Unattended Device Authentication via Portable Sensor Data
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for authenticating users of unattended devices are cumbersome, insecure, and degrade the user experience, as they often rely on passwords, biometrics, or items that can be stolen or compromised, and fail to provide accurate and frictionless authentication.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses sensor data from a portable electronic device to authenticate users by extracting feature vectors and analyzing them with a trained model, allowing seamless interaction with unattended devices without the need for additional actions or items, and enabling delegation of access through a user interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If password or PIN authentication is used, then user identification can be achieved, but user experience deteriorates due to complexity and security risks
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs authentication automatically without requiring user action. The portable device autonomously provides sensor data, and the unattended device autonomously processes authentication, eliminating the need for users to manually enter passwords or PINs while maintaining security through multiple sensor modalities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual password entry mechanisms with automated sensor-based authentication. Instead of mechanical keyboard input, the system uses sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone, camera) to capture behavioral biometrics and environmental data, substituting the manual authentication mechanism with an automated sensing and analysis system
2Measurement precision
If biometric authentication is used, then authentication accuracy improves, but device complexity and cost increase due to specialized hardware requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the portable device serve multiple functions: it acts as both the user's personal authentication carrier and the authentication processor. The device uses its existing sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone, camera, touchscreen) for both primary functions (navigation, communication) and authentication, eliminating the need for dedicated biometric hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the authentication functionality with the portable device itself. Instead of separate authentication hardware, the patent combines behavioral biometric sensing, environmental sensing, and authentication processing into the single portable device that users already carry and interact with daily
3Ease of operation
If passive factors like cookies or IP addresses are used, then ease of operation improves as no additional user action is required, but authentication accuracy deteriorates due to inability to identify specific users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms static passive factors into dynamic multi-dimensional parameters. Instead of using fixed identifiers like cookies or IP addresses, the system captures changing sensor data including accelerometer readings, gyroscope data, microphone input, camera footage, and touchscreen interactions, creating a dynamic profile that accurately identifies specific users while requiring no additional action from them
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed embodiments provide a system that authenticates a user of an unattended device. In response to sensing a presence of the user in proximity to the unattended device, the system makes a call from the unattended device to an authentication service to authenticate the user. In response to the call, the authentication service authenticates the user based on recently collected sensor data, which was obtained from one or more sensors in a portable electronic device belonging to the user. If authentication succeeds, the system allows the user to proceed with an interaction with the unattended device.