Multi-Device Smart Assistant Pairing With Secure Command Sessions
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional digital assistants are limited in their ability to seamlessly connect and operate with multiple mobile devices, hindered by developer ecosystems, proprietary implementations, and the requirement to register with a single account service, which is cumbersome and insecure, limiting interoperability and functionality.
Innovation Solution
A digital assistant connectivity system that uses unique identifiers and command-driven sessions to automatically connect multiple digital assistant devices to a smart assistant device, repurposing the smart assistant's account service to support multiple devices, enabling voice-command-driven operations across various devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple mobile devices are connected to the same smart home assistant account, then users can access and control smart home devices from any location, but security risks increase due to potential unauthorized access and account takeover
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces biometric authentication (fingerprint, facial recognition) as an intermediary layer between the user and the smart home assistant account. This mediator verifies the user's identity before granting access, allowing multiple devices to be connected while maintaining security through biological verification rather than relying solely on device credentials.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes security parameters based on the authentication method used. When biometric authentication is successful, the system grants full access permissions. When biometric authentication fails or is not available, the system can require additional verification steps or limit access, thereby adapting security parameters to the specific authentication context.
2Reliability
If biometric authentication is required for each smart home device, then account security is enhanced, but the authentication process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs biometric authentication in advance when the user initially sets up or logs into the smart home assistant account. Once authenticated, the user gains access to all connected devices without needing to re-authenticate for each individual device, thereby performing the security verification preliminarily and avoiding repeated authentication complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple authentication methods (biometric, password, device credentials) into a unified authentication framework. The system merges these different authentication mechanisms so that successful authentication through any one method grants access to the entire smart home ecosystem, rather than requiring separate authentication for each device or method.
3Adaptability or versatility
If users can add multiple devices to the smart home assistant account, then system versatility increases, but the risk of unauthorized device addition and account takeover increases
Solution Approach 1:
Biometric authentication acts as an intermediary gatekeeper that must be satisfied before any device can be added to or accessed from the smart home assistant account. This mediator ensures that only authorized users can modify the device ecosystem, preventing unauthorized device addition while maintaining the ability to add legitimate devices through verified users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback regarding the authentication status and device connection status. When a user attempts to add a device, the system checks biometric authentication status and provides feedback on whether the operation is permitted. This feedback mechanism allows the system to dynamically control device addition based on verified user identity, preventing unauthorized access while enabling legitimate device integration.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Various embodiments, methods and systems for implementing a digital assistant connectivity system are provided. In operation, a request to receive a unique identifier is communicated from a digital assistant device. The unique identifier is utilized to pair the digital assistant device with a smart assistant device. The unique identifier is received from and generated by a digital assistant server to correspond with the digital assistant device and a corresponding digital assistant device application instance. An instruction to perform an action on the digital assistant device is received at the digital assistant device application. The instruction is communicated based on an established command-driven session between the digital assistant device application and the smart assistant device. The command-driven session is associated with the unique identifier that paired the digital assistant device and the smart assistant device. The action is executed on the digital assistant device based on commands received by the smart assistant device.