Eye-Mounted Authentication System

• US 20190050643A1
• Filed: 07/26/2018
• Published: 02/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tectus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Spy Eye, LLC
• Inventors: Ulman, Morrison
• Granted Patent: US 11,373,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor

Abstract

Authentication of a user is based on an electronic contact lens that contains a retinal scanner. The retinal scanner captures a retinal scan, which is used to authenticate the user (i.e., what a person is). The contact lens itself may also be used in the authentication process (i.e., what a person has). Authentication based on these two factors are used to control access to assets.

Claims

1. A method for authorizing access to an asset, the method comprising:

authenticating a user based on an electronic contact lens worn on the user'"'"'s eye and on a retinal scan of the user'"'"'s eye, the electronic contact lens containing a retinal scanner that captures the retinal scan of the user'"'"'s eye; and

authorizing access to the asset based on successful authentication of the user.

2. The method of claim 1 where authenticating the user occurs off-contact-lens.

3. The method of claim 2 where authenticating the user comprises:

transmitting contact lens authentication data from the electronic contact lens to off-contact-lens, the contact lens authentication data based on an identification of the electronic contact lens; and

processing the contact lens authentication data off-contact-lens to authenticate the user based on the electronic contact lens; and

transmitting retinal scan authentication data from the electronic contact lens to off-contact-lens, the retinal scan authentication data based on the retinal scan; and

processing the retinal scan authentication data off-contact-lens to authenticate the user based on the retinal scan.

4. The method of claim 2 where authenticating the user comprises:

creating combination authentication data based on both an identification of the electronic contact lens and on the retinal scan;

transmitting the combination authentication data from the contact lens to off-contact-lens; and

processing the combination authentication data off-contact-lens to authenticate the user.

5. The method of claim 2 where authenticating the user occurs remote from the user'"'"'s body.

6. The method of claim 1 where the authentication based on the retinal scan occurs on-contact-lens.

7. The method of claim 1 where the authentication based on the electronic contact lens is based on the user operating the electronic contact lens.

8. The method of claim 1 where authorizing access to the asset occurs on-contact-lens.

9. The method of claim 1 where authenticating the user is based further on another retinal scan of the user'"'"'s other eye, the other retinal scan captured by another retinal scanner contained in another electronic contact lens worn on the user'"'"'s other eye.

10. The method of claim 1 where the electronic contact lens is registered to a group of one or more authorized persons, and authorizing access to the asset is also based on whether the user is one of the authorized persons registered to the electronic contact lens.

11. The method of claim 1 where the electronic contact lens is registered to a group of one or more resources, and authorizing access to the asset is also based on whether the asset is one of the authorized resources registered to the electronic contact lens.

12. The method of claim 1 where the electronic contact lens is registered to a group of one or more authorized persons and to a group of one or more resources, and authorizing access to the asset is also based on whether the user is one of the authorized persons registered to the electronic contact lens and whether the asset is one of the authorized resources registered to the electronic contact lens.

13. A system for authorizing access to an asset, the system comprising:

an electronic contact lens that contains a retinal scanner, the retinal scanner capturing a retinal scan of a user'"'"'s eye when the electronic contact lens is worn on the user'"'"'s eye;

an authentication module that authenticates the user based on the electronic contact lens and on the retinal scan captured by the retinal scanner; and

an authorization module that authorizes access to the asset based on successful authentication of the user.

14. The system of claim 13 where the retinal scanner includes a two-dimensional sensor array, and the retinal scan is a two-dimensional image of a fundus of the user'"'"'s eye.

15. The system of claim 13 where the retinal scanner includes a one-dimensional sensor array.

16. The system of claim 15 where the retinal scanner further includes a lens that images a two-dimensional area of a fundus of the user'"'"'s eye onto the one-dimensional sensor array.

17. The system of claim 13 where the retinal scanner includes a one-dimensional sensor array that is scanned across a fundus of the user'"'"'s eye, and the retinal scan is a two-dimensional scanned image of the fundus.

18. The system of claim 13 where the retinal scanner includes a single sensor that is scanned across a fundus of the user'"'"'s eye.

19. The system of claim 13 where the retinal scanner captures a multi-spectral retinal scan.

20. The system of claim 13 where the retinal scanner operates in an infrared wavelength range.