Mobile device user behavior analysis and authentication

• US 8,892,461 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alohar Mobile Inc. (Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lau, Alvin, Liang, Sam Song, Yang, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Scott C
• Application Number:
  US13/681,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20130102283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.66
• US Class Current: 705/14.66
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatuses for authenticating a user of a mobile device are disclosed. One method includes tracking a plurality of locations of the mobile device, tracking motion behavior of the mobile device, and generating a user profile for the user over a period of time based on the tracked plurality of locations and the tracked motion behavior. A present user of the mobile device is authenticated based on a comparison of the user profile with a present user profile of the present user, wherein the present user profile comprises recent location information of the mobile device and recent motion behavior of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating a user of a mobile device, comprising:

sensing, by one or more location sensor, a plurality of locations of the mobile device;

tracking the plurality of locations of the mobile device;

sensing, by one or more motions sensors, motion of the mobile device;

tracking motion behavior of the mobile device based on the sensed motion;

generating a user profile for the user over time based on the tracked plurality of locations and the tracked motion behavior; and

authenticating a present user of the mobile device based on a comparison of the user profile with a present user profile of the present user, wherein the present user profile is generated later than the user profile, and the present user profile further comprises recent location information of the mobile device and recent motion behavior of the mobile device, wherein the recent location information and the recent motion behavior includes location information and motion information collected within a period of time from a present time, wherein the present time is a time in which the authentication is taking place.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the user profile further comprises:

automatically determining and tracking a plurality of user stays of the user over time without the user proactively or reactively providing input associated with a location or a point of interest for at least one of the plurality of user stays, wherein the plurality of user stays include at least one location, wherein the at least one of the plurality of user stays is detected by clustering user location data continuously collected by the mobile device of the user, and matching the clustered user location data with a nearby point of interest; and

wherein

the user profile further comprises location behavior patterns including location transitions detected between different points of interest, user preferred routes between points of interest and frequency and speed of the user between points of interest.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile further includes tracking of correlations between the tracked location information and the tracked motion information, and wherein authentication further includes comparing the tracked correlations of the user profile with the present user profile.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile further includes tracking absolute timing of operations of the mobile device, and tracking relative timing of operations of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting a level of security of the mobile device depending upon a level of authentication of the present user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a level of confidence that the present user of the mobile device is the user of the mobile device, thereby providing a confidence level in identifying the present user of the mobile device as the user of the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the greater the level of authentication, the greater the probability the present user is the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking the plurality of location comprises:

tracking user stays of the user over time, wherein the user stays include at least one location.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein sets of user stays are associated with the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking the motion behavior comprises:

at least one motion detector within the mobile device sensing motion of the mobile device over time;

tracking the sensed motion; and

identifying patterns in the sensed motion over time.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the identified patterns are associated with an activity or action of the user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the user profile for the user over the time period based on the tracked plurality of locations and the tracked motion behavior comprises:

associating sets of locations with the user;

associating sets of motion behavior patterns with the user;

associating sets of combinations of motion patterns with particular locations of the sets of locations.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the user profile further includes associating timing of operations of the mobile device with the user, wherein the timing includes absolute timing and relative timing.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein authenticating a present user of the mobile device based on a comparison of the user profile with the present user profile comprises:

determining location matches between the user profile and the present user profile;

determining motion matches between the user profile and the present user profile;

determining combination matches between the combinations of motion patterns with particular locations of user profile and the present user profile;

and

determining a level of authentication based on the location matches, the motion matches, and the combination matches.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining location matches between the user profile and the present user profile comprises determining a relative POI category match between the POI categories of the user profile and the present user profile.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising weighting a contribution of the location matches, the motion matches, and the combination matches in determination of the level of authentication.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the weighting of each of the location matches, the motion matches, and the combination matches is adaptive adjusted.

18. A mobile device, comprising:

one or more location sensors configured to sense a plurality of locations of the mobile device;

one or more motion sensors configured to sense motion of the mobile device;

a processor operative to;

receive location information from the one or more location sensors;

receive motion information from the one or more motion sensors;

track a plurality of locations of the mobile device;

track motion behavior of the mobile device;

generate a user profile for the user over time based on the tracked plurality of locations and the tracked motion behavior, or provide the tracked plurality of location and the tracked motion behavior to a server, allowing the server to generate the user profile for the user over time; and

authenticate a present user of the mobile device based on a comparison of the user profile with a present user profile of the present user, or enable the server to authenticate the present user of the mobile device, wherein the present user profile is generated later than the user profile, and the present user profile further comprises recent location information of the mobile device and recent motion behavior of the mobile device, wherein the recent location information and the recent motion behavior includes location information and motion information collected within a period of time from a present time, wherein the present time is a time in which the authentication is taking place.

19. A wireless system for authenticating a user of a mobile device, comprising:

at least a mobile device and a network including a server operative to receive at least one input from one or more location sensors and one or more motion sensors, and track locations and motion of the user device over time; and

at least one of the mobile device or a server connected to the network are operative to;

track a plurality of locations of the mobile device;

track motion behavior of the mobile device;

generate a user profile for the user over a period of time based on the tracked plurality of locations and the tracked motion behavior; and

authenticate a present user of the mobile device based on a comparison of the user profile with a present user profile of the present user, or enable the server to authenticate the present user of the mobile device, wherein the present user profile is generated later than the user profile, and the present user profile further comprises recent location information of the mobile device and recent motion behavior of the mobile device, wherein the recent location information and the recent motion behavior includes location information and motion information collected within a period of time from a present time, wherein the present time is a time in which the authentication is taking place.