U.S. patent application number 14/252720 was filed with the patent office on 2014-09-25 for connecting to wi-fi network based off approval from another user device.
This patent application is currently assigned to NEXTBIT SYSTEMS INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is Nextbit Systems Inc.. Invention is credited to Daniel R. Bornstein, Michael A. Chan, Tom Moss, Justin Quan, Linda Tong.
Application Number | 20140289825 14/252720 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51541718 |
Filed Date | 2014-09-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140289825 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chan; Michael A. ; et
al. |
September 25, 2014 |
CONNECTING TO WI-FI NETWORK BASED OFF APPROVAL FROM ANOTHER USER
DEVICE
Abstract
Technology is disclosed for sharing an authentication profile
for accessing a Wi-Fi network between multiple devices. To access a
particular Wi-Fi network on a first device and a second device,
authentication information, e.g., a password for the Wi-Fi network,
may have to be input on both the devices. In some embodiments, the
technology facilitates obtaining an approval for accessing the
Wi-Fi network on the second device from the first device. Upon
receiving a request from a user of the second device to access the
Wi-Fi network on the second device, the second device requests if
any of the devices, e.g., devices in proximity, can approve the
access request. A notification is displayed on the first device
regarding the access request. The user associated with first device
can then approve the access request, which causes authentication
information for accessing the Wi-Fi network to be transmitted to
the second device.
Inventors: |
Chan; Michael A.; (San
Francisco, CA) ; Quan; Justin; (San Francisco,
CA) ; Bornstein; Daniel R.; (San Francisco, CA)
; Moss; Tom; (Los Altos, CA) ; Tong; Linda;
(San Francisco, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Nextbit Systems Inc. |
San Francisco |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
NEXTBIT SYSTEMS INC.
San Francisco
CA
|
Family ID: |
51541718 |
Appl. No.: |
14/252720 |
Filed: |
April 14, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
14221189 |
Mar 20, 2014 |
|
|
|
14252720 |
|
|
|
|
61804134 |
Mar 21, 2013 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
726/5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 12/06 20130101;
H04W 84/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
726/5 |
International
Class: |
H04W 12/06 20060101
H04W012/06 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for sharing an authentication
profile between a plurality of computing devices for accessing a
particular Wi-Fi network, the method comprising: obtaining, at a
first computing device of the computing devices, a list of Wi-Fi
networks that are in a range of the first computing device, the
computing devices associated with a user; receiving, by the first
computing device, an access request from the user to access the
particular Wi-Fi network from the list of Wi-Fi networks on the
first computing device, the particular Wi-Fi network being an
access restricted Wi-Fi network; determining, by the first
computing device and in response to the receiving the access
request, whether any of the computing devices can approve the
access request, the determining including: sending an approval
request to a set of the computing devices that are in proximity to
the first computing device for approving the access request, the
sending the approval request using a short range wireless
communication; responsive to a determination that a second
computing device of the set of computing devices can approve the
access request, obtaining an approval from the second computing
device for accessing the particular Wi-Fi network on the first
computing device, the obtaining including: presenting, by the
second computing device, a notification on the second computing
device requesting the user to approve the access request, and
obtaining, upon approval of the access request by the user, the
authentication profile containing authentication information for
accessing the particular Wi-Fi network from the second computing
device, the obtaining using the short range wireless communication,
the obtaining including requesting, by the second computing device,
a server computer to verify whether the first computing device is a
member of a trusted devices group of which the second computing
device is a member; and accessing, by the first computing device,
the particular Wi-Fi network using the authentication profile
obtained from the second computing device.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining
the approval from the second computing device facilitates the user
to access the particular Wi-Fi network without having the user to
input the authentication information manually on the first
computing device.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the approval
from the second computing device is restricted to a group of
computing devices that are members of the trusted devices group of
which the second computing device is a member.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein accessing
the particular Wi-Fi network from the first computing device using
the authentication profiles includes: extracting, by the first
computing device, the authentication information from the
authentication profile, providing, by the first computing device,
the authentication information to the particular Wi-Fi network, and
receiving, by the first computing device, access to the particular
Wi-Fi network.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the trusted
devices group includes a plurality of unique identifications (IDs)
associated with corresponding computing devices of the group.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein each of the
unique IDs can be any of a user ID of the user, a device ID of the
corresponding computing device, or a user-defined ID.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the trusted
devices group is stored in each of the computing devices of the
user.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the trusted
devices group is stored in the server computer accessible by the
computing devices.
9. (canceled)
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining
whether the second computing device is in proximity to the first
computing device includes determining whether the first computing
device and the second computing device can communicate with each
other using the short range wireless communication.
11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the short
range wireless communication includes communicating via at least
one of (a) Bluetooth, (b) WiFi direct, (c) WiFi, (d) near field
communication (NFC), (e) AirDrop, (f) Infrared, or (g) digital
living network alliance (DLNA).
12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the
authentication profile for the particular Wi-Fi network stored at
the second computing device is generated by the second computing
device and upon successful authentication of the user on the second
computing device by the particular Wi-Fi network.
13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second
computing devices obtains access to the particular Wi-Fi network
upon successful authentication of the user on the second computing
device, the obtaining includes: obtaining, at the second computing
device, the list of Wi-Fi networks that are in range of the second
computing device; requesting, by the second computing device, the
particular Wi-Fi network from the list of Wi-Fi networks for an
access to the particular Wi-Fi network; receiving, at the second
computing device, an authentication prompt from the particular
Wi-Fi network requesting the user to provide the authentication
information for gaining access to the particular Wi-Fi network;
manually inputting, by the user, the authentication information at
the second computing device; and obtaining access to the particular
Wi-Fi network on the second computing device upon successful
authentication of the user based on the authentication
information.
14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the
authentication information includes at least one of a user name, a
password, a passcode, a personal identification number (PIN), or an
answer to a challenge question posted by the Wi-Fi network.
