BIOMETRIC SENSOR FOR HUMAN PRESENCE DETECTION AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20110202994A1
• Filed: 02/12/2010
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Authentec Incorporated State of Incorporation Delaware
• Inventors: Hicks, Glenn, Albury, Richard, Neil, James W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,656,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha
• 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

An electronic device may include a communications interface, a user prompting device, a biometric sensor, and a controller. The controller may perform biometric spoof detection with the biometric sensor, and receive a request for human presence verification from a remote device via the communications interface. The controller may also prompt the user for a verification action using the sensor based upon receiving the request, and determine that the user has completed the verification action in response to the prompting and based upon the biometric spoof detection. The controller may further send a response to the remote device via the communications interface and based upon determining that the user has completed the verification action. The controller may send a notification to the remote device that there is a biometric sensor.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a communications interface;

a user prompting device;

a biometric sensor;

a controller cooperating with said communications interface, user prompting device, and biometric sensor for

performing biometric spoof detection with said biometric sensor,

receiving a request for human presence verification from a remote device via said communications interface,

prompting the user with said user prompting device for a verification action using said biometric sensor based upon receiving the request for human presence verification,

determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric sensor in response to the prompting and based upon the biometric spoof detection, and

sending a response to the remote device via said communications interface and based upon determining that the user has completed the verification action.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said biometric sensor comprises a biometric finger sensor.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2 wherein said controller performs biometric spoof detection based upon impedance sensing.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2 wherein the verification action comprises removing a finger from said biometric finger sensor and repositioning the finger adjacent said biometric finger sensor.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said controller is also for sending a notification to the remote device via said communications interface that said biometric sensor is coupled to said controller.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5 wherein said controller is also for prompting the user with a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) request;

and wherein said controller is for bypassing the CAPTCHA request with said biometric sensor.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said controller performs the biometric spoof detection prior to the determining.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said controller performs the biometric spoof detection during the determining.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said controller is for determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric sensor within a predetermined time of the prompting.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said communications interface is configured to communicate over the Internet.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said user prompting device comprises at least one of a display and an audible indicator.

12. An human presence verification system for an electronic device comprising a communications interface, and a user prompting device, the system comprising:

a biometric sensor;

a controller cooperating with the communications interface, user prompting device, and said biometric sensor for

performing biometric spoof detection with said biometric sensor,

receiving a request for human presence verification from a remote device via the communications interface,

prompting the user with the user prompting device for a verification action using said biometric sensor based upon receiving the request for human presence verification,

determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric sensor in response to the prompting and based upon the biometric spoof detection, and

sending a response to the remote device via the communications interface and based upon the determining.

13. The human presence verification system according to claim 12 wherein said biometric sensor comprises a biometric finger sensor.

14. The human presence verification system according to claim 13 wherein said controller performs biometric spoof detection based upon impedance sensing.

15. The human presence verification system according to claim 12 wherein said controller is also for sending a notification to the remote device via the communications interface that said biometric sensor is coupled to said controller.

16. The human presence verification system according to claim 15 wherein said controller is also for prompting the user with a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) request, and wherein said controller is for bypassing the CAPTCHA request with said biometric sensor.

17. An electronic device comprising:

a communications interface;

a user prompting device;

a biometric finger sensor;

a controller cooperating with said communications interface, user prompting device, and biometric finger sensor for

sending a notification to a remote device via said communications interface that said biometric finger sensor is coupled to said controller,

receiving a request for human presence verification from the remote device via said communications interface,

prompting the user with said user prompting device for a verification action using said biometric finger sensor based upon receiving the request for human presence verification,

determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric finger sensor in response to the prompting, and

sending a response to the remote device via said communications interface and based upon determining that the user has completed the verification action.

18. The electronic device according to claim 17 wherein the verification action comprises removing a finger from said biometric finger sensor and repositioning the finger adjacent said biometric finger sensor.

19. The electronic device according to claim 17 wherein said controller is also for prompting the user with a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) request, and wherein said controller is for bypassing the CAPTCHA request with said biometric finger sensor.

20. The electronic device according to claim 17 wherein said controller is for determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric finger sensor within a predetermined time of the prompting.

21. The electronic device according to claim 17 wherein said communications interface is configured to communicate over the Internet.

22. The electronic device according to claim 17 wherein said user prompting device comprises at least one of a display and an audible indicator.

23. A human presence verification system for an electronic device comprising a communications interface, and a user prompting device, the system comprising:

a biometric finger sensor;

a controller cooperating with the communications interface, user prompting device, and said biometric sensor for

sending a notification to a remote device via the communications interface that said finger biometric sensor is coupled to said controller,

receiving a request for human presence verification from a remote device via the communications interface,

prompting the user with the user prompting device for a verification action using said biometric finger sensor based upon receiving the request for human presence verification,

determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric sensor in response to the prompting and based upon the biometric spoof detection, and

sending a response to the remote device via the communications interface and based upon the determining.

24. The human presence verification system according to claim 23 wherein the verification action comprises removing a finger from said biometric finger sensor and repositioning the finger adjacent said biometric finger sensor.

25. The human presence verification system according to claim 23 wherein said controller is also for prompting the user with a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) request, and wherein said controller is for bypassing the CAPTCHA request with said biometric finger sensor.

26. The human presence verification system according to claim 23 wherein said controller is for determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric finger sensor within a predetermined time of the prompting.

27. A method of verifying a human presence using an electronic device comprising a communications interface, a user prompting device, a biometric sensor, and a controller cooperating with the communications interface, user prompting device, and biometric sensor, the method comprising:

performing biometric spoof detection with the biometric sensor;

receiving a request for human presence verification from a remote device via the communications interface;

prompting the user with the user prompting device for a verification action using the biometric sensor based upon receiving the request for human presence verification;

determining that the user has completed the verification action using the biometric sensor in response to the prompting and based upon the biometric spoof detection; and

sending a response to the remote device via the communications interface and based upon determining that the user has completed the verification action.

28. The method according to claim 27 wherein biometric sensor comprises a biometric finger sensor.

29. The method according to claim 28 wherein performing biometric spoof detection comprises performing biometric spoof detection based upon impedance sensing.

30. The method according to claim 27 further comprising sending a notification to the remote device via the communications interface that the biometric sensor is coupled to the controller.

31. The method according to claim 30 wherein further comprising prompting the user with a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) request, and bypassing the CAPTCHA request with the biometric sensor.

32. A method of verifying a human presence using an electronic device comprising a communications interface, a user prompting device, a biometric finger sensor, and a controller cooperating with the communications interface, user prompting device, and biometric finger sensor, the method comprising:

sending a notification to a remote device via the communications interface that the biometric finger sensor is coupled to the controller;

receiving a request for human presence verification from the remote device via the communications interface;

prompting the user with the user prompting device for a verification action using the biometric finger sensor based upon receiving the request for human presence verification,

determining that the user has completed the verification action using the biometric finger sensor in response to the prompting; and

sending a response to the remote device via the communications interface and based upon determining that the user has completed the verification action.

33. The method according to claim 32 wherein the verification action comprises removing a finger from the biometric finger sensor and repositioning the finger adjacent the biometric finger sensor.

34. The method according to claim 32 further comprising prompting the user with a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) request, and bypassing the CAPTCHA request with the biometric finger sensor.

35. The method according to claim 32 further comprising determining that the user has completed the verification action using the biometric finger sensor within a predetermined time of the prompting.

36. The method according to claim 32 wherein the communications interface is configured to communicate over the Internet.

37. The method according to claim 32 wherein the user prompting device comprises at least one of a display and an audible indicator.