Biometric identification process and system utilizing multiple parameters scans for reduction of false negatives

• US 5,815,252 A
• Filed: 11/21/1995
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Price-Francis, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vierra-Eisenberg, Jason D
• Application Number:
  US08/561,323
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 356/7.1, 235/492, 340/825.3-825.34, 382/124-127, 382/115-119
• US Class Current: 356/71
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/12 Fingerprints or palmprints
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence

Abstract

A system for verifying that a card possessor is the authorized card owner compares scanned fingerprint data with fingerprint data encoded on an optical card. More than one of the person'"'"'s fingerprints are encoded on the card, and the process of identification of the card possessor involves the random selection of separate fingerprints for scanning and comparison against the encoded fingerprints. A card reader/writer reads fingerprint characteristic information from an optical card inserted therein and a processing unit, connected to a fingerprint scanner and card reader/writer extracts from the scanned fingerprint certain well known indicators, and matches the recorded fingerprint characteristic data with the scanned fingerprint characteristics to establish identity therebetween.

Claims

1. An individual recognition system comprising:

a storage medium storing as biometric data a plurality of physical characteristics of a user;

reading means for extracting from the user biometric data representing one of the physical characteristics stored by said storage medium;

comparison means for determining whether or not the extracted biometric data represents the same physical characteristic as corresponding stored biometric data obtained from said storage medium; and

control means for instructing said reading means to extract from the user additional biometric data representing a different physical characteristic stored by said storage medium, depending on the determination by said comparison means.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the reading means includes a display for requesting that the user present one of the user'"'"'s body parts for extraction of the biometric data corresponding thereto.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the body part is one of the user'"'"'s fingers.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium comprises a portable storage medium.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the portable storage medium comprises an optical card.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein said comparison means includes an optical card scanner.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said comparison means outputs a positive comparison result if a match is found between the extracted biometric data and the corresponding stored biometric data.

8. A system according to a claim 7, wherein the control means instructs said reading means to extract from the user additional biometric data if a positive result is not output by the comparison means.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein said biometric data represents fingerprint data of a plurality of the user'"'"'s fingers.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein said reading means comprises a fingerprint scanner.

11. A system according to claim 9, wherein in the comparison performed in said comparing means, the extracted biometric data corresponds to a randomly selected first fingerprint of a user'"'"'s hand, and if no match occurs upon a scan of the first fingerprint, a second fingerprint from a randomly selected other finger is selected by said control means.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein said reading means comprises a retinal scanner.

13. An individual recognition system comprising:

a portable storage medium storing as biometric data a plurality of physical characteristics of a user;

reading means for extracting from the user biometric data representing one of the physical characteristics stored by said storage medium;

comparison means for determining whether or not the extracted biometric data represents the same physical characteristic as corresponding stored biometric data obtained from said storage medium and outputting a positive comparison result if a match occurs; and

control means for instructing said reading means to extract from the user additional biometric data representing a different physical characteristic stored by said storage medium if said comparison means does not output a positive test result.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the reading means includes a display for requesting that the user present one of the user'"'"'s body parts for extraction of the biometric data corresponding thereto.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein the body part is one of the user'"'"'s fingers.

16. A system according to claim 13, wherein the portable storage medium comprises an optical card.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein said comparison means includes an optical card scanner.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein said biometric data represents fingerprint data of a plurality of the user'"'"'s fingers.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein said reading means comprises a fingerprint scanner.

20. A system according to claim 18, wherein in the comparison performed in said comparing means, the extracted biometric data corresponds to a randomly selected first fingerprint of a user'"'"'s hand, and if no match occurs upon a scan of the first fingerprint, a second fingerprint from a randomly selected other finger is selected by said control means.

21. A system according to claim 13, wherein said reading means comprises a retinal scanner.

22. A personal identification method using a data storage medium containing previously stored biometric data representing a plurality of physical characteristics of a user, the method comprising:

a first extracting step of extracting from the user biometric data representing one of the physical characteristics stored by the storage medium;

a determining step of determining whether or not the extracted biometric data represents the same physical characteristics as corresponding stored biometric data obtained from the storage medium; and

a second extracting step of extracting from the user additional biometric data representing a different physical characteristic stored in the storage medium depending on the determination at said determining step.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein the first extracting step requests that the user present one of the user'"'"'s body parts for extraction of the biometric data corresponding thereto.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein the body part is one of the user'"'"'s fingers.

25. A method according to claim 23, wherein the storage medium comprises a portable storage medium.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein the portable storage medium comprises an optical card.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein said determining step is performed using an optical card scanner.

28. A method according to claim 23, wherein the biometric data represents fingerprint data of a plurality of the user'"'"'s fingers.

29. A method according to claim 28, wherein said first extract step uses a fingerprint scanner.

30. A method according to claim 28, wherein in said first extracting step, the extracted biometric data corresponds to a randomly selected first fingerprint of a user'"'"'s hand, and, if a match does not occur in said determining step, a second fingerprint from a randomly selected other finger is selected for extraction at said second extracting step.

31. A method according to claim 23, wherein said determining step outputs a positive comparison result if a match is found between the extracted biometric data and the corresponding stored biometric data.

32. A method according to claim 31, wherein the additional biometric data is extracted from the user if a positive result is not output at said determining step.

33. A method according to claim 23, wherein said first extraction step uses a retinal scanner.

34. A method for identifying one person from a plurality of persons, said method comprising the steps of:

gathering identification data representing a plurality of physical characteristics from each of the plurality of persons;

storing the gathered data; and

providing apparatus for repeatedly obtaining different identification data representing respective ones of the plurality of physical characteristics from a person presenting himself or herself and comparing obtained identification data with stored data until the obtained identification data matches stored identification data for the respective physical characteristic.

35. A method according to claim 34, wherein the identification data repeatedly obtained at said providing step comprises biometric data corresponding to fingerprints of randomly selected different fingers of the person presenting himself or herself.

36. A method according to claim 34, wherein the identification data gathered at said gathering step comprises biometric data representing fingerprints of each of the plurality of persons and is stored on one of a plurality of optical cards, and each of the plurality of optical cards is issued to the person whose identifying data it contains, for presentation by such person to establish his or her identity.

37. A method according to claim 34, wherein said method is adapted to determine which persons from a population of persons is a qualified person, said method further comprising a step of analyzing the gathered identification data to verify whether or not each of the plurality of persons from whom data has been gathered is qualified.