Mobile computing device and wearable computing device having automatic access mode control

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a wearable computing device, an indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by a user; and

responsive to at least the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn and an indication that a distance between the wearable computing device and a mobile computing device is less than a threshold distance, transmitting, by the wearable computing device, to the mobile computing device, an instruction to cause the mobile computing device to change an access mode of a computing environment of the mobile computing device from a reduced access security mode to an increased access security mode in which the user is permitted access to a larger set of functionality provided by the mobile computing device than when in the reduced access security mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the instruction to the mobile computing device comprises transmitting the instruction when the wearable computing device is in an increased access security mode in which the user is permitted access to a larger set of functionality of the wearable computing device than when in a reduced access security mode.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processor of the wearable computing device generates the indication that the distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than the threshold distance.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the indication that the distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than the threshold distance is generated by at least:

receiving, by the processor of the wearable computing device, an indication of a wireless communication link between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device;

responsive to receiving the indication of the wireless communication link, determining, based on a signal strength of the wireless communication link, an approximate distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device; and

determining that the approximate distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than the threshold distance.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processor of the wearable computing device receives the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by the user from a sensor, and wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, a camera, a physical contact on a connecting structure of the wearable computing device, an electrical contact on a connecting structure of the wearable computing device, and a pressure sensor.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

responsive to receiving the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by the user and based at least in part on the indication that the distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than a threshold distance, outputting, by the processor of the wearable computing device, a security challenge;

receiving, by the processor of the wearable computing device, an indication of a response to the security challenge, and

wherein changing, based at least in part on the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn and the indication that the distance is less than the threshold distance, the access mode of the computing environment of the wearable computing device from the reduced access security mode to the increased access security mode comprises changing, based at least in part on the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn, the indication that the distance is less than the threshold distance, and an indication of the response to the security challenge, the access security mode of the computing environment of the wearable computing device from the reduced access security mode to the increased access security mode.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

after transmitting the instruction to cause the mobile computing device to change the access mode of the computing environment of the mobile computing device, receiving, by the processor of the wearable computing device, an indication that the distance between the mobile computing device and the wearable computing device exceeds the threshold distance; and

responsive to receiving the indication that the distance between the mobile computing device and the wearable computing device exceeds the threshold distance, transmitting, by the processor of the wearable computing device, to the mobile computing device, an instruction to change the access mode of the computing environment of the mobile computing device from the increased access security mode to the reduced access security mode.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising outputting, by the processor of the wearable computing device, an alert that the distance between the mobile computing device and the wearable computing device has exceeded the threshold distance.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

after transmitting the instruction to cause the mobile computing device to change the access mode of the computing environment of the mobile computing device, receiving, by the processor of the wearable computing device, an indication that the wearable computing device is not being worn by the user of the wearable computing device; and

responsive to receiving the indication that the wearable computing device is not being worn by the user, changing, by the processor of the wearable computing device, the access mode of the computing environment of the wearable computing device from the increased access security mode to the reduced access security mode, and transmitting, by the processor of the wearable computing device, to the mobile computing device, an instruction to change the access mode of the computing environment of the mobile computing device from the increased access security mode to the reduced access security mode.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile computing device comprises a laptop computer.

11. A system comprising:

a mobile computing device comprising one or more mobile computing device processors;

a wearable computing device comprising one or more wearable computing device processors, and a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to generate an indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by a user, and a wearable computing device access mode module operable by the one or more wearable computing device processors to send the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by the user responsive to determining that an access mode of a computing environment of the wearable computing device is an increased access security mode in which the user is permitted access to a larger set of functionality provided by the wearable computing device than when in a reduced access security mode; and

a mobile computing device access mode module operable by the one or more mobile computing device processors to receive the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by the user and change, based at least in part on the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by the user and an indication that a distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than a threshold distance, an access mode of a computing environment of the mobile computing device from a reduced access security mode to an increased access security mode in which the user is permitted access to a larger set of functionality provided by the mobile computing device than when in the reduced access security mode.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a vicinity module operable by at least one processor of the one or more wearable computing device processors or the one or more mobile computing device processors to determine that a distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than a threshold distance and generate the indication that the distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than the threshold distance.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the vicinity module is operable by the at least one processor of the one or more wearable computing device processors or the one or more mobile computing device processors to:

receive an indication of a wireless communication link between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device;

responsive to receiving the indication of the wireless communication link, determine, based on a signal strength of the wireless communication link, an approximate distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device; and

determine that the approximate distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than the threshold distance.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the mobile computing device access mode module is further operable by the one or more mobile computing device processors to:

responsive to receiving the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by the user and the indication that the distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than the threshold distance, output a security challenge;

receive an indication of a response to the security challenge; and

verify the response to the security challenge against a saved security challenge response,

wherein to the access mode of the computing environment of the mobile computing device comprises to change, based at least in part on the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by the user, the indication that the distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than the threshold distance, and the indication of the response to the security challenge, the access mode of the computing environment of the mobile computing device from the reduced access security mode to the increased access security mode.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the mobile computing device access mode module is operable by the one or more mobile computing device processors to:

receive an indication that the distance between the mobile computing device and the wearable computing device exceeds the threshold distance, and

responsive to receiving the indication that the distance between the mobile computing device and the wearable computing device exceeds the threshold distance, change the access mode of the computing environment of the mobile computing device from the increased access security mode to the reduced access security mode.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the mobile computing device access mode module is further operable by the one or more mobile computing device processors to:

after changing the access mode of the computing environment of the mobile computing device from the increased access security mode to the reduced access security mode, receive an indication that the distance between the mobile computing device and the wearable computing device is less than the threshold distance; and

responsive to receiving the indication that the distance between the mobile computing device and the wearable computing device is less than the threshold distance, change the access mode of the computing environment of the mobile computing device from the reduced access security mode to the increased access security mode.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein

the sensor generates, after the access modes of the computing environments provided by the mobile computing device and the wearable computing device have been changed, an indication that the wearable computing device is not being worn by the user,

the mobile computing device access mode module is further operable by the one or more mobile computing device processors to, responsive to receiving the indication that the wearable computing device is not being worn by the user, change the access mode of the computing environment of the mobile computing device from the increased access security mode to the reduced access security mode, and

the wearable computing device access mode module is further operable by the one or more wearable mobile computing device processors to, responsive to receiving the indication that the wearable computing device is not being worn by the user, change the access mode of the computing environment of the wearable computing device from the increased access security mode to the reduced access security mode.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the mobile computing device comprises a laptop computer.

19. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of a mobile computing device to:

receive, from a wearable computing device when the wearable computing device is in an increased access security mode in which a user is permitted access to a larger set of functionality of the wearable computing device than when in a reduced access security mode, an indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by a user;

determine that a distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than a threshold distance; and

change, based at least in part on the indication that the wearable computing device is being worn by the user and the determination that the distance between the wearable computing device and the mobile computing device is less than the threshold distance, an access mode of the computing environment of the mobile computing device from a reduced access security mode to an increased access security mode in which the user is permitted access to a larger set of functionality provided by the mobile computing device than when in the reduced access security mode.