Hands-free gestures for account authentication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11093022-B2
Application number	US-201815886082-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2018
Priority date	May 19, 2014
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for authenticating an account via a hands-free gesture, such as a tap, pattern of taps, or other physical gesture not requiring a user to hold a computing device. A user can initiate a transaction to purchase an item by interacting with a first computing device (e.g., electronic kiosk, point-of-sale terminal, automated checkout device, etc.). The first computing device can receive a request from the user to purchase the item. In response, the first computing device can broadcast an authentication request. The user can perform the hands-free gesture for detection by a second computing device (e.g., the user's mobile device). The second computing device can transmit information associated with the hands-free gesture in response to the authentication request. The first computing device can authenticate the user based on the information associated with the hands-free gesture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
receiving, by a first computing device, a purchase request for an item;
broadcasting, by the first computing device and in response to the purchase request, an authentication request for a purchase transaction for the item, a second computing device configured to generate an alert upon reception of the authentication request;
receiving, by the first computing device from the second computing device, an authentication response to the authentication request, the authentication response including information indicating performance of a hands-free gesture detected at the second computing device, the hands-free gesture performed to authorize purchase of the item in response to the alert generated by the second computing device;
establishing a secure communication channel between the first computing device and the second computing device in response to receiving the authentication response,
associating a user account with the purchase of the item based on the authentication response being received from the second computing device; and
authenticating, by the first computing device, the user account for purchase of the item based on the information indicating performance of the hands-free gesture, the authenticating the user account includes:
retrieving user account information from a pin or a password further included in the authentication response, and
authenticating the user account based on the pin or the password as a factor in multi-factor authentication.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating the authentication request in response to detecting a presence of the second computing device within a predetermined distance.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the hands-free gesture comprises a wave gesture.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the hands-free gesture comprises a tap gesture.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting computer-executable instructions to the second computing device to cause the second computing device to generate the alert regarding the purchase transaction for the item, detect the hands-free gesture, and transmit the authentication response.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting computer-executable instructions to the second computing device to cause the second computing device to detect the hands-free gesture.

7. A system, comprising:
one or more hardware processors; and
memory including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations including:
receiving, by a first computing device, a purchase request for an item;
broadcasting, by the first computing device and in response to the purchase request, an authentication request for a purchase transaction for the item, a second computing device configured to generate an alert upon reception of the authentication request;
receiving, by the first computing device from the second computing device, an authentication response to the authentication request, the authentication response including information indicating performance of a hands-free gesture detected at the second computing device, the hands-free gesture performed to authorize purchase of the item in response to the alert generated by the second computing device;
establishing a secure communication channel between the first computing device and the second computing device in response to receiving the authentication response,
associating a user account with the purchase of the item based on the authentication response being received from the second computing device; and
authenticating, by the first computing device, the user account for purchase of the item based on the information indicating performance of the hands-free gesture, the authenticating the user account includes:
retrieving user account information from a pin or a password further included in the authentication response, and
authenticating the user account based on the pin or the password as a factor in multi-factor authentication.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
generating the authentication request in response to detecting a presence of the client device within a predetermined distance.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the hands-free gesture comprises one of a wave gesture or a tap gesture.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including first instructions that, when executed by one or more hardware processors of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from one or more servers, second instructions for causing the computing device to perform operations comprising:
generating, in response to receiving an authentication request for a purchase transaction of an item, an alert regarding the purchase transaction of the item,
detecting a hands-free gesture, the hands-free gesture performed to authorize the purchase transaction of the item in response to the alert generated by the computing device, and
transmitting an authentication response in response to reception of the authentication request from the one or more servers, and also in response to the hands-free gesture;

receiving, from a first server of the one or more servers, a broadcast transmission including the authentication request;
establishing a secure communication channel between the computing device and the one or more servers;
transmitting a pin or a password associated with the user account as a factor in multi-factor authentication; and
transmitting, to the first server, the authentication response in response to the authentication request, the authentication response including information indicating performance of the hands-free gesture and user account information associated with the computing device, the authentication response associating the user account information with the authorized purchase transaction of the item.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:
detecting a tap gesture as the hands-free gesture.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, from the first server, a specified pattern of taps for detecting the tap gesture.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the hands free-gesture is performed when a user notices the alert generated by the second computing device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , wherein the identifying of the user account associates the user account with the purchase of the item based on the hands-free gesture.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , wherein the hands free-gesture is performed when a user notices the alert generated by the second computing device.

Assignees

• Ebay Inc

Inventors

• Luk Bryant Genepang
• He Robert
• O'Toole Christopher Diebold
• Robertson Jennifer T
• Tang Yu

Classifications

• G06F21/31 Primary

  User authentication · CPC title

• G06F3/01 Primary

  Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer (G06F3/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• G06Q30/06

  Buying, selling or leasing transactions · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title