Personal Device Networks Using Co-Location for User Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional authentication systems for remote applications require specialized hardware and cumbersome sign-in procedures, which are inconvenient and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing established user habits with multiple wirelessly detectable devices to authenticate users by detecting their co-location, optionally corroborated by additional authentication methods, reducing the need for specialized hardware and cumbersome procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional authentication systems use specialized hardware and cumbersome sign-in procedures, then authentication security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects the presence of user's devices through wireless signals without requiring manual intervention. The authentication process occurs autonomously by detecting device co-location and verifying against stored user device profiles, eliminating the need for users to manually provide authentication credentials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical mechanical authentication mechanisms (fingerprint readers, card readers, token generators) with wireless detection mechanisms. The system uses wireless communication to detect device presence and co-location, substituting physical biometric or token-based authentication with electromagnetic field-based detection.
2Reliability
If conventional authentication systems require specialized hardware, then authentication capability is improved, but device complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system leverages the universal wireless communication capabilities already present in smartphones and tablets to perform authentication functions. Instead of requiring specialized dedicated hardware, any wireless device the user carries can serve as the authentication token, making the authentication system universally applicable across different device types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the authentication functionality from specialized hardware and embeds it within the existing wireless device ecosystem. By taking out the need for dedicated authentication hardware and using the user's existing wireless devices as the authentication mechanism, the system reduces overall device complexity while maintaining authentication capability.
3Ease of operation
If device co-location detection is used for authentication, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors wireless device presence and provides feedback to the authentication server. When devices are detected in proximity, the system verifies co-location by comparing detected device information against stored user profiles and previously authenticated locations, adjusting the authentication decision based on this feedback loop.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-storing user device profiles, device identifiers, and authenticated location data before the actual authentication event. This preliminary data collection enables rapid verification during authentication without requiring complex real-time measurements, improving ease of operation while maintaining precision through pre-established reference data.
Data Source
AI summary
Established user habits in carrying multiple wirelessly detectable devices are used to provide or substantiate authentication. In some embodiments, simply detecting that expected devices are co-located within a limited spatial region is sufficient to establish that the devices are being carried by a single individual. In other embodiments, particularly where the potential for spoofing by multiple individuals is a concern, single-user possession of the devices may be confirmed by various corroborative techniques. This approach affords convenience to users, who may be working at a device that lacks the necessary modality (e.g., a fingerprint or vein reader) for strong authentication.