Enhanced Biometric Authentication

• US 20110032074A1
• Filed: 08/07/2009
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Madsen, Daniel L., Novack, Brian M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,384,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.53
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1365 Matching; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/082 applying multi-factor authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231

Abstract

Enhanced biometric authentication is achieved by combining a user'"'"'s inherent biometric data with the user'"'"'s knowledge of a secret glyph. In one embodiment, a touchpad is provided on which the user may use a finger to indicate a plurality of strokes that form a distinct glyph. Image stabilization may be used to extract a readable fingerprint from the strokes, and the glyph and finger print are matched to a stored profile. The glyph may be one or more alphanumeric characters that represent a password. The user can then enter the password on the touch pad with his finger. If the fingerprint and password both match, the user is authenticated.

Claims

1. An enhanced biometric authentication device comprising:

an input sensor configured to receive a composite input from a user, the composite input sample comprising a biometric component and a mechanical component;

a biometric processing engine communicatively coupled to the input sensor and configured to receive the biometric component and generate a biometric characterization from the biometric component;

a mechanics processing engine communicatively coupled to the input sensor and configured to receive the mechanical component and generate a mechanical characterization from the mechanical component; and

an authentication engine, the authentication engine configured to;

receive the biometric characterization from the biometric processing engine;

receive the mechanical characterization from the biometric processing engine;

compare the biometric characterization and the mechanical characterization to an authentication template; and

authenticate the user based on the comparison.

2. The enhanced biometric authentication device of claim 1 wherein:

the input sensor is a touch pad configured to identify fingerprints; and

the biometric component of the composite input sample includes a fingerprint.

3. The enhanced biometric authentication device of claim 1:

further comprising a second input sensor configured to receive a second composite input; and

wherein;

the mechanics processing engine is further configured to determine the order in which the input sensors received composite input samples;

the authentication template comprises data that specify an order in which input sensors are to receive composite input samples; and

the authentication engine is further configured to compare the order in which the input sensors received composite input samples to the order specified in the authentication template.

4. The enhanced biometric authentication device of claim 1 wherein the mechanical component of the composite input describes a glyph.

5. The enhanced biometric authentication device of claim 4 wherein the glyph represents an alphanumeric character.

6. The enhanced biometric authentication device of claim 4 wherein:

the input sensor is further configured to receive additional composite input samples, the mechanical components of the composite input samples comprising glyphs representing alphanumeric characters;

the authentication template contains a string of alphanumeric characters; and

the authentication engine is further configured to compare the string of alphanumeric characters with the mechanical components of the inputs to determine that the mechanical components match the string of alphanumeric characters.

7. The enhanced biometric authentication device of claim 1 wherein the authentication template includes a biometric component and a mechanical component.

8. The enhanced biometric authentication device of claim 7 wherein:

the input sensor comprises a surface divided into sectors;

the authentication template contains data describing traversal of sectors in creating a stored glyph; and

the authentication engine is further configured to compare the mechanical component of the composite input sample to the data describing traversal of sectors in the authentication template.

9. The enhanced biometric authentication device of claim 7 wherein:

the glyph comprises a plurality of strokes;

the authentication template contains a mechanical component describing a plurality of strokes; and

the authentication engine is further configured to compare the strokes to the mechanical component.

10. The enhanced biometric authentication device of claim 9 wherein:

the data describing a plurality of strokes includes information describing a stroke sequence, a stroke placement, and stroke orientation or direction; and

the authentication engine is further configured to compare the sequence of the plurality of strokes with the data in the mechanical component of the authentication template.

11. The enhanced biometric authentication device of claim 1 wherein the biometric processing engine includes an image stabilizer configured to provide a steady-state representation of the biometric component of the composite input sample.

12. A method of authenticating a user, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a composite input from the user;

processing the input to identify a biometric component and a mechanical component;

processing the biometric component to create a biometric characterization of the biometric component;

processing the mechanical component to create a mechanical characterization of the mechanical component; and

determining that the user is authentic by comparing the biometric characterization and mechanical characterization to a previously stored authentication template including a biometric component and a mechanical component.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the mechanical component of the composite input comprises a plurality of strokes, each stroke having a characteristic shape; and

determining that the user is authentic further comprises determining that characteristic shapes of the strokes match the authentication template.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein determining that the user is authentic further comprises determining that the strokes were entered in a sequence that matches a sequence in the mechanical component of the authentication template.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein:

receiving a composite input sample from the user comprises receiving inputs on a plurality of touch pads, the mechanical component of each input describing a glyph;

the characterization profile associates each input glyph with one of the plurality of touch pads; and

determining that the user is authentic further comprises determining that;

each glyph matches a glyph in the authentication template;

each glyph was entered on the correct touch pad; and

the glyphs were entered in the correct order.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein:

receiving a composite input sample from the user comprises receiving a plurality of inputs on a single touch pad, the mechanical component of each input comprising a glyph representing an alphanumeric character;

the authentication template is indicative of an ordered series of alphanumeric characters; and

determining that the user is authentic comprises comparing each glyph with each alphanumeric character of the ordered series and determining that each glyph matches the corresponding alphanumeric character.

17. A method of providing enhanced security for a system, the method comprising the steps of:

creating an authentication template for a known user by;

receiving a first composite input from the known user, the first composite input sample comprising a biometric component and a mechanical component;

characterizing the biometric component of the first composite input sample;

characterizing the mechanical component of the first composite input sample;

storing the characterized biometric component and mechanical component in an authentication template;

authenticating an unknown user by;

receiving a second composite input sample from the unknown user, the second composite input sample comprising a biometric component and a mechanical component;

characterizing the biometric component;

characterizing the mechanical component;

comparing the characterized biometric component and mechanical component to the authentication template; and

associating the unknown user with the known user if the characterized biometric component and characterized mechanical component match respective characterized biometric and mechanical components of the authentication template within a tolerance.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the biometric component of the first composite input sample and second composite input sample is a fingerprint.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the mechanical component of the first composite input sample and the second composite input sample comprises an ordered sequence of strokes.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the mechanical component of the first composite input sample and the second composite input sample comprises a string of glyphs, the glyphs comprising an ordered sequence of strokes, and at least some of the glyphs representing alphanumeric characters.