Biometric Wearable Pairing for Multi-User Privacy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Wearable devices, such as smart watches, often automatically connect to the last device they communicated with, leading to confusion when shared among multiple users, as they may inadvertently communicate with a device not associated with the current user.

Innovation Solution

A device equipped with a processor, wireless transceiver, and biometric sensors that identifies the user based on input from the sensors and determines which device to communicate with, allowing secure and user-specific pairing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the wearable device automatically connects to the last device it communicated with, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates when the device is shared among multiple users

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomatic connectionVSAvoiduser-specific communication accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary biometric authentication before establishing communication, so that the correct device is identified in advance. The biometric sensor captures user characteristics (fingerprint, facial recognition, or iris scan) and compares them against stored data to pre-determine the intended communication device, preventing automatic connection to the wrong device.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces biometric authentication as an intermediary step between the user and the communication device. This intermediary mechanism verifies the user's identity and determines the appropriate communication device, acting as a mediator that resolves the conflict between automatic connection convenience and user-specific accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If biometric authentication is implemented to identify the user, then the reliability of user-specific communication is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser identification accuracyVSAvoidbiometric sensor integration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The wearable device incorporates multiple biometric sensor options (fingerprint sensor, facial recognition camera, or iris scan sensor) that can serve different authentication needs. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain high reliability through biometric verification while providing flexibility in implementation, reducing the need for specialized hardware for each biometric type.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10715518B2Determination of device with which to establish communication based on biometric input

Publication Date: 2020.07.14 LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH

AI summary

In one aspect, a first device includes a processor, a wireless transceiver accessible to the processor, at least one biometric sensor accessible to the processor, and storage accessible to the processor. The storage bears instructions executable by the processor to receive input from the at least one biometric sensor, identify a user based on input from the at least one biometric sensor, and determine a second device with which the first device is to communicate using the wireless transceiver based at least in part on identification of the user based on input from the at least one biometric sensor.