15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining
the authentication profile from the second computing device
includes: encrypting, by the second computing device, the
authentication profile to generate an encrypted authentication
profile, and transmitting the encrypted authentication profile to
the first computing device.
16. A computer-implemented method for sharing an authentication
profile between a plurality of computing devices, using a server,
for accessing a particular Wi-Fi network, the method comprising:
obtaining, at a first computing device of the computing devices, a
list of Wi-Fi networks that are in range of the first computing
device, the computing devices associated with one or more users,
the first computing device associated with a first user of the one
or more users; receiving, by the first computing device, an access
request from the first user to access the particular Wi-Fi network
from the list of Wi-Fi networks on the first computing device, the
particular Wi-Fi network being an access restricted Wi-Fi network;
sending, by the first computing device and in response to receiving
the access request, an approval request to the server, the server
facilitating obtaining access to the particular Wi-Fi network to
approve the access request; causing the server to determine whether
the server can approve the access request, the determining
including: causing the server to determine whether any of a
remaining set of the computing devices have the authentication
profile, the authentication profile containing authentication
information for accessing the particular Wi-Fi network, and causing
the server to receive a response from a second computing device of
the remaining set of the computing devices indicating that the
second computing device contains the authentication profile;
responsive to a determination that the server can approve the
access request, obtaining an approval from the server for accessing
the particular Wi-Fi network on the first computing device, the
obtaining including: causing the server to determine whether the
first computing device is a member of a trusted devices group of
which the second computing device is a member, wherein the sharing
of the authentication profile is restricted to a group of the
computing devices that are members of the trusted devices group,
and responsive to a determination that the first computing device
is a member of the trusted devices group, causing the server to
obtain the authentication profile from the second computing device;
and accessing, by the first computing device, the particular Wi-Fi
network using the authentication profile obtained from the
server.
17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein obtaining
the approval from the server facilitates the first user to access
the particular Wi-Fi network on the first computing device without
having to input the authentication information on the first
computing device manually.
18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 further comprising:
responsive to a determination that the server cannot approve the
access request, presenting a notification on a display of the
second computing device using which a user of the one or more user
associated with the second computing device manually approves the
access request.
19. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein accessing
the particular Wi-Fi network from the first computing device using
the authentication profiles includes: extracting, by the first
computing device, the authentication information from the
authentication profile, providing, by the first computing device,
the authentication information to the particular Wi-Fi network, and
receiving, by the first computing device, access to the particular
Wi-Fi network.
20. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein obtaining
the authentication profile from the second computing device
includes: encrypting, by the second computing device, the
authentication profile to generate an encrypted authentication
profile, and transmitting the encrypted authentication profile to
the first computing device.
21. A computing device for obtaining access to a particular Wi-Fi
network, comprising: a processor; an access request engine that
works in co-operation with the processor to obtain a list of Wi-Fi
networks that are in a range of the computing device, the computing
device associated with a first user, and receive an access request
from the first user to access the particular Wi-Fi network from the
list of Wi-Fi networks on the computing device, the particular
Wi-Fi network being an access restricted Wi-Fi network; an
authentication profile discovery engine to determine, in response
to the receiving the access request, whether any of a plurality of
computing devices that are in proximity to the computing device can
approve the access request, the computing devices associated with
one or more users, the determining including: sending an approval
request to the computing devices for approving the access request,
the sending the approval request using a short range wireless
communication, and receiving a response from a second computing
device of the computing devices indicating that the second
computing device can approve the access request, the second
computing device associated with a second user of the one or more
users; responsive to a determination that the second computing
device can approve the access request, obtain an approval from the
second computing device for accessing the particular Wi-Fi network
on the computing device, the obtaining including: causing the
second computing device to display a notification on the second
computing device requesting the second user to approve the access
request, the causing including verifying, by the second computing
device, whether the first computing device is a member of a trusted
devices group of which the second computing device is a member, and
obtaining, upon approval of the access request by the second user,
an authentication profile containing authentication information for
accessing the particular Wi-Fi network from the second computing
device, the obtaining using the short range wireless communication;
and an authentication engine to provide the computing device access
to the particular Wi-Fi network using the authentication profile
obtained from the second computing device.
22. The computing device of claim 21 further comprising: an
decryption engine to decrypt the authentication profile received
from the second computing device; and an encryption engine to
encrypt a first authentication profile generated by the computing
device, the first authentication profile containing authentication
information manually input by the first user at the computing
device to gain access to the particular Wi-Fi network.
23. The computing device of claim 21, wherein the short range
wireless communication includes at least one of (a) Bluetooth, (b)
WiFi direct, (c) WiFi, (d) NFC, (e) AirDrop, (f) Infrared, or (g)
DLNA.
24. A server for facilitating sharing of an authentication profile
between multiple computing devices to access a particular Wi-Fi
network, comprising: a processor; a profile sharing request engine
that works in cooperation with the processor to receive a request
from a first computing device to approve an access request for
accessing the particular Wi-Fi network, the first computing device
associated with a first user; an authentication profile discovery
engine to determine whether any of a plurality of computing devices
have an authentication profile of the particular Wi-Fi network, the
authentication profile containing authentication information for
accessing the particular Wi-Fi network, the computing devices
associated with one or more users, and receive a response from a
second computing device of the computing devices indicating that
the second computing device contains the authentication profile,
determine whether the first computing device is a member of a
trusted devices group of which the second computing device is a
member, wherein the sharing of the authentication profile is
restricted to a group of the computing devices that are members of
the trusted devices group, responsive to a determination that the
first computing device is a member of the trusted devices group,
obtain the authentication profile from the second computing device;
and a network engine to provide the authentication profile obtained
from the second computing device to the first computing device.
