SYSTEMS, METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MULTIVARIATE AUTHENTICATION

• US 20130269013A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VNS Portfolio LLC
• Original Assignee: Brivas, LLC
• Inventors: Parry, Beau Robertson, Boddeti, Yasodekshna
• Granted Patent: US 9,137,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/70 Multimodal biometrics, e.g. combining information from different biometric modalities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• 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 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/65 Environment-dependent, e.g. using captured environmental data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed for user authentication using a plurality of authentication variables, such as biometrics and contextual data. Example contextual data includes the geographical location of the user, a gesture of the user, and the machine identification of the individual'"'"'s user device.

Claims

1. A computer-based method of authenticating, the method comprising:

receiving a request for authentication of a user, wherein the request for authentication comprises biometric feature of the user collected by a user device and contextual data from the user device;

comparing the biometric feature of the user to baseline biometric feature of the user;

comparing the contextual data to an expected contextual data value; and

determining whether to authenticate the user based on the comparison of the biometric feature of the user to the baseline biometric feature of the user and the comparison of the contextual data to the expected contextual data value.

2. The computer-based method of authenticating of claim 1, wherein the contextual data is a machine identification (ID) of the user device.

3. The computer-based method of authenticating of claim 1, wherein the contextual data is data collected from a sensor of the user device.

4. The computer-based method of authenticating of claim 3, wherein the sensor is any of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer.

5. The computer-based method of authenticating of claim 1, comprising:

receiving an image of the user, the image comprising the biometric feature, wherein a baseline image includes the baseline biometric feature.

6. The computer-based method of authenticating of claim 5, comprising:

comparing a first gesture made by the user in the image of the user to a second gesture in the baseline image.

7. The computer-based method of authenticating of claim 6, comprising:

comparing a location of the first gesture in the image to a location of the second gesture in the baseline image.

8. The computer-based method of authenticating of claim 5, comparing a location of a first camera flash location in the image to a location of a second camera flash location in the baseline image.

9. The computer-based method of authenticating of claim 1, wherein the contextual data is a geographical location of the user device.

10. The computer-based method of authenticating of claim 1, comprising:

transmitting to the user device a color key, wherein the biometric feature of the user collected by a user device comprises a color signature of the user.

11. The computer-based method of authenticating of claim 10, comprising the color signature of the user to a stored color signature of the user.

12. The computer-based method of authenticating of claim 1, wherein the user device is a first user device and the biometric feature is included in a first image, wherein the request for authentication comprises the first image of the user collected by the first user device and a second image including the biometric feature of the user collected by a second user device.

13. The computer-based method of authenticating of claim 12, comprising:

comparing the first image of the user to a first baseline image and the second image of the user to a second baseline image.

14. The computer-based method of authenticating of claim 1, wherein the image is collected during a rotary scan of the user.

15. A computer-based authentication system, comprising:

a baseline image database;

a contextual data database;

an authentication computing system, the authentication system configured to;

receive a request for authentication of a user from a user device, wherein the request for authentication comprises

an image of the user; and

contextual data;

compare the image of the user to a baseline image of the user stored in the baseline image database;

compare the contextual data to an expected contextual data value stored in the contextual data database; and

determine whether to authenticate the user based on the comparison of the biometric feature of the user to the baseline image of the user and the comparison of the contextual data to the expected contextual data value.

16. The computer-based authentication system of claim 15, wherein the contextual data indicates a geographical location of the user device.

17. The computer-based authentication system of claim 15, wherein the contextual data is acceleration data collected from an accelerometer.

18. The computer-based authentication system of claim 15, wherein the baseline image comprises a first hand gesture, and wherein the authentication system configured to compare a second hand gesture made by the user in the image of the user to the first gesture made by the user in the baseline image.

19. The computer-based authentication system of claim 18, wherein the authentication system is configured to compare a location of the first gesture in the image to a location of the second gesture in the baseline image.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon which when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

receive a request for authentication of a user, wherein the request for authentication comprises

an image of the user collected by a user device; and

contextual data from the user device;

compare the image of the user to a baseline image of the user;

compare the contextual data to an expected contextual data value; and

determine whether to authenticate the user based on the comparison of the biometric feature of the user to the baseline image of the user and the comparison of the contextual data to the expected contextual data value.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the contextual data is a geographical location of the user device.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the contextual data is gathered by a sensor of the user device.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions cause the processor to compare a first gesture made by the user in the image of the user to a second gesture in the baseline image.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions cause the processor to compare a location of the first gesture in the image to a location of the second gesture in the baseline image.

25. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon which when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

receive from a first user device via a network communication a network packet comprising an electronic data file and recipient biometrics;

receive from a second user device via network communication biometric data obtained from a user of the second user device; and

when the biometric data obtained from the user of the second user device matches the recipient biometrics, permit the electronic data file to be accessed on the second user device.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the recipient biometrics is a facial image of a recipient.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the biometric data obtained from the user of the second user device is an image of a face of the user of the second user device.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the electronic data file is encrypted based on biometrics of the second user and contextual data associated with the second user.

29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the recipient biometrics comprises biometrics from each of a plurality of recipients, and wherein the biometric data obtained from a user of the second user device comprises biometric data obtained from each of a plurality of users of the second user device.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the instructions cause the processor to permit the electronic data file to be accessed on the second user device when the biometric data obtained from each of a plurality of users of the second user device matches corresponding recipient biometrics received from the first user device.

31. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the plurality of recipients comprises N recipients, where N is an integer, and wherein the plurality of users of the second user comprises k recipients.

32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein k<

N.

33. A method of electronically sharing data, comprising:

identifying an electronic file;

providing biometrics associated with a recipient;

providing contextual data associated with a recipient;

causing the electronic file to be encrypted based on the provided biometrics and the provided contextual data; and

causing the transmission of the encrypted electronic file to the recipient over an electronic communications network.

34. The method of electronically sharing data of claim 33, wherein providing the biometrics associated with a recipient comprises selecting a digital image of the recipient'"'"'s face.

35. The method of electronically sharing data of claim 33, wherein providing contextual data associated with the recipient comprises identifying a geographic location of the recipient.

36. The method of electronically sharing data of claim 33, wherein providing biometrics comprises providing biometrics from each of a plurality of recipients.

37. The method of electronically sharing data of claim 33, wherein the plurality of recipients comprises N recipients, where N is an integer.