Method and system for authenticating users

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12568376-B2
Application number	US-202217708808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2022
Priority date	Mar 30, 2022
Publication date	Mar 3, 2026
Grant date	Mar 3, 2026

Abstract

A method, a system, and a non-transitory computer readable program code are disclosed for authenticating users. The method includes registering, on a processing device, one or more users in an authentication system, each of the one or more users having at least one corresponding client device; receiving, on the processing device, location data from the at least one corresponding client device; receiving, on the processing device, location data from one or more computer systems; calculating, on the processing device, a distance from the one or more computer systems to the at least one corresponding client device; receiving, by the processing device, an orientation or orientations of the at least one corresponding client device; and sending, by the processing device, a notification to the at least one corresponding client device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for authenticating users, the method comprising:
registering, on a processing device, one or more users in an authentication system, each of the one or more users having at least one corresponding handheld client device; receiving, on the processing device, location data from the at least one corresponding handheld client device from one or more of the one or more users; receiving, on the processing device, location data from one or more computer systems; calculating, on the processing device, a distance from the one or more computer systems to the at least one corresponding handheld client device from the one or more of the one or more users based on the location data from the at least one corresponding handheld client device from the one or more users and the location data from a display on the one or more computer systems; receiving, by the processing device, an orientation or orientations of the at least one corresponding handheld client device of the one or more of the one or more users relative to the one or more computer systems; determining, by the processing device, the orientation or orientations of the at least one corresponding handheld client device from the one or more of the one or more users relative to the display on the one or more computer systems; sending, by the processing device, a notification request to the at least one corresponding handheld client device from the one or more of the one more users only when the calculated distance from the display on the one or more computer systems to the at least one corresponding handheld client device from the one or more of the one or more users is within a first predetermined determined distance and when the orientation or orientations of the at least one corresponding handheld client device of the one or more of the one or more users relative to the display on the one or more computer systems is a predetermined orientation or predetermined orientations; and wherein the notification request is a request to the at least one corresponding handheld client device from the one or more users to provide an authenticator from a user for access to the one or more computer system once the calculated distance from the display of the one or more computer systems to the at least one corresponding handheld client device from the one or more of the one or more users is within the first predetermined determined distance and the orientation or orientations of the at least one corresponding handheld client device of the one or more of the one or more users relative to the display of the one or more computer systems is the predetermined orientation or predetermined orientations, and once the user has been authenticated, the user has access to the one or more computer systems.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, on the processing device, the location data from the at least one corresponding handheld client device from the one or more of the one or more users when the at least one corresponding handheld client device of the one or more of the one or more users is within a second predetermined distance of the one or more computer systems.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more users includes a plurality of users, further comprising:
identifying, by the processing device, the user from the plurality of users based on the calculated distance from the one or more computer systems to the at least one corresponding handheld client device of the one or more of the one or more users and the orientation or orientations of the at least one corresponding handheld client device of the one or more of the one or more users relative to the one or more computer systems; and sending, by the processing device, the notification request to the at least one corresponding handheld client device of the one or more of the one or more users of the identified user of the plurality of users for the authenticator.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more computers systems including a plurality of computer systems, further comprising:
identifying, by the processing device, one of the one or more users from a plurality of users based on the calculated distance from the plurality of computer systems to the at least one corresponding handheld client device of the one or more of the one or more users and the orientation or orientations of the at least one corresponding handheld client device of the one or more of the one or more users relative to the one or more computer systems; and sending, by the processing device, the notification request to the at least one corresponding handheld client device of the one or more of the one or more users.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one corresponding handheld client device is a smartphone, and the request is for the user to enter a password or passcode or biometric identifier on the smartphone.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
assigning, by the processing device, an index score to each of the one or more users for the one or more computer systems, the index score corresponding to a historical use of the one more computer systems by the one or more users; and sending, by the processing device, the notification request to the at least one corresponding handheld client device from the one or more of the one more users when the index score is above a predetermined threshold value.

7 . The method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
updating, by processing device, the index score for each of the one or more users based on login information into the one or more computer systems by the one or more users.

8 . The method according to claim 6 , comprising:
assigning a default index score to the one or more users, the default score index reflecting a likelihood that the one or more users will access the one or more computer systems.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by a processing device of the one or more computer systems, the authenticator including a first authenticator and a second authenticator from the at least one corresponding handheld client device of the one or more of the one or more users receiving the notification request from the processing device, the second authenticator being a biometric identifier; and granting, by the processing device of the one or more computer systems, access to the one or more users receiving the notification request to the one or more computer systems when the at least the first authenticator and the second authenticator match a stored authenticator and a stored biometric identifier for the one or more users.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , comprising:
receiving, by the processing device of the one or more computers systems, the biometric identifier from a biometric authentication device, the biometric authentication device including one or more of a sensor, a scanning device, or an electronic reader; and the biometric identifier is at least one physiological characteristic of the one or more users, and wherein the at least one physiological characteristic is selected from one or more of fingerprints, palm veins, face recognition, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), palm print, hand geometry, iris recognition, retina, and/or odor/scent.

11 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the first authenticator is received from one or more of a keypad for a username and password, a sensor, scanning device, or an electronic reader, which can read and/or obtain data from one or more of a proximity cards, a radio-frequency identification card, smart cards, and RSA® tokens.

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Business Solutions Usa Inc

Inventors

• Soriano Randy Cruz
• Badri Subramanyam

Classifications

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• G06F21/35

  communicating wirelessly · CPC title

• H04L63/0861

  using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231) · CPC title

• H04L63/083

  using passwords (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226) · CPC title

• H04W4/026

  using orientation information, e.g. compass · CPC title