Use of public switched telephone network for authentication and authorization in on-line transactions

• US 20030221125A1
• Filed: 05/24/2002
• Published: 11/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Payfone Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Authentify, Inc. (Early Warning Services, LLC)
• Inventors: Rolfe, Andrew R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,383,572 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/42 using separate channels for security data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/425 using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• 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 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3215 using a plurality of channels network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18

Abstract

A system for authentication and/or authorization which incorporates two communication channels, and at least one of third-party data sources, geographic correlation algorithms, speech recognition algorithms, voice biometric comparison algorithms, and mechanisms to convert textual data into speech. A site visitor'"'"'s identity can be verified using one or all of such features in combination with a visitors address on one of the channels.

Claims

1. A security enhancing system comprising:

a switched telephone network-type communication system and a second system different from the first system at least in part.

executable instructions for communicating with a party via the second system;

executable instructions for requesting a telephone number from the party, usable to initiate communications via the telephone system,

executable instructions for interrogating at least one database to verify that any provided telephone number is associated with the party.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein the interrogating instructions include instructions for providing name and address information from at least one of the databases associated with the telephone number.

3. A system as in claim 1 wherein the interrogating instructions include instructions for carrying out a geographic correlation between a provided telephone number and a geographical identifier associated with the party.

4. A system as in claim 3 wherein the geographical identifier comprises a postal zone code associated with the party.

5. A system as in claim 4 which includes executable instructions for correlating the postal zone code with a switching location, associated with the telephone number, which is part of the telephone system.

6. A system as in claim 1 which includes:

executable instructions for placing a call, via the telephone network, to the provided telephone number of the party; and

additional executable instructions to determine that the call has been answered and another communication link has been opened.

7. A system as in claim 6 which includes executable instructions for forwarding to the party, via the second system, identity confirmatory information.

8. A system as in claim 7 which includes executable instructions for requesting that the party feedback the identify confirmatory information via the telephone system.

9. A system as in claim 8 which includes executable instructions for evaluating the feedback identity confirmatory information.

10. A system as in claim 9 which includes executable instructions for evaluating the feedback identity confirmatory information by comparing it to the information forwarded to the party.

11. A system as in claim 8 wherein the instructions request a verbal recitation of the forwarded identity confirmatory information.

12. A system as in claim 11 wherein the received verbal recitations are analyzed by speech recognition instructions.

13. A system as in claim 12 which includes instructions for comparing recognized speech, the verbally recited identity confirmation, to the information forwarded to the party.

14. A system as in claim 1 wherein the interrogating instructions comprise instructions to access at least one third-party telephone database.

15. A system as in claim 14 wherein the interrogating instructions include additional instructions for carrying out a geographical correlation between a provided telephone number and a geographic identifier associated with the party.

16. A system as in claim 1 which includes executable instructions for audibly forwarding to the party, via the telephone system, a selected security credential.

17. A system as in claim 8 which includes executable instructions for audibly forwarding to the party, via the telephone system, a selected security credential.

18. A system as in claim 12 which includes executable instructions for audibly forwarding to the party, via the telephone system, a selected security credential.

19. A system as in claim 16 wherein the selected security credential comprises a personal identifier enabling the recipient to carry out a predetermined transaction.

20. A system as in claim 19 wherein the predetermined transaction comprises one of a commercial transaction and a civic transaction.

21. A method comprising establishing two different electronic communications paths whereby a first path is established, and, based on information obtained thereby an address is established to open the second path;

verifying the identity of a party who has established the paths by, at least in part, processing audio responses received by the second path so as to recognize words embedded therein and comparing representations of the recognized words to selected, prestored word sequences , and, in response thereto, audibly providing to the party, via the second path, a predetermined credential.

22. A method as in claim 21 which includes interrogating at least one third-party database to evaluate the trustworthiness of the address.

23. A method as in claim 22 which includes evaluating the address with respect to selected mail delivery information associated with the party.

24. A method as in claim 22 which includes carrying out a geographical correlation between the address and other information associated with the party.

25. A voting system comprising:

executable instructions enabling a potential voter to log onto a communication system for voter registration;

executable instructions for obtaining selected information from the potential voter along with an identifier for a second communication system from the potential voter;

executable instructions for evaluating the identifier in the context of the selected information and information from third-party sources to ascertain a degree of reliability as to the relationship between the identifier and the potential voter, and,

executable instructions, responsive to the degree of reliability, for initiating communications with the potential voter via the second system, using the identifier, including instructions for audibly communicating with the potential voter to obtain and store an audibly based personal identifier for the potential voter and for identifying the potential voter as a registered voter.

26. A system as in claim 25 which includes:

executable instructions enabling an individual which claims to be a registered voter to initiate communications via one communications link to identify himself-herself for voting;

instructions to authenticate the voter as someone entitled to cast a vote and for providing an indicium as to the authenticity of the individual as the registered voter.

27. A system as in claim 26 wherein the instructions to authenticate the voter include creating a current audibly based personal identifier and comparing the current form of the identifier with the stored, audibly based personal identifier.

