RELATED APPLICATION

This application was originally filed as PCT Application No. PCT/FI2016/050406 filed Jun. 8, 2016.

FIELD

The present invention relates to sensor-based interaction with a service, such as, for example, a web service.

BACKGROUND

Web services may be useful to users in several ways. For example, hypertext transfer protocol, HTTP, with the world wide web, WWW, may be used to provide users weather, stock market and traffic information.

While some web services, such as weather services, provide information that is equally valid to all persons, or at least all persons in a geographic area, other web services may be customized for specific users. Banking and healthcare are extreme examples of services that must, due to their basic nature, be accessible only by persons authorised to access the services and interact with them.

Web services, be they banking services or extranets, may require signup and logon by users, to ensure no unauthorised access takes place, to ensure relevant information is provided to a user, or both. Signup may comprise providing some personal information and agreeing on a password, for example. Subsequent to signup, logging on may require simply providing the agreed password, for example.

As users habitually access large numbers of services, the number of passwords users need tends to grow, to the extent many users have given up on the notion of memorizing them all and instead rely on passwords or passphrases that are written on paper notes or stored in text files, or various kinds of password management programs.

Users may have personal devices, such as smartphones and smart watches. Other examples include pulse meters and other biomedical measurement devices. Personal devices may be used to access web services, for example by using a web browser program installed in a personal smartphone or tablet device.

Inputting passwords or passphrases in a smartphone or tablet user interface may be cumbersome since these devices may lack a physical keyboard, and passwords may comprise a mix of alphanumeric and special characters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is defined by the features of the independent claims. Some specific embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising a memory configured to store an identifier of the apparatus, at least one processing core configured to obtain, from sensor information, a service identifier and a session identifier, compile a message addressed to a service provider associated with the service identifier, the message comprising the identifier of the apparatus and the session identifier, and cause transmission of the message toward the service provider.

Various aspects of the first aspect may comprise at least one feature from the following bulleted list:the identifier of the apparatus comprises a public encryption key of the apparatusthe at least one processing core is further configured to cryptographically sign the message prior to causing the transmission of the messagethe apparatus is configured to obtain the sensor information from at least one sensor comprised in the apparatusthe sensor information comprises optical sensor information originating in an optical sensorthe sensor information comprises audio sensor information originating in a microphone sensorthe apparatus is further configured to process a logon message from the service provider, and to respond to the logon message with a logon reply message comprising at least one of: a cryptographic signature and a one-time passwordthe apparatus is configured to request an interaction from a user before transmitting the logon reply messagethe interaction comprises at least one of the following: a fingerprint entry, a password entry and performance of a gesture.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processing core, at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processing core, cause the apparatus at least to receive, from a service provider, a service identifier and a session identifier, cause the service identifier and the session identifier to be conveyed via at least one of: optical communication and sound communication, and receive, from the service provider, an identifier of a device associated with a user of the apparatus.

Various aspects of the second aspect may comprise at least one feature from the following bulleted list:the service identifier and the session identifier are conveyed via a web browser programthe apparatus is configured to cause the conveying of the service identifier and the session identifier to be stopped responsive to receiving the identifierthe apparatus is configured to store the identifier of the device associated with the user in a local storage mechanismthe local storage mechanism comprises at least one of: a browser cookie and a hypertext markup language 5, HTML5, local storagethe apparatus is further configured to, in connection with a login attempt to a service associated with the service identifier, transmit the identifier of the device associated with the user to a network.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising storing an identifier of an apparatus, obtaining, from sensor information, a service identifier and a session identifier, compiling a message addressed to a service provider associated with the service identifier, the message comprising the identifier of the apparatus and the session identifier, and causing transmission of the message toward the service provider.

Various aspects of the third aspect may comprise at least one feature corresponding to a feature from the preceding bulleted list laid out in connection with the first aspect.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method, comprising receiving, in an apparatus, from a service provider, a service identifier and a session identifier, causing the service identifier and the session identifier to be conveyed via at least one of: optical communication and sound communication, and receiving, from the service provider, an identifier of a device associated with a user of the apparatus.

Various aspects of the fourth aspect may comprise at least one feature corresponding to a feature from the preceding bulleted list laid out in connection with the second aspect.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising means for storing an identifier of an apparatus, means for obtaining, from sensor information, a service identifier and a session identifier, means for compiling a message addressed to a service provider associated with the service identifier, the message comprising the identifier of the apparatus and the session identifier, and means for causing transmission of the message toward the service provider.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising means for receiving, from a service provider, a service identifier and a session identifier, means for causing the service identifier and the session identifier to be conveyed via at least one of: optical communication and sound communication, and means for receiving, from the service provider, an identifier of a device associated with a user of the apparatus.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of computer readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause an apparatus to at least store an identifier of an apparatus, obtain, from sensor information, a service identifier and a session identifier, compile a message addressed to a service provider associated with the service identifier, the message comprising the identifier of the apparatus and the session identifier, and cause transmission of the message toward the service provider.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of computer readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause an apparatus to at least receive, from a service provider, in an apparatus, a service identifier and a session identifier, cause the service identifier and the session identifier to be conveyed via at least one of: optical communication and sound communication, and receive, from the service provider, an identifier of a device associated with a user of the apparatus.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program configured to cause a method in accordance with at least one of the third and fourth aspects to be performed.

