Managing user data for software services

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9832190-B2
Application number	US-201414318689-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2014
Priority date	Jun 29, 2014
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

User-specific data for use with a software service may be stored in an encrypted form, where the encryption and/or decryption keys used are associated with a user's biometric data (that the user voluntarily provides after appropriate disclosure, to protect the user's interest in privacy). When the user uses the software service on a device, the device may receive the user-specific data in an encrypted form, and then may use the biometric data to retrieve or generate the cryptographic key that is used to decrypt the user-specific data. The user-specific data is then decrypted and used on the device with the software service.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-readable medium that stores executable instructions which when executed by a device, causing the device to perform acts comprising:
receiving encrypted user-specific data from a software service, the user-specific data comprising user files to be used with software, or metadata comprising user settings, or both;
receiving biometric data from a user of said device;
calculating a metric from the biometric data;
comparing the metric to boundaries of a plurality of biometric data clusters, each of the plurality of biometric data clusters representing a plurality of biometric data clustered together by reducing a statistic among the plurality of biometric data;
responsive to the comparison, selecting one of the plurality of biometric data clusters;
retrieving a cryptographic key from a cryptographic key database associated with the selected one of the plurality of biometric data clusters;
using the cryptographic key to decrypt the user-specific data; and
using, on the device, the user-specific data, in a decrypted form.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , said biometric data comprising a fingerprint of said user.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , said biometric data comprising an iris image of said user.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , said acts further comprising: contacting said software service to request said user-specific data.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , said device comprising a phone or a tablet.

6. A method performed by a device to of utilizing user-specific data on the device, the method comprising:
receiving, from a software service, encrypted user data comprising at least one of: data a user desires to utilize on the device; or metadata the user desires to use to configure the device;
receiving, via a biometric sensor associated with the device, biometric data associated with the user;
calculating a metric from the biometric data;
comparing the metric to boundaries of a plurality of biometric data clusters, each of the plurality of biometric data clusters representing a plurality of biometric data clustered together by reducing a statistic among the plurality of biometric data:
responsive to the comparison, selecting one of the plurality of biometric data clusters;
retrieving a cryptographic key associated with the selected biometric data cluster;
decrypting the encrypted user data using the cryptographic key; and
using the decrypted data on the device.

7. The method of claim 6 , said biometric data comprising a fingerprint of said user.

8. The method of claim 6 , said biometric data comprising an iris image of said user.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising requesting the encrypted user data from the software service.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the cryptographic key is retrieved from a database storing a cryptographic key for each of the plurality of biometric data clusters.

11. The method of claim 6 , said device soliciting said biometric data from said user.

12. The method of claim 6 , wherein the device comprises a laptop or desktop computer or a mobile phone or a tablet.

13. A system for using a software-service with user-specific data, the system comprising:
a memory;
a processor;
a first component that is stored in said memory, that executes on said processor, that: receives, from the software service, encrypted user data;
solicits, from a user, biometric data;
sends the biometric data to a second component and receives, in return, a metric derived from the biometric data;
compares the metric to boundaries of a plurality of biometric data clusters stored in a biometric database, each of the plurality of biometric data clusters representing a plurality of biometric data clustered together by reducing a statistic among the plurality of biometric data;
responsive to the comparison, selects one of the plurality of biometric data clusters;
decrypts the encrypted user data using a selected cryptographic key;
the biometric database storing a plurality of cryptographic keys for each of the plurality of biometric data clusters; and
the second component that:
receives the biometric data from the first component;
calculates the metric from the biometric data;
returns the metric to the first component.

14. The system of claim 13 , said biometric data comprising a fingerprint of said user.

15. The system of claim 13 , said biometric data comprising an iris image of said user.

16. The system of claim 13 , said first component requesting said user-specific data from said software service.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the metric comprises one of the plurality of cryptographic data clusters.

18. The system of claim 13 , said biometric data being collected by a touch screen or a fingerprint reader of said system.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Schlesinger Benny
• Kashtan Guy

Classifications

• H04L63/0428

  wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload · CPC title

• G06F21/32 Primary

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

• H04L9/0866

  involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics · CPC title

• G06F21/6245

  Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes · CPC title

• H04L9/3231

  Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina (network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861) · CPC title