28. A system as in claim 27 wherein the instructions to authenticate the voter include instructions to receive information via the one communications link and to receive a verbal form of that information from the individual via a different communications link.

29. A method of carrying out a transaction between a customer and supplier comprising:

entering transaction information;

seeking authorization for the transaction from a selected provider;

checking a customer information file and forwarding an authorization request to a service provider;

responding, at the service provider, by opening an audio communications link with the customer, using the link and forwarding an authorization inquiry to the customer;

receiving an audio reply from the customer;

storing a representation thereof and evaluating the reply;

returning information concerning the reply to the selected provider; and

receiving the information and determining if the transaction should be authorized.

30. A method as in claim 29 wherein the entered transaction information includes customer identifying information, and, the selected provider provides credit authorizing services.

31. A method as in claim 30 wherein the credit authorizing provider obtains customer identifying information from a database and forwards same along with the authorization request to the service provider.

32. A method as in claim 31 which includes using the customer identifying information to establish an address in a communication system for the customer and using the address to open the audio communications link.

33. A method as in claim 32 which includes producing machine generated speech for communicating with the customer and forwarding the authorization inquiry via the link.

34. A method as in claim 33 wherein the received audio reply is processed at the service provider and evaluated for content.

35. A method as in claim 34 wherein the processed audio reply is saved.

36. A method as in claim 34 wherein the information returned to the selected provider includes a representation of the content.

37. A method as in claim 36 wherein the information returned includes a representation of the processed audio.

38. A method as in claim 34 wherein the selected provider, in the determining step authorizes the transaction, based at least in part, on the processed audio reply.

39. A method as in claim 38 wherein the transaction is authorized by the selected provider responding to a source of the entered transaction information.

40. A method as in claim 30 wherein the selected provider, in the determining step, determines if it will accept a charge by the customer to effect the transaction.

41. A method as in claim 29 wherein after the entering step, a first communications channel is opened to the selected provider.

42. A method as in claim 41 wherein the checking step includes obtaining a telephone umber for the customer.

43. A method as in claim 42 wherein the audio communications link is established by placing a call to the telephone number for the customer.

44. A method as in claim 43 wherein the forwarding step includes producing synthetic speech asking the customer to authorize the transaction.

45. A system comprising:

two communications channels, different at least in part, wherein one channel is a voice channel and the other is a data channel, wherein each channel has at least one address and wherein at least one of the addresses is associated with a channel user;

executable instructions for carrying out at least one of an authentication, an authorization and a registration process, wherein the process includes executable instructions for at least one of, using third-party data sources, geographic correlation processing, speech recognition processing to provide clear and recognizable recordings, synthetic speech to verbally deliver security information, and, creating a voice biometric.

46. A system as in claim 45 wherein some of the instructions are executed at a target site and others at a site for at least one of authentication, authorization, registration processing.

47. A system as in claim 46 wherein some of the target site instructions communicate with the channel user and others communicate with the other site to implement the authentication, authorization, registration processing.

48. A system as in claim 47 wherein the other site uses the address associated with the user to open the voice channel with the user.

49. A system as in claim 48 wherein the other site includes executable instructions to verbally deliver security information to the user.

50. A system as in claim 49 wherein the other site includes executable instructions to carry out a geographic correlation of the address and the other user related information.

51. A system as in claim 45 which includes a granting site and a separate authorizing site wherein the granting site is couplable at least to the data channel and the authorizing site is couplable to the voice channel and wherein the executable instructions are located, at least in part, at the authorizing site.

52. A system as in claim 51 which includes executable instructions at the granting site for responding to a customer driven transaction inquiry, and for, forwarding transaction information to the authorization site for communicating with the customer.

53. A system as in claim 52 which includes executable instructions at the authorization site, responsive to the transaction information, for opening the voice channel to the customer.

54. A system as in claim 53 wherein the authorization site includes instructions for interacting with the customer by providing verbal authorization information to the customer, and for receiving verbal reply information from the customer.

55. A system as in claim 45 wherein the instructions for creating a voice biometric include instructions for determining and storing at least one voice print of the user associated with the voice channel.

56. A system as in claim 55 which includes instructions for comparing a previously stored voice print to a current voice print for the same user.

57. A system as in claim 1 which includes executable instructions for creating a voice biometric of the party.

58. A system as in claim 1 which includes executable instructions for comparing a newly created voice biometric to a previously stored biometric for the party.

59. Executable instructions in a system having two communications channels, different in part, wherein one channel is a voice channel, wherein each channel has a user address, wherein the instructions comprise:

executable instructions to couple a security indicium to a user via one channel;

executable instructions enabling the user to return the security indicium via the voice channel;

executable instructions for comparing the indicium provided to the user to the returned indicium for user identity verification;

executable instructions for comparing current user and channel information to pre-stored third party data;

executable speech recognition instructions for processing the returned indicium for an audit trail; and

executable instructions for forming a current voice biometric of the returned indicium.

60. Instructions as in claim 59 which include instructions to compare the current voice biometric with a pre-stored biometric for the user.