UNIVERSAL SECURE REGISTRY

• US 20120130904A1
• Filed: 09/20/2011
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Universal Secure Registry LLC
• Original Assignee: Universal Secure Registry LLC
• Inventors: Weiss, Kenneth P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,577,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/72
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/206 comprising security or operator identification provisions, e.g. password entry
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3672 initialising or reloading thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3676 Balancing accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/26 : using a biometric sensor integrated in the pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 : with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 : for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 : Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 : Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 : using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 : Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/30 : Public key, i.e. encryption algorithm being computationally infeasible to invert or user's encryption keys not requiring secrecy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 : including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 : Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 : using challenge-response

Abstract

A device is configured to allow a user to select any of a plurality of accounts to employ in a financial transaction. The user device includes a biometric sensor configured to receive a biometric input provided by the user, a user interface configured to receive a user input including secret information known to the user and identifying information concerning an account selected by the user from the plurality of accounts. The user device includes a communication link configured to communicate with a secure registry, and a processor coupled to the biometric sensor to receive information concerning the biometric input, the user interface, and the communication link. The processor is configured to generate a non-predictable value and to generate encrypted authentication information from the non-predictable value, the identifying information, and at least one of the information concerning the biometric input and the secret information, and communicate the authentication information via the communication link to the secure registry.

Claims

1. A device configured to allow a user to select any one of a plurality of accounts associated with the user to employ in a financial transaction, comprising:

a biometric sensor configured to receive a biometric input provided by the user;

a user interface configured to receive a user input including secret information known to the user and identifying information concerning an account selected by the user from the plurality of accounts;

a communication link configured to communicate with a secure registry; and

a processor coupled to the biometric sensor to receive information concerning the biometric input, the user interface and the communication link, the processor configured to generate a non-predictable value and to generate encrypted authentication information from the non-predictable value, the identifying information, and at least one of the information concerning the biometric input and the secret information, and to communicate the encrypted authentication information via the communication link to the secure registry.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the communication link is configured to wirelessly transmit the encrypted authentication information to a point-of-sale (POS) device, and wherein the POS device is configured to transmit at least a portion of the encrypted authentication information to the secure registry.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the POS device includes a magnetic stripe reader, and wherein the communication link is configured to wirelessly transmit the encrypted authentication information to a converter device configured to generate an emulated magnetic stripe output for use with the POS device.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to generate the encrypted authentication information from each of the non-predictable value, the identifying information, the information concerning the biometric input and the secret information.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the biometric received by the biometric sensor is communicated to the secure registry for authentication prior to generation of the encrypted authentication information.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the secret information includes the identifying information.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores information employed by the device to authenticate the biometric received by the biometric sensor.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the device does not permit the entry of the user input if the biometric input received by the biometric sensor is determined to not belong to an authorized user of the device.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the secret information known to the user includes a PIN, and wherein the authentication of the secret information and the biometric input activate the device for the financial transaction.

10. The device of claim 9, further comprising a memory coupled to the processor, wherein data stored in the memory is unavailable to an individual in possession of the device until the device is activated.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the data is subject to a mathematical operation that acts to modify the data such that it is unintelligible until the device is activated.

12. The device of claim 9, further comprising a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store an electronic serial number of the device, wherein the processor is configured to generate a seed using at least two of the electronic serial number, a discrete code associated with the device, the PIN and the biometric input to generate the encrypted authentication information, and wherein the seed is employed by the processor to generate the non-predictable value.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the biometric sensor is configured to receive and process at least one of a fingerprint, a speech/voice input, an iris scan, a retina scan, a facial scan, a fingerprint, written information and a DNA input.

14. The device of claim 1, further comprising a handheld device including each of the biometric sensor, the user interface, the communication link and the processor.

15. A method of generating authentication information comprising acts of:

authenticating an identity of a user to a device based on at least one of biometric data received by the device from the user and secret information known to the user and provided to the device;

generating a non-predictable value with the device;

receiving identifying information from the user concerning a selected one of a plurality of user accounts; and

generating encrypted authentication information from the non-predictable value, the identifying information, and at least one of the biometric data and the secret information.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising an act of generating encrypted authentication information from each of the non-predictable value, the biometric data, the secret information, and the identifying information.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising an act of de-activating the device without generating the encrypted authentication information if the identity of the user is not successfully authenticated to the device.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising an act of generating a seed from which the authentication information is generated by employing at least two of the biometric data, the secret information known to the user, and an electronic serial number of the device.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising an act of generating encrypted authentication information in a manner that allows the identification of the user and the selected one of the plurality of user accounts by a secure registry.

20. A method of controlling access to a plurality of accounts, the method comprising acts of:

generating, with a device, encrypted authentication information from a non-predictable value generated by the device, identifying information concerning an account selected by a user of the device from among a plurality of accounts associated with the user, and at least one of a biometric of the user received by the device and secret information provided to the device by the user;

communicating the encrypted authentication information from the device to a secure registry via a point-of-sale (POS) device to authenticate or not authenticate the device with the secure registry;

authorizing the POS device to initiate a financial transaction involving a transfer of funds to or from the account selected by the user when the encrypted authentication information is successfully authenticated; and

denying the POS device from initiation of the financial transaction involving a transfer of funds to or from the account selected by the user when the encrypted authentication information is not successfully authenticated.