Identification and/or authentication method

• US 20060080525A1
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Swisscom Mobile AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Inventors: Ritter, Rudolf, Lauper, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,673,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/155
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/13 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent

Abstract

Method for identifying and/or authenticating a user (1) of a mobile device (2) in a server (4) on the basis of fingerprints of the user (1) that have been read through haptic input means (21) of the mobile device 82) with a fingerprint reader in the mobile device (2), the method having the following steps:

• • inviting the user (1) to perform selections in a menu of the server (4) with the haptic input means (21),
  • simultaneously reading the user'"'"'s fingerprints through the haptic input means (21),
  • comparing the fingerprints and possibly previously read fingerprints of the user (1) with reference fingerprints,
  • repeating the previous steps until the user 81) has been identified and/or authenticated with a predetermined probability.

Claims

1. Method for identifying and/or authenticating a user of a mobile device including an identification module for identifying the user and/or the mobile device, in a server application on the basis of fingerprints of said user, that are recorded through haptic input means, said method having the following steps:

the user enters commands with said haptic input means, in order to move in a freely accessible part of a server,

simultaneously, finger prints of said user are recorded through said haptic input means,

at the latest when said user wishes to access a secure part of the server that requires an identification respectively an authentication, the user is identified respectively authenticated on the basis of said fingerprints,

access to said secure part of the server is granted without explicit identification respectively authentication request if said user has been identified respectively authenticated in the previous step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an explicit identification respectively authentication is required if said user has not been identified respectively authenticated reliably through said fingerprints.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user is invited to have his fingerprints read once again if he has not been identified respectively authenticated reliably through said fingerprints.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the user is invited to enter a password if he has not been identified respectively authenticated reliably through said fingerprints.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is identified respectively authenticated in that several fingerprints recorded consecutively during the same session are compared with reference fingerprints of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the use is considered identified respectively authenticated if the probability of a wrong identification respectively authentication is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said threshold is set by the operator of said server.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein Hidden Markov Models and/or neural networks are used for comparing fingerprints recorded during a session with reference fingerprints of the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said user is identified in a first step on the basis of data in said identification module or on the basis of self-entered indications,

and wherein the user identity determined during said first step is verified on the basis of fingerprints recorded during movement of the user in said freely accessible part of the server in order to authenticate said user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said server is designed in such a manner that several fingerprints of the user are read with said haptic input means when this user navigates in said freely accessible part with said haptic input means in order to reach said secure part.

11. The method of claim 1, with a registration process during which reference fingerprints of the user are stored in a reference database of said server.

12. The method of claim 1, with a registration process during which reference prints of the user are stored in a reference database in said mobile device.

13. The method of claim 1, with a registration process during which reference fingerprints of the user are stored in a database in the server of a third party that performs user identifications for several servers of different providers.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification respectively authentication occurs in said server.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification respectively authentication occurs in the server of a third party that performs user identifications for several servers of different providers.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification respectively authentication occurs in said mobile device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a user identification program is downloaded in said mobile device.

18. The method of claim 17, said program being signed electronically.

22. Program product that can be loaded directly in a memory area, with a program that executes the method of one of the claims 1 to 18 if it runs on a processor.

19. Server with a freely accessible part and a secure part, with:

a menu system wherein a user can move with the aid of commands at least in said freely accessible part,

a comparator for comparing the user fingerprints recorded during a session with reference fingerprints,

said menu system being designed in such a manner that the access to said secure part of the server is granted without explicit invitation for identification respectively authentication if said user has been identified respectively authenticated whilst moving in said freely accessible part on the basis of said comparator.

20. The server of claim 19, wherein the user is invited to have his fingerprints read several times if he wishes to move from said freely accessible part into said secure part and if he has not been previously identified respectively authenticated.

21. The server of claim 19, with a reference database for storing said reference fingerprints.