Mobile computing device and wearable computing device having automatic access mode control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8976965-B2
Application number	US-201314044558-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2013
Priority date	Jul 30, 2013
Publication date	Mar 10, 2015
Grant date	Mar 10, 2015

Abstract

A system can include a mobile computing device and a wearable computing device. The wearable computing device can include a sensor that outputs an indication that the wearable computing device is being worn. In some examples, one or both of the devices can be operable to determine that the devices are within a threshold distance of each other. Responsive to receiving the indications that the wearable computing device is being worn and the devices are within the threshold distance of each other, one or both of the devices can be operable to change an access mode of computing environment provided by the respective device from a reduced access mode to an increased access mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a processor of a wearable computing device, an indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by a user;
changing, by the processor of the wearable computing device, based at least in part on the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn and on an indication that a distance between the wearable computing device and a mobile computing device is less than a threshold distance, an access mode of a computing environment of the wearable computing device from a reduced access security mode to an increased access security mode in which the user is permitted access to a larger set of functionality provided by the wearable computing device than when in the reduced access security mode; and
responsive to at least the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn and the indication that a distance is less than the threshold distance, transmitting, by the wearable computing device, to the mobile computing device, a signal configured to cause the mobile computing device to change an access mode of a computing environment of the mobile computing device from a reduced access security mode to an increased access security mode in which the user is permitted access to a larger set of functionality provided by the mobile computing device than when in the reduced access security mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processor of the wearable computing device generates the indication that the distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than the threshold distance.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the indication that the distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than the threshold distance is generated by:
receiving, by the processor of the wearable computing device, an indication of a wireless communication link between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device;
responsive to receiving the indication of the wireless communication link, determining, based on a signal strength of the wireless communication link, an approximate distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device; and
determining that the approximate distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than the threshold distance.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the indication that the distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than the threshold distance is generated by:
receiving, by the processor of the wearable computing device, an indication of a wireless communication link between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the processor of the wearable computing device, from the mobile computing device, the indication that the distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than the threshold distance.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processor of the wearable computing device receives the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by the user from a sensor, and wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, a camera, a physical contact on a connecting structure of the wearable computing device, an electrical contact on a connecting structure of the wearable computing device, and a pressure sensor.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
responsive to receiving the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by the user and based at least in part on the indication that the distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than a threshold distance, outputting, by the processor of the wearable computing device, a security challenge;
receiving, by the processor of the wearable computing device, an indication of a response to the security challenge, and
wherein changing, based at least in part on the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn and the indication that the distance is less than the threshold distance, the access mode of the computing environment of the wearable computing device from the reduced access security mode to the increased access security mode comprises changing, based at least in part on the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn, the indication that the distance is less than the threshold distance, and an indication of the response to the security challenge, the access security mode of the computing environment of the wearable computing device from the reduced access security mode to the increased access security mode.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
after changing the access security mode of the computing environment of the wearable computing device, receiving, by the processor of the wearable computing device, an indication that the distance between the mobile computing device and the wearable computing device exceeds the threshold distance; and
responsive to receiving the indication that the distance between the mobile computing device and the wearable computing device exceeds the threshold distance, transmitting, by the processor of the wearable computing device, to the mobile computing device, an instruction to change the access security mode of the computing environment of the mobile computing device from the increased access security mode to the reduced access security mode.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising outputting, by the processor of the wearable computing device, an alert that the distance between the mobile computing device and the wearable computing device has exceeded the threshold distance.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
after changing the access security mode of the computing environment of the wearable computing device, receiving, by the processor of the wearable computing device, an indication that the wearable computing device is not being worn by the user of the wearable computing device; and
responsive to receiving the indication that the wearable computing device is not being worn by the user, changing, by the processor of the wearable computing device, the access security mode of the computing environment of the wearable computing device from the increased access security mode to the reduced access security mode, and transmitting, by the processor of the wearable computing device, to the mobile computing device, an instruction to change the access security mode of the computing environment of the mobile computing device from the increased access security mode to the reduced access security mode.

11. A system comprising:
a mobile computing device comprising one or more mobile computing device processors;
a wearable computing device comprising one or more wearable computing device processors and a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to generate an indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by a user;
a mobile computing device access mode module operable by the one or more mobile computing device processors to receive the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by the user and change, based at least in part on the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by the user and an indication that a distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than a threshold distance, an access mode of a computing environment of the mobile computing device from a reduced access security mode to an increased access security mode in which the user is permitted access to a larger set

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Aminzade Daniel

Classifications

• G06F1/163

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title

• H04L63/10

  for controlling access to devices or network resources · CPC title

• G06F2221/2111

  Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS · CPC title

• H04L63/107

  wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals · CPC title

• H04W4/023 Primary

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title