Continuous voice authentication for a mobile device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9444816-B2
Application number	US-201113076241-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2011
Priority date	Mar 30, 2011
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus, system, and method to continuously authenticate a user of a mobile device. The mobile device includes a user interface, a transceiver, a microphone, and processor. The processor continuously samples a user's voice from the microphone during a call by obtaining voice snippets on a pre-defined periodic basis or on a random basis. The processor further compares the sampled voice from the microphone to a stored voice to authenticate a valid user, wherein if the sampled voice matches the stored voice for a valid user, functionality of the mobile device continues. On the other hand, if the sampled voice does not match the stored voice for a valid user, functionality of the mobile device is locked.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile device operable with a core network comprising:
a user interface;
a transceiver;
a microphone; and
a processor to:
continuously sample a voice of a user from the microphone during a call by obtaining voice snippets on a pre-defined periodic basis or on a random basis;
transmit the sampled voice via the transceiver to a voice server separate from a carrier server to authenticate the user based on the sampled voice; and
receive an authentication successful signal or an authentication failed signal from the voice server, wherein upon receipt of the authentication failed signal, the processor of the mobile device locks the functionality of the mobile device, ends the call, and the voice server is commanded to transmit an invalid user signal to the carrier server to report the mobile device as stolen and to command the carrier server to transmit a disable signal to the mobile device that received the authentication failed signal to deactivate the mobile device from the core network, wherein if the authentication successful signal is received, the carrier server does not transmit a disable signal allowing for normal operation of the mobile device on the core network.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the stored voice to authenticate a valid user is based upon a user's voice recorded as part of an enrollment process during a purchase of the mobile device.

3. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein locking the functionality of the mobile device further comprises disabling the user interface and the transceiver and ending the call.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 , further comprising a fingerprint sensor to obtain a user's fingerprint or a camera to obtain a picture of the user's face, wherein the user's fingerprint or picture are used in combination with the sampled voice to authenticate a valid user.

5. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein other covert information from the mobile device including location, direction, speed, or recent data entered into the user interface are used in combination with the sampled voice to authenticate a valid user.

6. A method to continuously authenticate a user of a mobile device operable on a core network comprising:
continuously sampling a voice of a user from a microphone during a call by obtaining voice snippets on a pre-defined periodic basis or on a random basis;
transmitting the sampled voice to a voice server separate from a carrier server to authenticate the user based on the sampled voice;
receiving an authentication successful signal or an authentication failed signal from the voice server, wherein upon receipt of the authentication failed signal,
locking the functionality of the mobile device;
ending the call; and
commanding the voice server to transmit an invalid user signal to the carrier server to report the mobile device as stolen and to command the carrier server to transmit a disable signal to the mobile device that received the authentication failed signal to deactivate the mobile device from the core network, wherein if the authentication successful signal is received, the carrier server does not transmit a disable signal allowing for normal operation of the mobile device on the core network.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the stored voice to authenticate a valid user is based upon a user's voice recorded as part of an enrollment process during a purchase of the mobile device.

8. A mobile device operable with a core network comprising:
means for continuously sampling a voice of a user from a microphone during a call by obtaining voice snippets on a pre-defined periodic basis or on a random basis;
means for transmitting the sampled voice to a voice server separate from a carrier server to authenticate the user based on the sampled voice; and
means for receiving an authentication successful signal or an authentication failed signal from the voice server, wherein upon receipt of the authentication failed signal, implementing means for locking the functionality of the mobile device, means for ending the call, and means for transmitting a command to the voice server to transmit an invalid user signal to the carrier server to report the mobile device as stolen and to command the carrier server to transmit a disable signal to the mobile device that received the authentication failed signal to deactivate the mobile device from the core network, wherein if the authentication successful signal is received, the carrier server does not transmit a disable signal allowing for normal operation of the mobile device on the core network.

9. The mobile device of claim 8 , wherein the stored voice to authenticate a valid user is based upon a user's voice recorded as part of an enrollment process during a purchase of the mobile device.

10. A non-transitory computer program product to continuously authenticate a user of a mobile device operable with a core network comprising:
a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code for:
continuously sampling a voice of a user from a microphone during a call by obtaining voice snippets on a pre-defined periodic basis or on a random basis;
transmitting the sampled voice to a voice server separate from a carrier server to authenticate the user based on the sampled voice;
receiving an authentication successful signal or a authentication failed signal from the voice server, wherein upon receipt of the authentication failed signal,
locking the functionality of the mobile device;
ending the call; and
commanding the voice server to transmit an invalid user signal to the carrier server to report the mobile device as stolen and to command the carrier server to transmit a disable signal to the mobile device that received the authentication failed signal to deactivate the mobile device from the core network, wherein if the authentication successful signal is received, the carrier server does not transmit a disable signal allowing for normal operation of the mobile device on the core network.

11. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the stored voice to authenticate a valid user is based upon a user's voice recorded as part of an enrollment process during a purchase of the mobile device.

12. A server separate from a carrier server operable with a core network comprising:
a transceiver to receive and transmit data; and
a processor to:
receive from the transceiver a sampled voice of a user transmitted from a mobile device during a user's call including receiving voice snippets on a pre-defined periodic basis or on a random basis from the mobile device; and
compare the sampled voice from the mobile device to a stored voice for the user to authenticate a valid user, wherein if the sampled voice matches the stored voice for a valid user, an authentication successful signal is transmitted back to the mobile device and functionality of the mobile device is allowed to continue and the carrier server is not commanded to transmit a disable signal to the mobile device allowing for normal operation of the mobile device on the core network, whereas if the sampled voice does not match the stored voice for a valid user, an authentication failed signal is transmitted back to the mobile device, wherein upon receipt of the authentication failed signal, the functionality of the mobile device is locked and the call is ended, and wherein, if the sampled voice does not match the stored voice for a valid user, the processor further commands an invalid user signal be transmitted via the transceiver to the carrier server to report the mobile device as stolen and to command the carrier server to transmit a disable signal to the mobile device that

Assignees

• Johnsgard Todd J
• Siu Ta-Yan
• Shi Guangming
• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Johnsgard Todd J
• Siu Ta-Yan
• Shi Guangming

Classifications

• G07C9/37

  using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition · CPC title

• H04W12/12

  Detection or prevention of fraud · CPC title

• H04M2201/41

  using speaker recognition · CPC title

• H04R25/55

  using an external connection, either wireless or wired · CPC title

• H04M2203/6054

  Biometric subscriber identification · CPC title