25. The server of claim 24 further comprising: a storage device to
store the authentication profile received from the second computing
device.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/221,189, entitled "SHARING AUTHENTICATION
PROFILES BETWEEN A GROUP OF USER DEVICES", filed on Mar. 20, 2014,
which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
61/804,134, entitled "OPERATING SYSTEM AND DEVICE INTEGRATED WITH
CLOUD COMPUTING FUNCTIONALITIES", filed on Mar. 21, 2013, all of
which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] Several of the disclosed embodiments relate to
authentication of users, and more particularly, to sharing
authentication profiles of the user between a group of user
devices.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Portable devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, and
tablet computers have become more common among individuals. The
portable devices provide a convenient way to access various
content, e.g., on Internet, via a wireless network. Typically, to
access an access restricted computing environment, e.g., a server,
an application executing on a server, or a communication network
such as a wireless network, the user may have to input credential
information, such as a username, a password, or answers to
challenge questions, to gain access to the access restricted
computing environment. For example, to gain access to a wireless
network on a user device, a user may have to enter a password for
authentication by the wireless network. If the user wants to access
the same wireless network on another user device, the user may have
to input the password again for authentication on the other user
device. This can be burdensome for the user.
[0004] In another example, a banking website can have multiple
authentication levels. For example, if the user is accessing the
banking website for first time on a particular user device, in a
first level of authentication, the banking website can require the
user to provide a first set of credential information for the
banking website to trust the user device. Then, upon successfully
authentication of the first set of credential information, the
banking website can require a second set of credential information,
e.g., a username and password, to provide access to the user's bank
account. If a user accesses the banking website from another user
device, the user may have to input all the credential information
again. While secure, inputting multiple sets of credential
information every time a user requires access to an application can
be burdensome for the user. Also, as the number of access
restricted applications increase, the number of sets of credential
information can increase, and remembering all the credential
information can be an added burden.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an environment in
which sharing of authentication profile between computing devices
of a group for accessing an access restricted computing environment
can be implemented.
[0006] FIG. 2A is an example sequence diagram for generating an
authentication profile.
[0007] FIG. 2B is an example of an authentication profile that can
be generated in the environment of FIG. 1.
[0008] FIG. 3 is an example illustrating sharing of the
authentication profile between a group of computing devices.
[0009] FIG. 4 is an example of a trusted devices group table
containing a set of computing devices of a trusted devices group
for a particular computing environment.
[0010] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a system for sharing
the authentication profile between computing devices of a group via
a server.
[0011] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the computing device that can
be used for accessing the access restricted computing environment
and sharing the authentication profiles.
[0012] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a server for facilitating
sharing of authentication profiles between computing devices of a
group.
[0013] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram a process of sharing authentication
profiles between computing devices of a group for access a
particular access restricted computing environment.
[0014] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a computer system as may be
used to implement features of some embodiments of the disclosed
technology.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] Technology is disclosed for sharing an authentication
profile of a user between user devices of a group for accessing an
access restricted computing environment using any of the user
devices ("the technology"). In some embodiments, the technology
allows the user to obtain authentication information required to
gain access to the access restricted computing environment from
another user device, e.g., a user device from which the user has
accessed the access restricted computing environment previously. In
some embodiments, an access restricted computing environment can
include a server, an application executing on the server, or a
communication network such as a wireless network. The access
restricted computing environment can require the user to input
credential information (or authentication information), such as a
username, a password, or answers to challenge questions, to
authenticate the user. For example, to gain access to a wireless
network on a first user device, a user may have to enter a password
for authentication by the wireless network. If the user wants to
access the same wireless network on a second user device, the user
may have to input the password again on the second user device. The
technology allows the user to obtain the authentication information
required to gain access to the wireless network from another user
device, e.g., a device such as the first device from which the user
has accessed the wireless network previously. This eliminates the
need for the user to input the authentication information again on
the second user device.
[0016] In some embodiments, when the second user device requests
the first user device to share the authentication profile with the
second user device, the first user device determines if the second
user device is also a member of the trusted devices group of which
the first user device is a member. If the second user device is
also a member of the trusted devices group of which the first user
device is a member, the first user device transmits the
authentication profile to the second user device. The second user
device receives the authentication profile, extracts the
authentication information from the authentication profile, and
provides the authentication information to the wireless network to
gain access. In some embodiments, the authentication profile can be
transmitted in an encrypted form.
[0017] In some embodiments, the first user device shares the
authentication profile with the second user device based on a
location of the devices, e.g., if the devices are in proximity. The
first user device can share the authentication profile if the first
user device is in proximity to the second user device. In some
embodiments, the user devices are considered to be in proximity if
they can communicate with each other using short range wireless
communications such as Bluetooth, Infrared, near field
communications (NFC), AirDrop, Wi-Fi direct, Wi-Fi, Digital Living
Network Alliance (DLNA), etc.
[0018] The authentication profile can contain authentication
information such as a username, user identification (ID), a
password, a passcode or answers to challenge questions. The
authentication profile can also include ID of the access restricted
computing environment, e.g., service set identification (SSID) of
the wireless network. In some embodiments, the authentication
profile is generated when the user accesses a wireless network for
the first time. The user device on which the user accesses the
wireless network for the first time can generate the authentication
profile for the user for the wireless network upon successful
authentication of the user on the user device. The user device can
be a computing device, e.g., mobile computing devices such as a
tablet, a laptop, or a smartphone, or a desktop.
[0019] An access restricted computing environment, e.g., a banking
website, can have multiple authentication levels which require the
user to provide one or more sets of authentication information. The
authentication profile can be configured to store authentication
information of one or more of the authentication levels. In some
embodiments, the authentication profile is configured to store the
authentication information required for all authentication levels.
In some embodiments, the authentication profile is configured to
store the authentication information required for one or more
authentication levels. For example, for a banking website which
includes multiple levels of authentication, e.g., one level of
authentication for trusting or identifying a particular device of
the user and another level of authentication for authenticating the
user, the authentication profile can be configured to store
credential information for identifying the user device. The user
may then input the remaining credential information for gaining
access to the bank account of the user. Conversely, the
authentication profile can be configured to store the entire
authentication information required to access the bank account.
