Systems and methods for a wearable user authentication factor

• US 10,140,479 B1
• Filed: 11/21/2017
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Hopkins, III, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Sonji
• Application Number:
  US15/819,200
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/00 Methods or arrangements for verifying the correctness of markings on a record carrier; Column detection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/045 using payment protocols involving tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• 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: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/33 using wearable devices, e.g. using a smartwatch or smart-glasses

Abstract

A system, method, and computer-usable medium are disclosed for providing multifactor authentication with a wearable user authentication factor. A multi-factor authentication module is implemented to use a plurality of authentication factors, including a unique tag identifier associated with an electronic tag embedded within a wearable article, such as a ring or watch, for the authentication of a user. A user of a wearable user authentication factor approaches a multi-factor terminal, which detects the electronic tag and reads its unique identifier. The user is then requested to provide a predetermined biometric feature, such as a fingerprint, to a biometric reader. The biometric feature is processed to generate a unique biometric identifier. The unique identifier of the electronic tag and the unique biometric identifier is then submitted to a multi-factor authentication module, which compares it to authentication information associated with the user. If the submitted unique identifiers match the user'"'"'s authentication information, then the user is authenticated.

Claims

1. A method of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user, comprising the steps of:

providing an article having a plurality of unique electronic tags within the same article to an authenticatable user;

receiving a first authentication factor from the article via an electronic tag reader, wherein each the plurality of unique electronic tags provides access for the user to a different authenticatable action, each of the unique electronic tags being associated with one or more authentication factors, each authentication factor including an item of information used to authenticate the user'"'"'s identity;

receiving a second authentication factor from a user;

processing the first authentication factor and the second authentication factor to generate user authentication information;

generating a list of authentication options for the user that includes a list of the authenticatable actions associated respectively with the plurality of unique electronic tags, wherein the list includes a unique identifier associated with the authenticatable action; and

authenticating the user for access to a computing device with the user authentication information.

2. A method of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 1, wherein the article is wearable.

3. A method of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 2, wherein the article is one of a ring or a watch.

4. A method of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 1, wherein said processing step further generates user configuration information.

5. A method of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 4, wherein said generating step further generates a configuration action based on the authentication information and user configuration information, wherein the list of the authenticatable actions further includes a unique identifier associated with the configuration action.

6. A method of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 5, further comprising the step of configuring the computing device for the user with the user configuration information.

7. A method of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying said list of authentication options to the user via a graphical user interface for confirmation by the user.

8. A method of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 1, wherein said list of authenticatable actions comprises different authenticatable actions for at least one of i) different access to different physical facilities, or ii) different access to different financial transactions.

9. An electronic system of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user, comprising:

an article, having a plurality of unique electronic tags within the same article, provided to an authenticatable user;

an electronic tag reader adapted to receive a first authentication factor from said article and adapted to receive a second authentication factor from the authenticatable user, wherein each of said plurality of unique electronic tags provides access for the user to a different authenticatable action, each of said unique electronic tags being associated with one or more authentication factors, each authentication factor including an item of information used to authenticate the user'"'"'s identity;

said electronic tag reader adapted to process the first authentication factor and the second authentication factor to generate user authentication information;

said electronic tag reader adapted to generate a list of authentication options for the user that includes a list of the authenticatable actions associated respectively with the plurality of unique electronic tags, wherein the list includes a unique identifier associated with the authenticatable action; and

said electronic tag reader adapted to authenticate the user for access to a computing device with the user authentication information.

10. An electronic system of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 9, wherein said article is wearable.

11. An electronic system of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 10, wherein said article is one of a ring or a watch.

12. An electronic system of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 9, wherein said electronic tag reader is further adapted to generate user configuration information.

13. An electronic system of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 12, wherein said electronic tag reader is further adapted to generate a configuration action based on the authentication information and user configuration information, wherein the list of the authenticatable actions further includes a unique identifier associated with the configuration action.

14. An electronic system of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 13, wherein said computing device is configured for the user with the user configuration information.

15. An electronic system of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 9, further comprising a graphical user interface associated with said electronic tag reader upon which the list of authentication options is displayed to the user for confirmation by the user.

16. An electronic system of providing multi-factor authentication of an authenticatable user according to claim 9, wherein said list of authenticatable actions comprises different authenticatable actions for at least one of i) different access to different physical facilities, or ii) different access to different financial transactions.