System For User Authentication

What is this patent about?

’932 is related to the field of internet security and user authentication. The background involves the increasing need to verify user identities during online transactions to combat fraud and identity theft. Traditional methods rely on IP addresses, which can be easily spoofed or may not provide sufficient accuracy. The patent addresses the problem of reliably authenticating users accessing websites or conducting transactions online.

The underlying idea behind ’932 is to enhance user authentication by cross-referencing the location of a user's computer with the location of their cell phone. The system leverages the fact that a user's computer and cell phone are likely to be in close proximity during a legitimate transaction. By comparing the geographical locations obtained from these two devices, the system can increase the confidence in the user's identity.

The claims of ’932 focus on a computer system that receives a computer signature (a unique identifier derived from hardware and software characteristics) and the geographical location of the user's cell phone. The system checks if the computer signature exists in a database. If it does, the system compares the current cell phone location with a previously stored location associated with that signature. If the signature is not in the database, the system requests additional authentication information.

In practice, the system first identifies the user's computer signature and obtains the cell phone's location using technologies like GPS or Wi-Fi triangulation. If the computer signature is new, the system prompts the user for additional verification, such as a one-time password. Upon successful authentication, the computer signature and cell phone location are stored in the database. Subsequent access attempts are then validated by comparing the current and stored cell phone locations, allowing or denying access based on the proximity of these locations.

This approach differentiates itself from prior solutions by combining device-specific information (computer signature) with location data from a separate device (cell phone). Unlike IP address-based methods, this system is more resistant to spoofing because it requires physical co-location. The use of a database to store previously authenticated locations allows the system to learn and adapt to a user's typical behavior, reducing the need for repeated authentication while maintaining a high level of security .