Distributed biometric access control method and apparatus

• US 20040036574A1
• Filed: 03/10/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nextgenid, Inc. (Zeva, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nextgen Id
• Inventors: Bostrom, Susan J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,110,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.82
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/94 Hardware or software architectures specially adapted for image or video understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an access control apparatus and method. Enrollment is conducted at a centralized server and enrollment data, such as identification data is downloaded to plural local access units at respective entrances to a restricted area. The local access units then collect data of a person upon an attempted entry in to the area and compare the data with downloaded enrollment data to determine if the person is authorized for access. If the person is authorized, an access control device is operated to open a door, gate, or the like of the entrance. The enrollment data can be primary biometric data or primary and secondary biometric data, said secondary biometric data can be collected at the local access units. If a secondary type of biometric data is collected at the local access units and is correlated to data stored on the local access unit, data of the same type is compared to the downloaded data for access control. The primary enrollment data can be non-environmentally affected data, such as fingerprint parameter data and the secondary type of data can be environmentally affected data, such as facial parameter data. In cases where the primary biometric data does not correspond to stored primary biometric data, secondary biometric data can be collected and authenticated and new primary biometric data collected for potential addition to a user'"'"'s primary biometric enrollments.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling access into an area to, comprising:

a server including server memory and a server data collection device configured to collect identification data assigned to an authorized person;

a local access unit associated with an entrance to the area and including local memory, a local processor, a primary local biometric parameter sensing device, at least one secondary local biometric parameter sensing device, a local data collection device, and an access control device; and

a communication channel for downloading the identification data from the server to the local access unit,

wherein said local processor is operative to recognize an authorized user by comparing primary biometric parameter data of a person proximate the entrance collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device with primary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory, and to grant access to the area by operating said access control device if the primary biometric parameter data collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device and the primary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory correspond,

wherein said local processor is operative to collect secondary biometric parameter data through said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device when the primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device and the primary biometric parameter data stored in the local memory do not correspond, and to grant access to the area by operating said access control device when the secondary biometric parameter data of an authorized person is entered if the secondary biometric parameter data collected by said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device and the secondary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory correspond, and wherein said local processor is operative to prompt the user to provide additional biometric parameter data to the local primary biometric parameter sensing device and to store the additional biometric parameter data collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device in correspondence with the primary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory when the secondary biometric parameter data collected by the at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device and the secondary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory correspond.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said local processor is operative to recognize an authorized user by comparing primary biometric parameter data of a person proximate the entrance collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device with primary biometric parameter data corresponding to plural users stored in said local memory, and to grant access to the area by operating said access control device if the primary biometric parameter data collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device and said stored primary biometric parameter data corresponding to any one of plural users correspond.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said local processor is operative to recognize an authorized user by prompting a person proximate the entrance to enter identification data into said local data collection device, retrieving a subset of primary biometric parameter data corresponding to said identification data stored in the local memory, comparing the primary biometric parameter data collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device with said subset of primary biometric parameter data, and granting access to the area when said primary biometric parameter data collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device and said subset of primary biometric parameter data correspond.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a means for authenticating a secondary biometric parameter data collected proximate the entrance by said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device when the primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device and the primary biometric parameter data stored in the local access unit do not correspond.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a means for authenticating a secondary biometric parameter data collected proximate the entrance by said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device when the primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device and the primary biometric parameter data stored in the local access unit do not correspond.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a means for authenticating the secondary biometric parameter data collected proximate the entrance by said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device when the primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device and the primary biometric parameter data stored in the local access unit do not correspond.

7. A method of controlling access into an area comprising the steps of:

recognizing an authorized user by comparing primary biometric parameter data of a person proximate the entrance collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device with primary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory, and granting access by operating the access control device if the primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device and the primary biometric parameter data stored in the local access unit correspond;

prompting the person to enter secondary biometric parameter data through said at least one secondary biometric parameter sensing device when the primary biometric parameter data collected by said primary biometric parameter sensing device and the primary biometric parameter data stored in the local access unit do not correspond and granting access by operating the access control device when the secondary biometric parameter data of an authorized person collected by said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device and the secondary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory correspond; and

prompting the person to provide additional primary biometric parameter data to the local primary biometric parameter sensing device and storing said additional primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device in the local access unit when the secondary biometric parameter data collected by said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device and the secondary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory correspond.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said recognizing step comprises comparing primary biometric parameter data of a person collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device with primary biometric parameter data corresponding to plural users stored in said local memory, and granting access to the area by operating said access control device if the primary biometric parameter data collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device and said primary biometric parameter data correspond.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said recognizing step comprises prompting a person proximate the entrance to enter identification data into said local data collection device, retrieving a subset of primary biometric parameter data corresponding to said identification data stored in the local memory, comparing the primary biometric parameter data collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device with said subset of primary biometric parameter data, and granting access to the area when said primary biometric parameter data collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device and said subset of primary biometric parameter data correspond.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said recognizing step comprises authenticating the secondary biometric parameter data collected proximate the entrance by said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device when the primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device and the primary biometric parameter data stored in the local access unit do not correspond.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of a system administrator authenticating the additional primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device when the secondary biometric parameter data collected by the said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device and the secondary biometric parameter data stored in the local memory correspond, by comparing primary biometric data collected during the primary enrollment procedure with the additional primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of a system administrator authenticating the additional primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device when the secondary biometric parameter data collected by the said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device and the secondary biometric parameter data stored in the local memory correspond, by comparing primary biometric data collected during the primary enrollment procedure with the additional primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device.