Determining whether to grant access to a passcode protected system

• US 20060107316A1
• Filed: 04/06/2005
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biogy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Michael Fiske
• Inventors: Fiske, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,669,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/46 by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/083 involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying

Abstract

Protecting the security of an entity by using passcodes is disclosed. A passcode device generates a passcode. In an embodiment, the passcode is generated in response to receipt of user information. The passcode is received by another system, which authenticates the passcode by at least generating a passcode from a passcode generator, and comparing the generated passcode with the received passcode. The passcode is temporary. At a later use a different passcode is generated from a different passcode generator.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, via a machine, a code that is valid temporarily, wherein the code is based on information associated with a user; and

determining whether an attempted access is permitted, based on the code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is biometric data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is a fingerprint.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the code comprises:

generating a code generator based on the information; and

generating the code from the code generator.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the code generator is only temporarily valid.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising applying a function to the code generator to generate a new code generator.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the code is associated with a timestamp.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a value for the code that was generated by a user;

wherein the determining includes at least determining whether the value received matches the code generated.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving of the value for the code includes at least receiving signals caused by pressing one or more keys.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving of the value for the code includes at least receiving signals from an independent device associated with the user.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving another code that is based on the information.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a code generator based on the other code.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a passcode from a user;

retrieving at least one passcode generator;

generating at least one passcode from the at least one passcode generator;

determining whether one passcode of the at least one passcode generated matches the passcode received;

if the one passcode matches the passcode received,

granting the user access to a secure entity,

perturbing one passcode generator of the at least one passcode generator to create a new passcode generator, and

storing the new passcode generator in place of the one passcode generator.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein

the retrieving of the at least one passcode generator includes at least retrieving a set of passcode generators;

the generating of the at least one passcode includes at least generating, for a current passcode generator of the set, a current passcode from the current passcode generator;

the determining includes at least determining whether the current passcode matches the passcode received;

the method further comprises

if the current passcode does not match the passcode received,

changing the current passcode generator to another passcode generator of the set, and

repeating the generating and the determining,

wherein if the one passcode matches the passcode received includes at least if the current passcode matches the passcode received,

granting the user access to a secure entity,

perturbing the current passcode generator to create a new passcode generator, and

storing the new passcode generator in place of the current passcode generator;

the method also comprising if

the generating and the determining have been repeated for each passcode generator of the set, and

a passcode that matches the passcode received has not been found,

then

denying the user access to the secure entity.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one passcode is only one passcode;

and if the one passcode and the passcode received do not match, denying the user access to the secure entity.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one passcode is only one passcode, and the at least one passcode generator is only one passcode generator;

and if the one passcode and the passcode received do not match,

generating a current trial passcode generator from the one passcode generator,

generating a current trial passcode from the current trial passcode generator,

determining whether the current trial passcode matches the passcode received,

generating a new passcode generator from the current trial passcode generator,

if the current trial passcode and the passcode received match,

replacing the current passcode generator with the new passcode generator, and

granting the user access to the secure entity.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

if the current trial passcode and the passcode

received do not match,

replacing the current trial passcode generator with the new passcode generator,

repeating

the generating of the trial passcode,

the determining of whether the current trial passcode matches the passcode received, and

the generating of the new passcode generator.

18. The method of claim 17, where during the repeating

the generating of the trial passcode,

the determining of whether, and

the generating of the new passcode generator

are repeated until a predetermined maximum number of repetitions is reached or the determining finds a match between the current trial passcode and the passcode received,

if the predetermined maximum is reached and the determining does not find a match between the current trial passcode and the passcode received, denying the user access to the secure entity.