ALLOWING ACCESS TO APPLICATIONS BASED ON CAPTURED IMAGES

• US 20160034678A1
• Filed: 11/12/2014
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chandra, Deepak
• Granted Patent: US 9,639,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2139 Recurrent verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• 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 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/65 Environment-dependent, e.g. using captured environmental data

Abstract

Authenticating users comprises a computing device that receives a manual authentication input of a user and initiates a first user session between the user and the user computing device. The device communicates a request for a first user authorization data from an authentication technology associated with the one or more computing devices and receives the first user authentication data. The user or the device terminates the first user session and subsequently receives an input of the user to initiate a second user session. The device communicates a request for second user authentication data from the authentication technology and compares the first user authentication data and the second user authentication data. The device identifies a match of one or more features of the first user authentication data and one or more features of the second user authentication data and authorizes the user to conduct the second user session.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to authenticate users on user computing devices with images, comprising:

receiving, by one or more computing devices, a manual authentication input of a user via a user interface of the one or more computing devices, the manual authentication being configured to begin a first user authenticated session with the one or more computing devices;

communicating, by the one or more computing devices, a request for a first image from a camera module associated with the one or more computing devices;

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, the first image captured by the camera module;

extracting, by the one or more computing devices, first image characteristics from the first image;

storing, by the one or more computing devices, the first image characteristics;

ending, by the one or more computing devices, the first user authenticated session;

receiving, by one or more computing devices, an input to begin a second authenticated user session with the user computing device;

communicating, by the one or more computing devices, a request for a second image from the camera module associated with the one or more computing devices;

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, the second image captured by the camera module;

extracting, by the one or more computing devices, second image characteristics from the second image;

comparing, by the one or more computing devices, the first image characteristics to the second image characteristics;

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, a match between the first image characteristics and the second image characteristics; and

initiating, by the one or more computing devices, the second authenticated session in response to identifying the match between the first image characteristics and the second image characteristics.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified match is determined to be a match if the first image characteristics match the second image characteristics.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first or second image characteristics is an identification of facial hair of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first or second image characteristics is an identification of a background object in the image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first or second image characteristics is an identification of a color of a shirt of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the extraction of the first and second image characteristics is performed by applying a facial recognition algorithm to the image.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the one or more computing devices, one or more applications operating on the one or more computing devices to which the user is allowed access based on the identified match, wherein the determining comprises comparing, by the one or more computing devices, the identified match to a database of applications, the database comprising a list of applications to which the user is allowed access based on the identified match.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising generating, by the one or more computing devices, a user authentication rating based on the identified match.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the user is not allowed access to any functions of the one or more computing devices if match is not identified.

10. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage device having computer-readable program instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a computer cause the computer to authenticate users with images, the computer-readable program instructions comprising;

computer-readable program instructions to receive a first image captured by a camera module of the computer during a first authenticated session;

computer-readable program instructions to extract first image characteristics from the first image;

computer-readable program instructions to end the first authenticated session;

computer-readable program instructions to receive an input to begin a second authenticated session with the computer;

computer-readable program instructions to receive a second image captured by the camera module of the computer;

computer-readable program instructions to extract second image characteristics from the second image;

computer-readable program instructions to identify a match between at least a portion of the first image characteristics and the second image characteristics; and

computer-readable program instructions to determine one or more applications operating on the computer to which a user is allowed access based on the identified match.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the identified match is determined to be a match if the first image characteristics match the second image characteristics.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein one of the first or second image characteristics is an identification of facial hair of the user.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein one of the first or second image characteristics is an identification of a background object in the image.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein one of the first or second image characteristics is an identification of a color of a shirt of the user.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the extraction of the first and second image characteristics is performed by applying a facial recognition algorithm to the image.

16. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer-readable program instructions to determine comprise computer-readable program instructions to compare the identified match to a database of applications, the database comprising a list of applications to which the user is allowed access based on the identified match.

17. A system to authenticate users on user computing devices with images, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the storage device, wherein the processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device to cause the system to;

receive a first image captured by a camera module of the system during a first user authenticated session;

extract first image characteristics from the first image;

end the first user authenticated session;

receive a second image captured by the camera module of the system;

extract second image characteristics from the second image;

identify a match between the first image characteristics and the second image characteristics; and

initiate a second authenticated session in response to identifying a match between the first image characteristics and the second image characteristics.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor further executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device to cause the system to generate a user authentication rating based on the one or more identified matches.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the user is not allowed access to any functions of the system if the match is not identified.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the user is allowed access to all functions of the system if the match is identified.