Proximity Authentication via Environmental Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for proving possession of an authorizing device, such as tokens and cell phones, are not optimal due to hacking risks and user inconvenience, especially in consumer contexts, and require users to type in information read from screens.
Innovation Solution
A method using sensory features like cameras to establish environmental proximity between a client access device and a client authorizing device by detecting environmental aspects, such as WiFi networks, radio stations, or GPS signals, and comparing these results to verify proximity, eliminating the need for users to type in information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional authentication methods using tokens or cell phones are used, then possession of an authorizing device can be proven, but users are required to type in information from screens which is cumbersome and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical action of typing information with an optical detection system. The access device's camera captures the code displayed on the authorizing device's screen, automatically proving possession without requiring manual input. This substitution of mechanical typing with optical detection resolves the contradiction by improving ease of operation while reducing authentication time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service authentication where the access device automatically detects and processes the authentication code without user intervention. The camera-based detection and automatic code verification eliminate the need for users to manually enter information, making the authentication process self-executing and significantly more convenient.
2Reliability
If tokens are used for authentication, then possession of an authorizing device can be established, but tokens can be hacked and are not widely deployed in consumer contexts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the camera, a universally available component in modern consumer devices, for authentication purposes. By leveraging the existing camera infrastructure in smartphones and tablets, the system achieves wide deployment compatibility while maintaining security. This multi-functional use of the camera (both for general device operation and authentication) resolves the contradiction between reliability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an environmental code as an intermediary between the authorizing device and the access device. This code, displayed on the authorizing device and detected by the access device's camera, serves as a secure yet universally compatible authentication mechanism that avoids the security vulnerabilities of traditional tokens while maintaining broad deployment potential.
3Ease of operation
If environmental proximity detection is used to establish possession, then users can prove possession without typing using widely deployed equipment, but the system requires comparing environmental detection results from multiple devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the authentication verification logic from the client devices and places it on the remote server. The server receives environmental detection results from both the access device and the authorizing device, performs the comparison, and determines proximity. This extraction of complex processing to the server resolves the contradiction by keeping client-side operation simple while handling complexity centrally.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the server compares environmental detection results and provides authentication feedback. The server analyzes the similarity between environmental data from both devices and returns a verification result, creating a closed-loop system that maintains simplicity at the user interface while managing complexity through automated feedback processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method performed by a client access device includes (1) receiving, at the client access device, a signal from a client authorizing device, the signal including an environmental detection instruction, the environmental detection instruction instructing the client access device to detect an aspect of a local environment, (2) detecting, at the client access device, the aspect of the environment indicated by the environmental detection instruction to yield a first environmental detection result, (3) sending the first environmental detection result from the client access device to a remote server, and (4) in response to sending the environmental detection result to the remote server, receiving a proximity signal from the remote server indicating whether or not proximity between the client access device and the client authorizing device has been established by comparing the first environmental detection result to a second environmental detection result sent from the client authorizing device to the server.