Environment
[0020] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an environment in
which sharing of authentication profile between computing devices
of a group can be implemented. The environment 100 includes an
access restricted computing environment 105 (also referred to as
"computing environment 105") which can be accessed by users who are
authenticated by the computing environment 105. The computing
environment 105 can be one or more of a server 110 that provides a
particular service, an application 115 that is executing on the
server 110 or any other computer systems, or a communication
network 120 such as a wireless network or Wi-Fi network. A user can
access the computing environment 105 using one or more computing
devices such as computing devices 130, 140 and 150. In some
embodiments, the computing environment 105 requires the user to
provide authentication information in order to provide access to
the user for the computing environment 105. The user can gain
access to the computing environment 105 upon successful
authentication of the user by the computing environment 105. The
user can provide the authentication information either manually,
e.g., input using an input device, or obtain from a computing
device that contains the authentication profile for the user for
the computing environment 105. In some embodiments, the computing
devices 130-150 can share the authentication profile between a set
of computing devices.
[0021] The computing device 130-150 can be a desktop computer, a
laptop computer, a tablet computer, an automobile computer, a game
console, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, home
appliances, televisions, automobiles, drones, airplanes, autonomous
devices such as robots, or other computing devices capable of
running computer applications, as contemplated by a person having
ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, the computing
devices 130, 140 and 150 can communicate with each other via a
communication network such as the communication network 120. The
communication network 120 can be a local area network (LAN), a
wireless LAN, wide area network (WAN) or the Internet. In some
embodiments, the communication between the computing devices 130,
140 and 150 is routed through a server such as the server 110. For
example, data related to computer applications 134 and 144 can be
exchanged between the computing devices 130 and 140 through a
server such as the server 110. In some embodiments, the computing
devices 130, 140 and 150 can communicate with each other directly
using a short range wireless communication, e.g. Bluetooth,
Infrared, NFC, AirDrop, Wi-Fi direct, Wi-Fi, or DLNA.
[0022] The computing devices 130-150 include an operating system
132-152 to manage the hardware resources of the computing devices
130-150 and provide services for running computer applications
134-154 (e.g., mobile applications running on mobile devices). The
operating system 132-152 facilitates execution of the computer
applications 134-154 on the computing device 130-150. The computing
devices 130-150 include at least one local storage device 138-158
to store the computer applications 134-154, operating system
132-152 and user data. Some examples of the operating system
132-152 include Android, iOS, Windows, and Macintosh.
[0023] The computer applications 134-154 stored in the computing
devices 130-150 can include applications for general productivity
and information retrieval, including email, calendar, contacts,
stock market and weather information. The computer applications
134-154 can also include applications in other categories, such as
mobile games, factory automation, GPS and location-based services,
banking, order-tracking, ticket purchases or any other categories
as contemplated by a person having ordinary skill in the art.
[0024] Although FIG. 1 illustrates three computing devices, a
person having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand
that the technology disclosed herein can be applied to a single
computing device or more than two computing devices connected to
the server 110. Note that the user associated with each of the
computing devices 130-150 can be same or different users.
[0025] In some embodiments, when the user wants to access the
computing environment 105 via a computing device, e.g., second
computing device 140, the second computing device 140 determines
whether any other computing devices contain the authentication
profile for the computing environment 105. If the second computing
device 140 determines that a first computing device 130 contains
the authentication profile for the computing environment 105, the
second computing device 140 requests the first computing device 130
to share the authentication profile with the second computing
device 140. The second computing device can then use the
authentication information from the obtained authentication profile
to gain access to the computing environment 105. Additional details
with respect to sharing the authentication profile between the
computing devices 130-150 are described at least with reference to
FIGS. 2-8.
[0026] FIG. 2A illustrates an example sequence diagram 200 for
generating an authentication profile. In some embodiments, the
generation of the authentication profile can be implemented in the
environment 100 of FIG. 1. Note that the following paragraphs
describe the sharing of authentication profile with reference to
communication network 120. However, the sharing of authentication
profile is not restricted to communication network 120. The
technology can be implemented in various other access restricted
computing environments 105 that can require the user to provide
authentication information to gain access to the access restricted
computing environment 105, as contemplated by a person having
ordinary skill in the art.
[0027] At step 1, the user requests access to the communication
network 120 using the first computing device 130. In some
embodiments, the communication network 120 can be a password
protected wireless network. Consider that the user has not accessed
the communication network 120 prior to the current request on any
of the computing devices 130-150. In response to the access
request, at step 2, the first computing device 130 receives an
authentication prompt from the communication network 120 requesting
the user to provide authentication information, e.g., a password
for the wireless network.
[0028] At step 3, the user provides the authentication information
to the communication network 120, e.g., manually inputs the
password, in response to the authentication prompt. The
communication network 120 verifies the authentication information
provided by the user. If the authentication fails, the user can be
denied access to the communication network 120. If the
authentication succeeds, at step 4, the user obtains access to the
communication network 120 on the first computing device 130.
[0029] At step 5, the first computing device 130 generates an
authentication profile for the communication network 120. The
authentication profile can contain authentication information such
as a password to the communication network 120. The authentication
profile can also include ID of the communication network 120, e.g.,
SSID of the wireless network. In some embodiments, if the user has
accessed multiple communication networks, e.g., multiple wireless
networks, then an authentication profile can be created for each of
the communication networks accessed by the first computing device
130.
[0030] Similarly, various authentication profiles can be created
for other types of access restricted computing environment 105
accessed by the user using the first computing device 130. For
example, an authentication profile for a banking website can
include answers to challenge questions, e.g., authentication
information for identifying a particular computing device of the
user by the banking website, and username and password, e.g., to
authenticate the user to provide access to the bank account
information.
