System and method for securing speech transactions

• US 5,940,799 A
• Filed: 09/15/1997
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Finkelstein, Louis D., Brown, Daniel P., Bruckert, Eugene J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chawan, Vijay B.
• Application Number:
  US08/929,608
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88, 379/89, 379/93.08, 379/93.09, 379/201, 379/216, 379/100.08, 704/270, 704/275, 704/251, 704/243, 704/273, 380/23, 380/25
• US Class Current: 704/273
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2145 Inheriting rights or properties, e.g., propagation of permissions or restrictions within a hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques

Abstract

A processing system that is accessible via a number of speech transmission media. Access to the processing system may be made via a mobile radiotelephone, land line telephone, acoustic link or datalink. Access to programs, files and data is based upon the security of the communication media and authentication of the user.

Claims

1. A system for securing a processing system adapted for access by a user via spoken commands received from one of a plurality of communication media comprising:

a media recognition processor coupled to the processing system and to receive the spoken commands;

a speech recognition device for determining a communication media that is accessing the processing system; and

an authorization command generated by the media recognition processor and communicated to the processing system, the authorization command defining a level of security for the current access to the processing system based on the speech recognition devices determination of the communication media used to access the system.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication media comprises one of:

an acoustic link, a land line telephone network, a radiotelephone network and a digital communication network.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing system is responsive to the authorization command to restrict access by the user to at least one of a plurality of computer file types.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing system is responsive to the authorization command to prohibit access by the user to the processing system.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the system comprises communication media security.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the communication media security comprises one of the group:

encryption, scrambling, and authentication.

7. A method for securing a processing system adapted for access via spoken commands received from one of a plurality of communication media:

determining a communication media type being used by a user to access the processing system; and

establishing a security level for the user based on the communication media type being used by the user to access the processing system.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of establishing a security level comprises restricting access to at least one file type.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of establishing a security level comprises restricting access to the processing system.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of securing the communicationmedia.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of securing the communication media comprises one of:

encrypting the communication media, scrambling the communication media and authenticating accross the communication media.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of establishing a security level comprises authenticating the user.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of authenticating the user comprises one of:

entering a password, exchanging secret data and verifying time varying data.

14. An apparatus for securing a processing system adapted for access via spoken commands received from one of a plurality of communication media:

means for determining a communication media type being used to access the processing system;

means for establishing an access level to the processing system based on the communication media type, wherein the access level defines a level of security given to a particular user, and determines the level of access to particular data existing within the processing system.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the means for establishing an access level comprises means for restricting access to at least one file type.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the means for establishing an access level comprises means for restricting access to the processing system.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising means for securing the communicationmedia.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the means for securing the communication media comprises one of:

means for encrypting the communication, means for scrambling the communication media, and means for authenticating the communication media using passwords.