SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ESTABLISHING A SECURE COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT FOR PERFORMING ONLINE TRANSACTIONS

• US 20070257105A1
• Filed: 04/23/2007
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Encryptakey Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Encryptakey Incorporated
• Inventors: Owen, Kelly, Howell, Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/738,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20070257105A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3415 Cards acting autonomously as pay-media
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3672 initialising or reloading thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A portable, biometrically-secured device for facilitating various different types of in-person and online transactions. For example, the portable, biometrically-secured device can be used to safely perform in-person financial transactions, such as credit card transactions, in which the user'"'"'s identity is biometrically authenticated. The portable, biometrically-secured device can also be used for performing biometrically-secured online transactions. For example, the portable, biometrically-secured device can be used to create a secure platform from which to make the online transactions by loading a secure operating system from the device to a host computer'"'"'s volatile memory. Biometrically-secured online transactions can then be performed using the host computer. In one embodiment, the portable, biometrically-secured device facilitates online financial transactions that can be performed without transmitting a user'"'"'s financial information to the online merchant.

Claims

1. A system for establishing a secure computing environment for performing online transactions, the system comprising:

a host computer; and

a handheld device comprising,

an interface configured to couple to the host computer,

a biometric sensor configured to receive user identification information,

operating system instructions for execution by the host computer during the performance of one or more secure online transactions,

a memory configured to store the operating system instructions; and

a processor in communication with the memory and the biometric sensor, the processor configured to authenticate the user identification information and to communicate the operating system instructions to the host computer after authentication of the user identification information in order to perform the one or more secure online transactions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operating system instructions are configured to prevent the host computer from saving data to a non-volatile memory of the host computer during performance of the one or more secure online transactions.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the operating system instructions are configured to prevent the host computer from accessing data in the non-volatile memory of the host computer during performance of the one or more secure online transactions.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory of the handheld device comprises a read-only memory.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the memory of the handheld device is substantially inaccessible until successful authentication of the user identification information.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the biometric sensor comprises a fingerprint sensor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a wireless interface.

9. A method of establishing a secure computing platform from which to perform transactions, the method comprising:

establishing a connection between a handheld device and a host computer, the host computer having a first operating system;

receiving biometric information with the portable device;

authenticating the biometric information;

loading operating system instructions from the handheld device to the host computer after said authenticating, wherein said loading causes the host computer to execute the operating system instructions in place of the first operating system during the performance of one or more network transactions.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the operating system instructions substantially prevent the host computer from saving data to the non-volatile memory of the host computer.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said loading further comprises loading the operating system instructions to a volatile memory of the host computer.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said loading further comprises re-starting the host computer.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said loading further comprises:

recognizing the connection with the handheld device when the host computer is transitioned from a powered-down state to a powered-on state; and

booting the host computer from the operating system instructions of the handheld device.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising initiating a virtual private network (VPN) connection between the host computer and a remote computer to perform the one or more network transactions with the remote computer.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising setting an encryption level of the VPN connection based at least in part on the bandwidth of the VPN connection between the host computer and the remote computer.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising performing a financial transaction with the remote computer.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more transactions comprises the sending of an electronic inter-personal communication to the remote computer.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more transactions comprises the accessing of data stored on the remote computer.

19. A handheld device for facilitating secure transactions, the portable device comprising:

means for communicating with a host computer having a first operating system;

means for storing operating system instructions;

means for receiving biometric information from a user;

means for determining whether the biometric information corresponds to a selected biometric signature; and

means for loading the operating system instructions to a volatile memory of the host computer when the biometric information corresponds to the selected biometric signature, the operating system instructions being configured to independently control the host computer during the performance of an online transaction so as to prevent the host computer from loading the first operating system and from accessing non-volatile memory of the host computer.

20. The handheld device of claim 19, further comprising means for storing financial information for use in the online transaction.