[0031] FIG. 2B is an example of an authentication profile 250 that
can be generated in the environment 100. The authentication profile
250 can include a computing environment ID, e.g., SSID of the
wireless network. The authentication profile 250 can also include
different authentication information such as username or user
identification (ID), a password or passcode, challenge questions or
answers to challenge questions. In some embodiments, the user may
choose the type of authentication information that can be stored in
the authentication profile 250. That is, the user may choose to
store or not store particular authentication information in the
authentication profile 250. For example, for the banking website,
the user may choose to store answers to challenge questions, but
choose not to store username and password. In the example of
communication network 120, the user can choose to store only
password of the wireless network. In some embodiments, the
computing environment ID may be a mandatory field in the
authentication profile 250. In some embodiments, the first
computing device 130 can encrypt the authentication profile 250,
e.g., for security purposes. Various known encryption techniques
can be used to encrypt the authentication profile 250.
[0032] FIG. 3 is an example 300 illustrating sharing of the
authentication profile between a group of computing devices. In
some embodiments, the example 300 may be implemented in the
environment 100. The user intends to access the communication
network 120 using the second computing device 140. The
communication network 120 requests the user to provide
authentication information, e.g., password. The user can provide
the authentication information manually, e.g., type in the
password, or obtain the password from another computing device,
e.g., a computing device that has accessed the communication
network 120 previously or contains the authentication profile 250
for the communication network 120. The second computing device 140
determines if any of the other computing devices can approve the
access request for the communication network 120. In some
embodiments to determine if any of the other computing devices can
approve the access request, the second computing device 140
determines if any of the other computing devices, e.g., computing
devices 130 and 150, contain the authentication profile 250. The
second computing device 140 determines that the first computing
device contains the authentication profile 250 for the
communication network 120.
[0033] The second computing device 140 requests the first computing
device 130 to share the authentication profile 250 with the second
computing device 140. The first computing device 130 then transmits
the authentication profile 250 to the second computing device 140.
In some embodiments, the first computing device 130 can encrypt the
authentication profile 250 and then transmit the encrypted
authentication profile 250. The second computing device 140 obtains
the authentication profile 250, decrypts the authentication profile
250 if encrypted, and extracts the authentication information,
e.g., password to the wireless network, from the authentication
profile 250. The second computing device 140 then provides the
authentication information to the communication network 120 and
obtains access to the communication network 120 upon successful
authentication. In some embodiments, by obtaining the
authentication profile 250 from the first computing device 130, the
need for a manual user input of the password to the wireless
network is eliminated.
[0034] In some embodiments, the first computing device 130 approves
the access request of the second computing device 140, e.g., shares
the authentication profile 250 with the second computing device
140, if the second computing device 140 is a member of the trusted
devices group of which the first computing device 130 is a member.
A trusted devices group is a set of computing devices between which
an authentication profile for a particular computing environment
can be shared. FIG. 4 is an example of a trusted devices group
table 400 containing the set of computing devices of a trusted
devices group for a particular computing environment. Each of the
computing devices 130-150 is associated with a unique ID. The
unique ID can include a user ID or username associated with the
user, a device ID of the corresponding computing device, a random
string uniquely identifying the computing devices, a user defined
ID, or a combination thereof. The trusted devices group table 400
contains unique IDs of the computing devices that are part of the
trusted devices group and a computing environment ID of the
particular computing environment. In some embodiments, the device
IDs can be user defined device IDs, media access control (MAC)
address of the computing devices 130-150, or other IDs that can
identify the computing devices 130-150 uniquely. Each of the
computing devices 130-150 can have a copy of the trusted devices
group table 400, have access to a location where the trusted
devices group table 400 is stored, or have a means to determine
whether or not the computing devices are members of a particular
trusted devices group.
[0035] In some embodiments, the computing devices 130-150 can
provide a graphical user interface (GUI) to manage the trusted
devices group. The user can customize the trusted devices group,
e.g., add or remove computing devices from a group, add or remove a
trusted device group, using the GUI. The trusted devices group
table 400 is one implementation of the trusted devices group.
However, the trusted devices group can be implemented using various
data structures. For example, the trusted devices group can be
implemented as a software object. In another example, the trusted
devices group can be implemented as a file.
[0036] Further, in some embodiments, the first computing device 130
shares the authentication profile 250 with the second computing
device 140 based on the location of the first computing device 130.
For example, if the communication network 120 is a wireless
network, the first computing device 130 can share the
authentication profile 250 with the second computing device 140 if
the first computing device 130 is also connected to the wireless
network. In another example, the first computing device 130 can
share the authentication profile 250 if the first computing device
130 is in proximity to the second computing device 140, e.g., to
facilitate the computing devices 130 and 140 communicate with each
other using various short range wireless communication. A short
range wireless communication can include Wi-Fi communication via a
wireless access point and peer-to-peer (P2P) communication
techniques, e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi direct, AirDrop, Infrared, DLNA,
or NFC.
[0037] In some embodiments, the access request of the second
computing device 140 may not be approved by the first computing
device 130, e.g., if the second computing device 140 and the first
computing device 130 are not members of the same trusted devices
group or if they are not in proximity. In some embodiments, even if
the first computing device 130 does not approve the access request,
the user of the first computing device 130 (e.g., can be the same
user as that of the second computing device 140 or a different
user) can manually approve the access request. For example, when
the access request is rejected by the first computing device 130, a
notification may be displayed on the first computing device 130
asking whether the user wants to approve the access request from
the second computing device 140. The user may select to approve or
disapprove the access request using the notification. In some
embodiments, the notification also indicate the reason for
rejection of the access request by the first computing device
130.
[0038] Further, in some embodiments, the access requests may be
approved only by the user associated with the first computing
device, i.e., the first computing device 130 may not approve the
access requests without user intervention. The first computing
device 130 can be configured to notify the user whenever an access
request is received at the first computing device 130. The user may
then select to approve or disapprove the access request manually.
In some embodiments, the user may approve or disapprove the access
requests regardless of whether or not the computing device
requesting the access and the computing device using which the user
approves the request are members of a common trusted devices
group.
