Access using image-based manipulation

• US 8,542,251 B1
• Filed: 10/20/2008
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gossweiler, Richard Carl III, Baluja, Shumeet, Kamvar, Maryam
• Primary Examiner(s): Amini, Javid A
• Application Number:
  US12/254,325
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• Field of Search: 345/649
• US Class Current: 345/649
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A computer-implemented method may include presenting to a user one or more images, receiving a rotational reorientation of the one or more images by the user, and providing access to a computing service based on a comparison of the orientations of the one or more images after reorientation by the user to a standard for each image.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, from a user, angle orientations of multiple images corresponding to positions occupied by each of the multiple images, wherein the angle orientations define a preset orientation for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images independent of particular images occupying each of the positions;

presenting to the user multiple images with each of the images occupying one of the positions;

receiving a rotational reorientation of the multiple images occupying each of the positions by the user, wherein the multiple images are freely rotatable through 360 degrees by the user; and

providing access to a computing service based on a comparison of the orientations of the multiple images in each position after reorientation by the user to the preset orientation set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images, wherein access to the computing service is provided if the orientations of the images are within a predetermined angle of the preset orientation set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the one or more images are presented to the user inside cropped image circles.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

requesting one or more passwords from the user, wherein the requested passwords correspond to names of the multiple images; and

receiving the passwords from the user, wherein access to the computing service based on the comparison of the orientations of the images in each position after reorientation by the user to the preset orientation set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the images and based on a comparison of the passwords to a stored name for each of the images.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising identifying the multiple images by analyzing a group of images to identify images that are very hard for computers to orient automatically.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein:

presenting to the user multiple images comprises presenting to the user multiple three dimensional images with each of the three dimensional images occupying one of the positions;

receiving the rotational reorientation comprises receiving the rotational reorientation of the multiple three dimensional images occupying each of the positions by the user; and

providing access to the computing service comprises providing access to the computing service based on a comparison of the orientations of the multiple three dimensional images in each position after reorientation by the user to the preset orientation set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the three dimensional images.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein presenting to the user multiple images comprises presenting multiple branded images and providing access to the computing service if each of the branded images properly compares to a rotational preset orientation set by the user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the rotational reorientation is received by a user dragging the multiple images on a touch screen interface.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising presenting to the user a supplemental image, in addition to the multiple images, and using the user'"'"'s reorientation of the supplemental image to determine a preset orientation for the supplemental image.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein providing access to the computing service comprises unlocking a mobile computing device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein providing access to the computing service comprises serving to the user a web page.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the multiple images lack marks indicating a proper orientation for the images.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein providing access to the electronic device comprises unlocking a game device.

12. A recordable storage medium having recorded and stored thereon instructions that, when executed, perform the actions of:

receiving, from a user, angle orientations of multiple images corresponding to positions occupied by each of the multiple images, wherein the angle orientations define a preset orientation for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images independent of particular images occupying each of the positions;

presenting to the user multiple images with each of the images occupying one of the positions;

receiving a rotational reorientation of the multiple images occupying each of the positions by the user, wherein the multiple images are freely rotatable through 360 degrees by the user; and

providing access to a computing service based on a comparison of the orientations of the multiple images in each position after reorientation by the user to the preset orientation set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images, wherein access to the computing service is provided if the orientations of the images are within a predetermined angle of the preset orientation set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images.

13. The recordable storage medium of claim 12 further comprising instructions that, when executed, perform the actions of:

requesting one or more passwords from the user, wherein the requested passwords correspond to names of the multiple images; and

receiving the passwords from the user, wherein access to the computing service based on the comparison of the orientations of the images in each position after reorientation by the user to the preset orientation set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images and based on a comparison of the passwords to a stored name for each of the images.

14. The recordable storage medium of claim 12 wherein:

instructions that, when executed, perform the action of presenting to the user multiple images comprise instructions that, when executed perform the action of presenting to the user multiple three dimensional images with each of the three dimensional images occupying one of the positions;

instructions that, when executed, perform the action of receiving the rotational reorientation comprise instructions that, when executed, perform the action of receiving the rotational reorientation of the multiple three dimensional images occupying each of the positions by the user; and

instructions that, when executed, perform the action of providing access to the computing service comprise instructions that, when executed, perform the action of providing access to the computing service based on a comparison of the orientations of the multiple three dimensional images in each position after reorientation by the user to the preset orientation set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the three dimensional images.

15. The recordable storage medium of claim 12 wherein the recordable storage medium further stores code that, when executed, senses a dragging motion on the multiple images on a touch screen and reorients the multiple images in accordance with the touch screen input.

16. The recordable storage medium of claim 12 wherein the recordable storage medium further stores code that, when executed, presents to the user a supplemental image, in addition to the multiple images, and provides the user'"'"'s reorientation of the supplemental image for determining a preset orientation for the supplemental image.

17. A computer-implemented access control system, comprising:

a graphical user interface programmed to display multiple rotatable images to a user with each of the images occupying one of multiple positions, wherein the multiple images are freely rotatable through 360 degrees by the user;

memory storing preset angle orientations of the multiple images corresponding to the positions occupied by each of the multiple images as set by the user, wherein the angle orientations define a preset orientation for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images independent of particular images occupying each of the positions; and

a processor programmed to compare orientations of the multiple images in each position input by the user to the preset orientations set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images, and to initiate access by the user to a computing service, wherein access to the computing service is provided if the orientations of the images are within a predetermined angle of the preset orientation set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the processor is programmed to display a plurality of automatically randomly oriented images and compare the images to the present orientations set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the images after the user has reoriented the images.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the images are selected to not be properly oriented by a computer, and the computing service comprises a publicly-accessible web-based service.

20. A computer-implemented access control system, comprising:

a graphical user interface programmed to display multiple rotatable images to a user with each of the images occupying one of multiple positions, wherein the multiple images are freely rotatable through 360 degrees by the user;

memory storing preset angle orientations of the multiple images corresponding to the positions occupied by each of the multiple images as set by the user, wherein the angle orientations define a preset orientation for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images independent of particular images occupying each of the positions; and

means for granting access to one or more computing services based on the user rotation input and a comparison of the user rotation input to the preset orientations set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images, wherein access to the computing service is provided if the orientations of the images are within a predetermined angle of the preset orientation set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images.

21. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, from a user, angle orientations of multiple images corresponding to positions occupied by each of the multiple images, wherein the angle orientations define a preset orientation for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images independent of particular images occupying each of the positions;

presenting to the user multiple images with each of the images occupying one of the positions;

receiving a rotational reorientation of the multiple images occupying each of the positions by the user, wherein the multiple images are freely rotatable through 360 degrees by the user; and

providing access to an electronic device based on a comparison of the orientations of the images in each position after reorientation by the user to the present orientation set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images, wherein access to the electronic device is provided if the orientations of the multiple images are within a predetermined angle of the preset orientation set by the user for each of the positions occupied by the multiple images.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21 wherein providing access to the electronic device comprises unlocking a music device.