Systems and methods for synchronizing content and information on multiple computing devices

Abstract

A method for synchronizing content between a first electronic device and a second electronic device in response to an input signal, includes: (a) receiving a first synchronization signal from the first computing device that is based on the input signal being received in the first electronic device; (b) mapping the first synchronization signal to a second synchronization signal based on mapping information accessible to the second electronic device, wherein the second synchronization signal includes information not represented by the first synchronization signal; and (c) transmitting the second synchronization signal to the second electronic device for processing, wherein (i) the input signal comprises one or more sensors; (ii) the first electronic device comprises a controller that interprets the input signal to provide the first synchronization signal, and (iii) the second electronic device comprises an actuator and wherein the second synchronization signal corresponds to a command for actuation in the second electronic device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for, upon request by a third-party application program, verifying the identity of a user, comprising:
 receiving identification data from the user at a first computing device;   at a second computing device, which communicates with the first computing device over a wide-area communication network, establishing the identity of the user by processing the identification data against personal information that is (i) stored at the second computing device or that is accessible from the second computing device, and (ii) authenticated independently of the user, the personal information comprising one or more of: non-public information of the user, biometric information of the user, and contemporaneous physical location of the user; and   over a secure communication channel, transmitting to the third-party application program the result of establishing the identity of the user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the third-party application program relates to delivery of a health-related service. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing an interface in the first computing device to the third-party application program for sending the request, the interface being a uniform interface is suitable for adoption by any of a plurality of third-party application programs. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , the method further comprising activating one or more biometric sensors to collect the biometric information. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identification data and the personal information both includes access-control credentials, wherein establishing the identity of the user comprises authenticating the access-control credentials included in the identification data against the access-control credentials in the personal information. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein neither the identification data nor the personal information is provided to the third-party application program. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing to the third-party application program data encoding a portion of the personal information. 
     
     
         8 . A method for storing established user identity for subsequent verification, comprising:
 prompting the user to provide a self-picture and identification information using a camera on a computing device;   sending the self-picture and the user identification information to a processing unit over wide area network;   at the processing unit, establishing user identity by verifying the self-picture and identification information to previously authenticated user information of the user and one or more previously authenticated self-pictures stored at a database accessible by the processing unit; and   when the user identity is successfully established, securely storing the self-picture and identification information, and the verified user identity for use in subsequent verification to a third-party application program.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein subsequent verification of user identity comprises:
 prompting the user to take a fresh self-picture using a camera on a mobile device and to provide the identification information;   sending the fresh self-picture from the user and the currently provided identification information to the processing unit over the wide area network;   at the processing unit, verifying user identity by verifying the fresh self-picture and the currently provided user identification information against the securely stored self-picture and the securely stored identification information; and   when the verifying of the fresh self-picture and the currently provided user identification information are successful, sending the verified user identity over a secure communication channel to a third-party application program.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the subsequent verification of user identity is initiated by a request from the third-party application program. 
     
     
         11 . A mobile computing device running a user identity verification interface for requesting user identity verification by a third-party application program, wherein the user identity verification interface carries out a method that comprises, upon receiving a request for user identity verification:
 obtaining identification data from the user;   sending the identification to a server which verifies the user identity by processing the identification data obtained against personal information that is stored at the server or that is accessible from the server; and   over a secure communication channel, receiving and relaying the result of the server's verification to the third-party application program, wherein the result of server's verification includes the verified user identity, provided the server's verification has been successful   
     
     
         12 . The mobile computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the verified user identity comprises access-control credentials to the third-party application program. 
     
     
         13 . The mobile computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the third-party application program relates to delivery of a health-related service. 
     
     
         14 . The mobile computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the first computing device further comprises an interface to the third-party application program for sending the request, the interface being a uniform interface is suitable for adoption by any of a plurality of third-party application programs. 
     
     
         15 . The mobile computing device of  claim 11 , the method further comprising activating one or more biometric sensors to collect the biometric information. 
     
     
         16 . The mobile computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the identification data and the personal information both includes access-control credentials, wherein establishing the identity of the user comprises authenticating the access-control credentials included in the identification data against the access-control credentials in the personal information. 
     
     
         17 . The mobile computing device of  claim 11 , wherein neither the identification data nor the personal information is provided to the third-party application program. 
     
     
         18 . The mobile computing device of  claim 11 , wherein the user identification interface further comprising providing to the third-party application program data encoding a portion of the personal information. 
     
     
         19 . A system computing device including a user identification apparatus that carries out a method for verifying the identity of a user for a third-party application program, the method comprising:
 receiving identification data from the user at a first computing device;   at a second computing device, which communicates with the first computing device over a wide-area communication network, establishing the identity of the user by processing the identification data against personal information that is (i) stored at the second computing device or that is accessible from the second computing device, and (ii) authenticated independently of the user, the personal information comprising one or more of: non-public information of the user, biometric information of the user, and contemporaneous physical location of the user; and   over a secure communication channel, transmitting to the third-party application program the result of establishing the identity of the user.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the third-party application program relates to delivery of a health-related service. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the first computing device includes an interface to the third-party application program for sending the request, the interface being a uniform interface is suitable for adoption by any of a plurality of third-party application programs. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 19 , further comprising one or more biometric sensors, wherein the method further comprises activating the one or more biometric sensors to collect the biometric information. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the identification data and the personal information both includes access-control credentials, wherein establishing the identity of the user comprises authenticating the access-control credentials included in the identification data against the access-control credentials in the personal information. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein neither the identification data nor the personal information is provided to the third-party application program. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the user identity verification interface provides to the third-party application program data encoding a portion of the personal information.