264,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• 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 user equipment, comprising:

a processor; and

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

based on touch data received from a first sensor of the user equipment, determining that the user equipment is not being actively utilized and not being passively utilized; and

in response to the determining, initiating a display time-out of the user equipment, wherein the display time-out is customized based on identity data that is indicative of a user identity that last utilized the user equipment and that is determined based on thermal data received from a second sensor of the user equipment.

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

customizing the display time-out based on preference data received during a setup procedure executed via the user equipment.

3. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the initiating the display time-out comprises modifying a brightness of a display screen of the user equipment.

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

based on the determining and the identity data, modifying a mode of operation of the user equipment.

5. The user equipment of claim 4, wherein the modifying comprises changing a vibration mode of the user equipment.

6. The user equipment of claim 4, wherein the modifying comprises changing a ringer volume for an incoming notification that is to be received by the user equipment.

7. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the identity data is determined based on measurement data indicative of a body temperature of the user identity.

8. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the identity data is determined based on measurement data indicative of a body mass index of the user identity.

9. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the first sensor comprises a sensor that measures a conductivity of skin of the user identity.

10. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the second sensor comprises a sensor that measures changes in heat.

11. A method, comprising:

based on conductivity data received from a first sensor of a mobile device comprising a processor, verifying, by the mobile device, that the mobile device is not being actively utilized and not being passively utilized;

based on thermal data received from a second sensor of the mobile device, determining, by the mobile device, identity data that is indicative of a user identity that last utilized the mobile device; and

in response to the determining and the verifying, customizing, by the mobile device, a time-out period for a display of the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the customizing comprises modifying a brightness of the display.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the customizing comprises modifying a vibration mode of the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the customizing comprises customizing the time-out period based on preference data received during a setup procedure implemented by the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises determining the identity data based on body mass index data.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises determining the identity data based on body temperature data.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises determining the identity data based on salt level data.

18. A computer-readable storage device comprising executable instructions that, in response to execution cause a communication device comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

based on first measurement data received from a conductivity sensor of the communication device verifying that the communication device is not being actively utilized and not being passively utilized;

based on second measurement data received from a thermal sensor of the communication device, determining identity data that is indicative of a user identity that last touched the communication device; and

in response to the determining, facilitating a time-out period for a display of the communication device, wherein the time-out period is customized based on the identity data.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein a functionality of the communication device is customized based on the identity data during the time-out period.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein a mode of operation of the communication device is customized based on the identity data during the time-out period.