[0039] The computing devices 130-150 communicate with each other
using the above described short range wireless communication or via
a server. For example, the second computing device 140 can request
the other computing devices, e.g., computing devices 130 and 150,
for the authentication profile 250 using the short range wireless
communication. Similarly, the first computing device 130 can
respond and/or transmit the authentication profile 250 to the
second computing device 140 using a short range wireless
communication. In another example, the computing devices 130-150
can share the authentication profile 250 via the server.
[0040] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a system 500 for
sharing authentication profile between computing devices of a group
via a server. In some embodiments, the system 500 can be
implemented in the environment 100. The user intends to access the
communication network 120 using the second computing device 140.
The communication network 120 requests the user to provide
authentication information, e.g., password. The user can provide
the authentication information manually, e.g., type in the
password, or obtain the password from another computing device,
e.g., a computing device that has accessed the communication
network 120 previously or a computing device that contains the
authentication profile 250. The second computing device 140
requests a server 505 to obtain the authentication information for
accessing the communication network 120. In some embodiments, the
second computing device 140 communicates server 505 via a network
(different from communication network 120) such as LAN, wireless
LAN or Internet. It is assumed that the computing devices 130-150
have access to the server 505.
[0041] The server 505 determines if any of the other computing
devices, e.g., computing devices 130 and 150 contain the
authentication information. The server 505 can find the computing
devices having the authentication profile in various ways. For
example, the server 505 can send a request to each of the computing
devices to determine if the computing devices contain the
authentication information for the communication network 120. In
another example, the server 505 can maintain, for each of the
computing devices, a list of computing environments 105 a
particular computing device has the authentication profile 250 for.
The server 505 can determine from the list whether a particular
computing device has an authentication profile for a particular
computing environment. The computing devices 130-150 can report to
the server 505 whenever they access a new computing environment and
the server 505 can update the list accordingly. The server 505 can
maintain the list at a data store 510. In some embodiments, the
server 505 can also store the authentication profiles generated by
the computing devices at the data store 510. In some embodiments, a
user such as an administrator of the server 505 or the user of
computing devices 130-150 can decide whether to store the
authentication profiles, e.g., authentication profile 250, in the
data store 510.
[0042] Referring back to the determination by the server 505, the
server 505 determines that the first computing device 130 contains
the authentication profile 250 for the communication network 120.
The server 505 determines whether the first computing device 130
and the second computing device 140 are members of the same trusted
devices group for the communication network 120. In some
embodiments, the server 505 stores the information regarding the
trusted devices groups, e.g., trusted devices group table 400, in
the data store 510. If the server 505 determines that the first
computing device 130 and the second computing device 140 are
members of the same trusted devices group, the server 505 obtains
the authentication profile 250 from the first computing device 130.
Alternatively, the server 505 can obtain the authentication profile
250 from the data store 510, if the server 505 is configured to
store the authentication profile 250 at the data store 510.
[0043] The server 505 transmits the authentication profile 250 to
the second computing device 140. In some embodiments, the server
505 can encrypt the authentication profile 250 and then transmit
the encrypted authentication profile 250. The second computing
device 140 receives the authentication profile 250 from the server
505, decrypts the authentication profile 250 if encrypted, and
extracts the authentication information, e.g., password to the
wireless network, from the authentication profile 250. The second
computing device 140 then provides the authentication information
to the communication network 120 and obtains access to the
communication network 120 upon successful authentication.
[0044] FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram 600 of a computing device
that can be used for accessing the access restricted computing
environment 105 and sharing the authentication profiles. The
computing device 140 can include a network component 605, a
processor 610, a memory 615, the local storage device 148, an
access request module 620, an authentication profile discovery
module 625, an authentication module 630, an authentication profile
generating module 635, and an encryption/decryption module 640. The
memory 615 can store instructions of the operating system 142 of
the computing device 140. The memory 615 can further store
instructions of the computer applications 144 designed to run at
the computing device 140.
[0045] The network component 605 can be capable of switching
between states including a high power consumption state and a low
power conservation state. The network component 605 can be, e.g. a
Wi-Fi networking adapter, a cellular phone networking adapter, etc.
The network component 605 is configured for network communications
with other devices, including the server 505 and other computing
devices, e.g., the computing devices 140 and 150, e.g., for sharing
authentication profiles. The processor 610 is configured to execute
the computer applications 144 and the operating system 142 of the
computing device 140. The memory 615 stores instructions of the
operating system 142 which, when executed by the processor 610,
cause the operating system 142 to perform processes for realizing
certain functionalities of the computing device 140. For instance,
the process of the operating system 142 can facilitate the other
modules of the computing device 140 to communicate with the server
505 and other computing devices 130 and 150 to share the
authentication profile 250.
[0046] The local storage device 148, as described above, can store
the instructions, the operating system 142, user data such as
profile data of the user, data files of the user and any other data
necessary for the operation of the computing device 140 and
execution of the computer applications 144.
[0047] The access request module 620 requests a computing
environment 105, e.g., communication network 120 access to the
computing environment 105. The authentication profile discovery
module 625 determines whether any of the computing devices, e.g.,
the first computing device 130 or the third computing device 150,
has the authentication profile 250. The authentication profile
discovery module 625 determines that the first computing device 130
has the authentication profile 250 of the user for the
communication network 120 and obtains the authentication profile
250 from the first computing device 130. In some embodiments, the
authentication profile discovery module 625 determines whether any
of the computing devices has the authentication profile 250 by
either requesting the other computing devices directly, e.g., using
above described short range wireless communication, or requesting a
server, e.g., server 505. Similarly, the other computing devices,
e.g., the first computing device 130, can respond to the request
and/or transmit the authentication profile 250 to the second
computing device 140 directly or via the server 505.
[0048] In some embodiments, the first computing device 130 shares
the authentication profile 250 with the second computing device 140
if the second computing device 140 is a member of the trusted
devices group of which the first computing device 130 is a member.
The first computing device 130 determines, e.g., using an
authentication profile discovery module such as the authentication
profile discovery module 625, whether the first computing device
130 and the second computing device 140 are members of the same
trusted devices group for the communication network 120.
