METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IMPROVING BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS

• US 20110304429A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomas Wolfl
• Original Assignee: Thomas Wolfl
• Inventors: Wolfl, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US13/002,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20110304429A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.83
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/40 by quorum, i.e. whereby two or more security principals are required
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for identifying a person, in which biometric data are acquired for the person to be identified, wherein the person to be identified must carry out a recognition action, on the basis of which the biometric data used for identification are determined, wherein at least one step from a group of checking steps is carried out, said step comprising the random selection of the recognition action and the additional solution to a problem, and wherein the problem is a problem which is suited to human capabilities and cannot be solved by automated systems or can only be solved by automated systems with a time requirement which exceeds a particular time requirement needed by an average person.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A method for identifying a person comprising:

acquiring biometric data for the person to be identified;

determining the biometric data by having the person carry out at least one recognition action;

carrying out at least one checking step comprising randomly selecting one of the at least one recognition action and solving to a task which is suited to human capabilities and cannot be solved by automated systems or can only be solved by automated systems with a time requirement which exceeds a particular time requirement needed by an average person.

18. The method in accordance with claim 17, wherein:

solving the task must be started or completed within a time span which is less than a certain time requirement.

19. The method in accordance with claim 17, wherein:

at least one recognition action is selected from the group comprising typing on a keyboard, voice reproduction and visual capture of a human body part.

20. The method in accordance with claim 19, wherein:

the biometric data comprise a typing pattern, voice or speech recognition, fingerprint recognition and/or eye recognition.

21. The method in accordance with claim 17, wherein:

the task comprises a recognition of at least one structure in an image and a reproduction of the at least one structure and/or answering a question about the at least one structure.

22. The method in accordance with claim 21, wherein:

the image comprises a sequence of numbers and/or letters; and

the numbers and/or letters can be arranged in any orientation.

23. The method in accordance with claim 21, wherein:

the image comprises at least a pictorial illustration of an object and the reproduction comprises naming the object.

24. The method in accordance with claim 21, wherein:

the image comprises the structure with a background that hampers recognition of the structure.

25. The method in accordance with claim 24, wherein:

the structure and the background comprise a plurality of similarly shaped surfaces and/or lines and/or similar colors.

26. The method in accordance with claim 17, wherein:

the recognition action and the solving of the task proceed as a single action.

27. The method in accordance with claim 17, wherein:

the task is chosen from a plurality of different tasks.

28. An apparatus for identifying a person comprising:

a capture device for capturing biometric data of a person to be identified; and

an evaluation unit for comparing the captured biometric data with saved data of the person to be identified and determination of an identity of the person to be identified; and

a module for determining the authenticity of the biometric data comprising a random generator which randomly determines which biometric data are captured and/or has a task generator which generates a task which is suited to human capabilities and which cannot be solved by automated systems or can only be solved by automated systems with a time requirement which exceeds a particular time requirement.

29. The apparatus in accordance with claim 28, wherein:

the module for determining the authenticity of the biometric data comprises a memory for saving additional tasks and assigned solutions.

30. The apparatus in accordance with claim 28, wherein:

the module for determining the authenticity of the biometric data comprises an input unit for inputting a solution and a comparison unit for determining the correctness of the solution.

31. The apparatus in accordance with claim 28, wherein:

the module for determining the authenticity of the biometric data comprises a time-capture unit for determining a time between task presentation and start and/or completion of solution input.