Method and apparatus for the identification of personnel

• US 5,056,141 A
• Filed: 06/18/1986
• Issued: 10/08/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David W. Dyke
• Original Assignee: David W. Dyke
• Inventors: Dyke, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr Earl
• Application Number:
  US06/875,492
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: 178/22.08, 178/22.09, 235/380, 235/382, 380/23-25, 380/28, 380/3-4, 380/49, 380/50, 340/825.34, 340/825.3, 340/825.31, 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File
• US Class Current: 340/5.27
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/10 together with a coded signal , e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data

Abstract

The present invention is an identification method for use in access control systems using words for both the initial enrollment, and later identification of personnel. Its purpose is to ensure that a person seeking access to restricted areas, financial accounts, benefits and services, is the same person for whom access was originally intended. During enrollment, a prospective user is presented with a wide variety of words called "prompters" which are designed to elicit a consistent "response" word from the user, thus forming a "word-pair." A reinforcement exercise during enrollment results in several "word-pairs" which are most likely to remain in the memory of the user, and are therefore suitable for storage in the memory of an access type device or system maintained by a host organization.

The process may be initiated with a card, key or various other instruments, but user identification is accomplished with an automatic and random selection within the host device of one of the user'"'"'s prefiled "word-pairs." A user is presented with only a "prompter." His "response" is then compared to that "response" already on file. An exact comparison positively identifies the user. This method is enhanced by using only "word-pair" information which is unique to the user and which is not generally on record elsewhere. By utilizing "word-pair" information which is firmly etched in the memory of a user, and maintained elsewhere only in the memory of a host device, this identification method is less subject to being compromised. Additionally, the user may not even be aware as to which of his own "word-pairs" are stored in the memory of a host device, thereby making it more difficult for a user to willfully compromise this method.

The flexibility inherent in this method is further maximized through use of an identification type card with information so arranged between the card and the access sytem as to facilitate several different security levels for identifying personnel as a function of the number of people to be processed and the processing time available versus the degree of security desired.

Claims

1. A system for identifying individual users for granting access comprising,

enrolling means for enrolling a user in a system, the enrolling means further comprising display means for displaying an enrollment outline, purpose and instructions, a keyboard inputting means for inputting information, means for acquainting a user with a keyboard, means for obtaining information about the user, a prompter list display means for displaying a list of prompter words, prompter word selection means for selecting with the keyboard certain of the displayed prompter words selected by the user, prompter word inserting means for inserting additional prompter words selected by the user, means for presenting prompter words selected by the user, and means for accepting user generated response words in response to the user selected prompter words, means for recording prompter words and user generated response words which become required response words as word pairs, means for reinforcing word-pair associations including means for presenting word-pairs, one pair at a time and means for presenting selected prompter words and means for the user filling in required response words,

means for testing validity of word pairs by presenting selected prompter words and accepting user generated response words from the keyboard and comparing the user generated response word with the previously recorded response word, means for timing the inputting of response words in reactions to prompter words, and means for selecting the strongest word pairs of prompter and response words,

storage means comprising means for storing user identification and selected word pairs, and random selection means for randomly selecting single prompter and response word pairs from the storage means,

user identifying means for identifying a person as the particular user for which information is stored in the storage means comprising input means for inputting user identification, display means for displaying a prompter word from a word-pair selected by the random selecting means from the group of preselected word-pairs related to the particular user stored in the storage means, and alpha inputting means for inputting a response word by the person to be identified,

matching means for matching the user generated response word with the response word from the randomly selected word pair in the storage means, and action means associated with the identifying means for permitting access when the user generated response matches the response in the storage means.

2. A method for identifying individual users for granting access comprising,

enrolling a user in a system, the enrolling further comprising displaying an enrollment outline, purpose and instructions, performing keyboard exercises, inputting information with a keyboard, instructing in keyboard use, accepting keyboard inputs, and displaying a list of prompter words for selecting with the keyboard certain of the displayed prompter words, accepting from the user additional prompter words, presenting prompter words selected by the user, and accepting user generated words in response to prompter words, recording prompter words and user generated response words as word pairs, reinforcing word-pair association, including presenting word-pairs, one at a time, presenting selected prompter words and receiving response words,

testing validity of word pairs by presenting selected prompter words and accepting user generated response words from the keyboard and comparing the response words with the previously recorded response words, timing the inputting of response words in reactions to prompter words, and selecting the strongest word pairs of prompter and response words,

storing user identification and selected word pairs and identifying a person as the particular user for which information is stored in storage comprising inputting user identification, randomly selecting single prompter and response word pairs from storage, displaying a prompter word from a word pair selected by random selection from the group of preselected word pairs related to the particular user stored in storage and inputting a response word by the person to be identified,

matching the user generated response word with the response word from the randomly selected word pair in storage and permitting access when the user generated response matches the response word in storage.

3. A method of positively identifying users for the purpose of granting access comprising,

storing in a computer basic identification data about individual users,

forming individual user word-pairs on the basis of user generated word association, each word-pair comprising a prompter word and a user generated response word,

testing user generated response words to prompter words,

selecting word pairs according to consistency and time of response,

storing selected word-pairs in data file means, wherein the word-pairs and basic information data comprise enrollment data for enrollment of individual users,

entering basic identification data with data entry means,

comparing entered basic identification data and stored basic identification data with data comparision means,

displaying on display means a randomly selected prompter word associated with a user preliminarily identified on the basis of basic identification data,

entering by a user a user response word with manual data entry means, and

comparing the stored response word and the user entered response word with comparing means, and obtaining a positive identification of the user with a match of user entered and stored response words.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising

generating continuous time and date data with clock means, and controlling the random selection of prompter words as a function of the clock means.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of forming word-pairs comprises,

displaying a plurality of prompter words on a computer video display,

entering a predetermined number of prompter words,

entering user generated specific response words thereby forming user specific word-pairs,

testing user memory of entered response words in response to prompter words, and

selecting word-pairs of selected prompter words and user generated response words and transferring the selected word pairs to the data file means.