[0049] In some embodiments, the first computing device 130 can
encrypt the authentication profile 250, e.g., using an encryption
module such as the encryption/decryption module 640, and then
transmit it to the second computing device 140. After receiving the
encrypted authentication profile 250 from the first computing
device 130, the encryption/decryption module 640 decrypts the
encrypted authentication profile 250. The authentication module 630
extracts the authentication information, e.g., password to the
communication network 120, from the authentication profile 250, and
provides the authentication information to the communication
network 120. Upon successful authentication of the password, the
second computing device 140 obtains access to the communication
network 120. The second computing device 140 may then communicate
with other computer systems over the communication network 120,
e.g., via the network component 605.
[0050] The authentication profile generating module 635 generates
an authentication profile such as the authentication profile 250,
e.g., when the user of the second computing device 140 accesses a
computing environment 105 and no other computing device of the user
has the authentication profile 250 for the computing environment
105.
[0051] The authentication module 630 can also be configured to
present notifications to the user, e.g., on a display of the second
computing device 140, to indicate the rejection of access requests
received at the second computing device 140 from other computing
devices and/or to allow the user to manually approve or disapprove
the access requests.
[0052] Note that in some embodiments, the computing devices 140 and
150 also include components/modules described above with reference
to computing device 130.
[0053] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a server for facilitating
sharing of authentication profiles between computing devices of a
group. The server 505 can be, e.g., a dedicated standalone server,
or implemented in a cloud computing service having a plurality of
servers. The server 505 includes a network component 705, a
processor 710, a memory 715, a profile sharing request module 720
and an authentication profile discovery module 725. The memory 715
can include instructions which when executed by the processor 710
enables the server 110 to perform the functions, including sharing
authentication profile between the computing devices 130 and 140,
as described with reference to FIG. 5. The network component 705 is
configured for network communications with other devices, including
the computing devices 130, 140 and 150, e.g., for sharing
authentication profile 250 between the computing devices 130 and
140.
[0054] The profile sharing request module 720 receives a request
from a computing device of a user, e.g., a second computing device
140 to provide the authentication profile for accessing an access
restricted computing environment 105, e.g., communication network
120. The authentication profile discovery module 725 to determines
if any of the computing devices, e.g., computing devices 130 and
150, contain the authentication profile 250 250 for accessing the
communication network 120. In some embodiments, a particular
computing device on which the user has been authenticated by the
communication network 120 previously can have the authentication
profile 250.
[0055] The authentication profile discovery module 725 can find the
computing devices having the authentication profile in various
ways. For example, the authentication profile discovery module 725
can send a request to each of the computing devices, e.g.,
computing device 130 and 150, to determine if the computing devices
contain the authentication information for the communication
network 120. In another example, the server 505 can maintain, for
each of the computing devices, a list of computing environments 105
a particular computing device has the authentication profile for.
The authentication profile discovery module 725 can determine from
the list whether a particular computing device has an
authentication profile for a particular computing environment.
[0056] After the authentication profile discovery module 725
determines that a computing device, e.g., the first computing
device 130 contains the authentication profile 250 for the
communication network 120, the authentication profile discovery
module 725 can obtain the authentication profile 250 from the first
computing device 130. In some embodiments, the authentication
profile discovery module 725 obtains the authentication profile 250
from the first computing device 130 if the first computing device
130 and the second computing device 140 are members of the same
trusted devices group for the communication network 120. In some
embodiments, the authentication profile discovery module 725 can
refer to the trusted devices group table 400 to determine whether
the first computing device 130 and the second computing device 140
are members of the same trusted devices group for the communication
network 120.
[0057] After obtaining the authentication profile 250 from the
first computing device 130, the network component 705 transmits the
authentication profile 250 to the second computing device 140. In
some embodiments, the authentication profile discovery module 725
receives the authentication profile 250 from the first computing
device 130 in an encrypted format and transmits the authentication
profile 250 to the second computing device 140 in an encrypted
format. In some embodiments, the authentication profile discovery
module 725 communicates with the other components, e.g., computing
devices 130-150 and data store 510 over one or more communication
networks (different from communication network 120) such as LAN,
WAN, or Internet.
[0058] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram a process 800 of sharing
authentication profiles between computing devices of a group for
access a particular access restricted computing environment. In
some embodiments, the process 800 may be implemented in the
environment 100 of FIG. 1, and may be executed using a computing
device such as computing device 140. At block 805, the access
request module 620 requests access to an access restricted
computing environment, e.g., communication network 120.
[0059] At decision block 810, the authentication profile discovery
module 625 determines whether any of the other computing devices,
e.g., computing devices 130 and 150, can approve the access
request, i.e., contain the authentication information to access the
computing environment 105. Responsive to a determination that none
of the other computing devices contain the authentication profile
for accessing the computing environment 105, the process 800
returns. Alternatively, the user of the first computing device 130
can manually approve the access request.
[0060] After the determination that one of the computing devices of
the user, e.g., a first computing device 130, contains the
authentication profile, the process 800 can proceed in multiple
possible paths, e.g., a first path--block 810 to 845, a second
path--810 to 815, or a third path 810 to 820.
[0061] In the first path, the process 800 proceeds from block 810
to block 845. At block 845, an authentication module of the first
computing device 130 displays a notification regarding the access
request to the user. At decision block 850, the user may approve or
disapprove the access request using the notification. If the user
selects to disapprove the access request, the process 800 returns.
On the other hand, if the user selects to approve the access
request, the process 800 proceeds to block 825 to obtain the
authentication profile from the first computing device 130.
[0062] In the second path, the process 800 can proceed from block
810 to decision block 815 to determine if the second computing
device 140 and the first computing device 130 are in proximity. The
first computing device 130 can share the authentication profile 250
if the first computing device 130 is in proximity to the second
computing device 140. In some embodiments, the computing devices
are considered to be in proximity if they can communicate with each
other using above described short range wireless communication. The
first computing device 130 shares the authentication profile 250
with the second computing device 140 based on the location of the
first computing device 130. In some embodiments, the first
computing device 130 is considered to be in proximity with the
second computing device 140 if the first computing device 130 is
also connected to the communication network 120. If the first
computing device 130 is in proximity to the second computing device
140, the process 800 process proceeds to block 825, else the
process 800 returns.
