Enhancing authentication and source of proof through a dynamically updatable biometrics database

• US 10,135,817 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2016
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Castinado, Joseph Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Reza, Mohammad W
• Application Number:
  US15/082,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20170279800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 726 5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time

Abstract

The present invention provides for biometric authentication of users using current, updatable biometric data/standards. In this regard, the present invention provides for creation of a registry of authentication information that dynamically, over time, receives biometric authentication-related information (e.g., photographs, voice samples, fingerprints, signatures and the like) from diverse devices configured to capture/sense such. The devices may be devices associated with the user, such as mobile communication devices, devices locate in the user'"'"'s residence or the like, or the devices may be public devices, such as security cameras, point-of-sale devices or the like, which are configured to capture and electronically communicate biometric authentication-related information. In response to invoking a biometric authentication application and receiving a user'"'"'s biometric credentials/identifier, the registry is accessed so that a comparison may be made between the user'"'"'s current biometric credentials and the biometric data stored within the registry.

Claims

1. A system for authenticating a user, the system comprising:

a first computing platform having a first memory and at least one first processor in communication with the first memory;

a registry of authentication-related information stored in the first memory and configured to implement the first processor to;

receive, on an ongoing basis, from a plurality of devices having one or more sensors that capture biometric data, authentication-related information related to a plurality of users, wherein the authentication-related information includes biometric data associated with each of the users and an association of biometric data to a type of the device that captured the biometric data, and

store the authentication-related information associated with each of the users in user-specific profiles, wherein the user-specific profiles form, over time, a historical record of each user'"'"'s biometric data;

a second computing platform having a second memory and at least one second processor in with the second communication memory; and

an authentication module, stored in the second memory, executable by the second processor and configured to;

receive, from a user, an authentication credential that comprises at least one biometric identifier of the user and identifies a type of one or more devices that captured the at least one biometric identifier, and

access, electronically, a user-specific profile associated with the user, which is stored in the registry of authentication of data,

compare the at least one biometric identifier to the biometric data in the user-specific profile, wherein the biometric data is compared to the at least one biometric identifier in chronological order starting with biometric data stored most recently in the user-specific profile and biometric data captured from a same or similar type of device that captured the at least one biometric identifier is compared first prior to comparing the biometric data captured from a different type of device that captured the at least one biometric identifier, and

based on the comparison, determine that the user is authenticated.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the types of biometric data include one or more of signature data, facial characteristic data, fingerprint or hand characteristic data, voice characteristic data.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a biometric pattern determination module stored in a third memory, executable by a third processor and configured to determine one or more patterns associated with the biometric data stored in a user profile within the registry of authentication information and store the one or more patterns in the user-specific profile with the registry.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the authentication module is further configured to:

receive, from the user, the authentication credential that comprises at least one biometric identifier of the user, wherein the biometric identifier defines a biometric pattern identifier, and

compare the at least one biometric pattern identifier to the biometric data in the user-specific profile, wherein the comparison includes comparing the biometric pattern identifier to the one or more patterns stored in the user-specific profile.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data verification module stored in third memory, executable by a third processor and configured to, in response to the registry receiving the authentication-related information, verify that the authentication-related information is related to one of the plurality of users.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the biometric data verification module is further configured to verify that the authentication-related information is related to one of the plurality of users by at least one of (i) comparing a device from which the authentication-related information was received to a registering listing of one or more devices associated with the user, or (ii) heuristic comparison of the biometric data comprising the authentication-related information to known biometric data associated with the user.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the registry of authentication is further configured to, upon verification by the verification module, store the verified authentication-related information as a block chain within the user-specific profile associated with the user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the authentication module is further configured to receive the authentication credential that comprises at least one biometric identifier of the user, in response to one of (i) a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the user has provided authentication credential for an application requiring authentication credentials in a form of a username and password, or (ii) misappropriation has recently occurred or is known to be associated with an application requiring authentication credentials.

9. An apparatus for authenticating a user, the apparatus comprising:

a computer platform having a memory and at least one processor in communication with the memory; and

an authentication module, stored in the memory, executable by the processor and configured to;

receive, from a user, an authentication credential that comprises at least one biometric identifier of the user and identifies a type of one or more devices that captured the at least one biometric identifier,

access, electronically, a registry of authentication of data that (i) receives, on an ongoing basis, from a plurality of devices having one or more sensors that capture biometric data, authentication-related information related to a plurality of users, wherein the authentication-related information includes biometric data associated with each of the users and an association of biometric data to a type of the device that captured the biometric data, and (ii) stores the authentication-related information associated with each of the users in user-specific profiles, wherein the user-specific profiles form, over time, a historical record of each user'"'"'s biometric data categorized by the sources and the types of the biometric data;

compare the at least one biometric identifier to the biometric data in the user-specific profile, wherein the biometric data is compared to the at least one biometric identifier in chronological order starting with biometric data stored most recently in the user-specific profile and biometric data captured from a same or similar type of device that captured the at least one biometric identifier is compared first prior to comparing the biometric data captured from a different type of device that captured the at least one biometric identifier; and

based on the comparison, determine that the user is authenticated.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the authentication module is further configured to compare the at least one biometric identifier to the biometric data in the user-specific profile in chronological order from a most recently received biometric data.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the authentication module is further configured to:

receive, from the user, the authentication credential that comprises at least one biometric identifier of the user, wherein the biometric identifier defines a biometric pattern identifier, and

compare the at least one biometric pattern identifier to the biometric data in the user-specific profile, wherein the comparison includes comparing the biometric pattern identifier to the one or more determined patterns stored in the user-specific profile.

12. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the computer-readable medium comprising:

a first set of codes for causing a computer to receive, on an ongoing basis, from a plurality of devices having one or more sensors that capture biometric data, authentication-related information related to a plurality of users, wherein the authentication-related information includes biometric data associated with each of the users and an association of biometric data to a type of the device that captured the biometric data;

a second set of codes for causing a computer to store the authentication-related information associated with each of the users in user-specific profiles, wherein the user-specific profiles form, over time, a historical record of each user'"'"'s biometric data categorized by the sources and the types of the biometric data;

a third set of codes for causing a computer to receive, from a user, an authentication credential that comprises at least one biometric identifier of the user and identifies a type of one or more devices that captured the at least one biometric identifier; and

a fourth set of codes for causing a computer to access, electronically, one of the user-specific profiles associated with the user to compare the at least one biometric identifier to the biometric data in the user-specific profile, wherein the biometric data is compared to the at least one biometric identifier in chronological order starting with biometric data stored most recently in the user-specific profile and biometric data captured from a same or similar type of device that captured the at least one biometric identifier is compared first prior to comparing the biometric data captured from a different type of device that captured the at least one biometric identifier, and, based on the comparison, determine that the user is authenticated.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the fourth set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to compare the at least one biometric identifier to the biometric data in the user-specific profile in chronological order from a most recently received biometric data.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising a fifth set of codes for causing a computer to determine one or more patterns associated with the biometric data stored in a user profile within the registry of authentication information and store the one or more patterns in the user-specific profile with the registry.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to receive, from the user, the authentication credential that comprises at least one biometric identifier of the user, wherein the biometric identifier defines a biometric pattern identifier, and wherein the fourth set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to compare the at least one biometric pattern identifier to the biometric data in the user-specific profile, wherein the comparison includes comparing the biometric pattern identifier to the one or more patterns stored in the user-specific profile.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising a fifth set of codes for causing a computer to, in response to the registry receiving the authentication-related information, verify that the authentication-related information is related to one of the plurality of users.