Bio-metric encryption key generator

• US 20070239994A1
• Filed: 04/05/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kulkarni, Vinod, Delahunty, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/398,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20070239994A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless
• 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

Abstract

In a method of facilitating an encrypted communication for use in communication between a local device, operated by a user, and a remote device, a data representation of a biometric feature of the user is received from a biometric input interface. The data representation is transformed into a biometric encryption key using a predetermined set of rules. A device for communicating on a network includes a biometric input interface a processor, and a transceiver. The processor transforms a biometric data input from the biometric input interface into an encryption key and encrypts data for transmission onto the network using the encryption key, thereby generating encrypted data. The transceiver transmits the encrypted data to the network.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating an encrypted communication for use in communication between a local device, operated by a user, and a remote device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from a biometric input interface, a data representation of a biometric feature of the user; and

transforming the data representation into a biometric encryption key using a predetermined set of rules.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting a single-use key to the remote device, thereby establishing an encrypted communication tunnel; and

transmitting the biometric encryption key to the remote device via the encrypted communication tunnel, thereby enabling the remote device to provision an account for the local device so as to require use of the biometric encryption key for all subsequent encrypted communications between the local device and remote device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

encrypting at least one data packet using the biometric encryption key thereby creating an encrypted data packet; and

transmitting the encrypted data packet to the remote device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one data packet from the remote device; and

decrypting the data packet using the biometric encryption key thereby creating a decrypted data packet.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving, from the biometric input interface, a data representation of the biometric feature of the user each time that a new encrypted communication is initiated.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the encryption key in a digital memory.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

encrypting at least one data packet using the biometric encryption key stored in the digital memory thereby creating an encrypted data packet; and

transmitting the encrypted data packet to the remote device.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an encrypted data packet from the remote device; and

decrypting the encrypted data packet using the biometric encryption key stored in the digital memory thereby creating an decrypted data packet.

9. A method of provisioning an encrypted communication account for facilitating communications between a local device and a communications server, comprising the steps of:

receiving a single use only key from the local device at the communications server;

establishing an encrypted communication tunnel between the communications server and the local device employing the single use key;

receiving from the local device a biometric key via the encrypted communications tunnel; and

storing at the communications server the biometric key in a memory associated with the local device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of using the biometric key to decrypt all subsequent encrypted communications from the local device to the communications server.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of using the biometric key to encrypt all communications to the local device from the communications server.

12. A device for communicating on a network, comprising:

a biometric input interface;

a processor, configured to transform a biometric data input from the biometric input interface into an encryption key and to encrypt data for transmission onto the network using the encryption key, thereby generating encrypted data; and

a transceiver configured to transmit the encrypted data to the network.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further programmed to decrypt data received from the network employing the encryption key.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the biometric input interface comprises a fingerprint scanner.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the biometric input interface comprises a retinal scanner.

16. The device of claim 12, further comprising a digital memory that stores a single use key.

17. The device of claim 12, further comprising a digital memory that stores the encryption key for subsequent use.

18. The device of claim 12, wherein the transceiver comprises a wireless communications chip set.