[0063] In the third path, the process 800 proceeds from block 810
to decision block 820. At decision block 820, the authentication
profile discovery module 625 determines if the first computing
device 130 and the second computing device 140 are members of the
same trusted devices group for the computing environment 105.
Responsive to a determination that the first computing device 130
and the second computing device 140 are members of the same trusted
devices group for the communication network 120, the process 800
process proceeds to block 825, else the process 800 returns.
[0064] At block 825, the authentication profile discovery module
625 obtains the authentication profile for the computing
environment 105 from the first computing device 130. At block 830,
the authentication module 630 extracts the authentication
information from the authentication profile, and at block 835, the
authentication module 630 provides the authentication information
to the computing environment 105. Upon successful authentication by
the computing environment 105, at block 840, the second computing
device 140 obtains access to the computing environment 105, and the
process 800 returns.
[0065] Note that the path taken by the process 800 from the
decision block 810 to block 825 can be customized by the user. In
some embodiments, the user can also configure additional paths,
e.g., the process 800 can perform both the checks 815 and 820, and
obtain the authentication profile 250 if both the checks are
satisfied (e.g., they result in a "yes").
[0066] The computing devices 130-150 can communicate with one
another, e.g., to perform the steps of 810-825, directly or via a
server. For example, the computing devices 130-150 can communicate
with one another directly using short range wireless communication
as described at least with reference to FIG. 3. In another example,
the computing devices 130-150 can communicate with one another via
a server as described at least with reference to FIG. 5.
[0067] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a computer system as may be
used to implement features of some embodiments of the disclosed
technology. The computing system 900 may be used to implement any
of the entities, components or services depicted in the examples of
FIGS. 1-8 (and any other components described in this
specification). The computing system 900 may include one or more
central processing units ("processors") 905, memory 910,
input/output devices 925 (e.g., keyboard and pointing devices,
display devices), storage devices 920 (e.g., disk drives), and
network adapters 930 (e.g., network interfaces) that are connected
to an interconnect 915. The interconnect 915 is illustrated as an
abstraction that represents any one or more separate physical
buses, point to point connections, or both connected by appropriate
bridges, adapters, or controllers. The interconnect 915, therefore,
may include, for example, a system bus, a Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI) bus or PCI-Express bus, a HyperTransport or
industry standard architecture (ISA) bus, a small computer system
interface (SCSI) bus, a universal serial bus (USB), IIC (I2C) bus,
or an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
standard 1394 bus, also called "Firewire".
[0068] The memory 910 and storage devices 920 are computer-readable
storage media that may store instructions that implement at least
portions of the described technology. In addition, the data
structures and message structures may be stored or transmitted via
a data transmission medium, such as a signal on a communications
link. Various communications links may be used, such as the
Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or a
point-to-point dial-up connection. Thus, computer-readable media
can include computer-readable storage media (e.g., "non-transitory"
media) and computer-readable transmission media.
[0069] The instructions stored in memory 910 can be implemented as
software and/or firmware to program the processor(s) 905 to carry
out actions described above. In some embodiments, such software or
firmware may be initially provided to the computing system 900 by
downloading it from a remote system through the computing system
900 (e.g., via network adapter 930).
[0070] The technology introduced herein can be implemented by, for
example, programmable circuitry (e.g., one or more microprocessors)
programmed with software and/or firmware, or entirely in
special-purpose hardwired (non-programmable) circuitry, or in a
combination of such forms. Special-purpose hardwired circuitry may
be in the form of, for example, one or more ASICs, PLDs, FPGAs,
etc.
Remarks
[0071] The above description and drawings are illustrative and are
not to be construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are
described to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure.
However, in certain instances, well-known details are not described
in order to avoid obscuring the description. Further, various
modifications may be made without deviating from the scope of the
embodiments. Accordingly, the embodiments are not limited except as
by the appended claims.
[0072] Reference in this specification to "one embodiment" or "an
embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The
appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in
the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same
embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually
exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features are
described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by
others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may be
requirements for some embodiments but not for other
embodiments.
[0073] The terms used in this specification generally have their
ordinary meanings in the art, within the context of the disclosure,
and in the specific context where each term is used. Certain terms
that are used to describe the disclosure are discussed below, or
elsewhere in the specification, to provide additional guidance to
the practitioner regarding the description of the disclosure. For
convenience, certain terms may be highlighted, for example using
italics and/or quotation marks. The use of highlighting has no
influence on the scope and meaning of a term; the scope and meaning
of a term is the same, in the same context, whether or not it is
highlighted. It will be appreciated that the same thing can be said
in more than one way. One will recognize that "memory" is one form
of a "storage" and that the terms may on occasion be used
interchangeably.
[0074] Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used
for any one or more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any
special significance to be placed upon whether or not a term is
elaborated or discussed herein. Synonyms for certain terms are
provided. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the
use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this
specification including examples of any term discussed herein is
illustrative only, and is not intended to further limit the scope
and meaning of the disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise,
the disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given in this
specification.
[0075] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the logic
illustrated in each of the flow diagrams discussed above, may be
altered in various ways. For example, the order of the logic may be
rearranged, substeps may be performed in parallel, illustrated
logic may be omitted; other logic may be included, etc.
[0076] Without intent to further limit the scope of the disclosure,
examples of instruments, apparatus, methods and their related
results according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are
given below. Note that titles or subtitles may be used in the
examples for convenience of a reader, which in no way should limit
the scope of the disclosure. Unless otherwise defined, all
technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as
commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which
this disclosure pertains. In the case of conflict, the present
document, including definitions will control.
* * * * *