Secure logon to notebook or desktop computers

• US 5,963,908 A
• Filed: 12/23/1996
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Chadha, Tejpal
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil, Richemond
• Application Number:
  US08/771,491
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 704/236, 704/273, 704/272, 704/270, 704/275, 704/231, 704/246, 704/250, 704/200, 379/88
• US Class Current: 704/273
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques

Abstract

A system and method for controlling user access to stored content and interconnections to various sites accessible through a publicly accessible network. In one embodiment, the system includes a computer having a microphone to receive analog voice audio. The voice audio is filtered and digitized to produce a digital voice pattern. The digital voice pattern is compared to a master digital voice pattern. If successful, the amount of access afforded to a requesting user is determined based on the priority level of master digital voice pattern.

Claims

1. An electronic system comprising:

a microphone to receive audio in an analog format;

computational circuitry coupled to the microphone, the computational circuitry to filter the audio to produce a filtered audio, the filtered audio subsequently being used to produce a digital voice pattern; and

a biometric device coupled to the computational circuitry, the biometric device including circuitry to receive the digital voice pattern as an input, to compare the digital voice pattern with a master digital voice pattern, and if matching, to provide limited access to a publicly accessible network by allowing access to a predetermined group of web sites when the master digital voice pattern has a priority level equal to or greater than a predetermined priority level and by excluding access to the predetermined group of web sites when master digital voice pattern has a priority level lower than the predetermined priority level.

2. The electronic system according to claim 1, wherein the computational circuitry includes filtering hardware to perform a Fast Fourier Transformation on the audio to produce the filtered audio.

3. The electronic system according to claim 2, wherein the computational circuitry further includes an analog-to-digital converter to transform the filtered audio into the digital voice pattern.

4. The electronic system according to claim 1 further comprising a memory element coupled to the biometric device, the memory element to contain at least the master digital voice pattern.

5. The electronic system according to claim 1, wherein the biometric device includes an application specific integrated circuit.

6. An electronic system comprising:

a microphone to receive audio in an analog format;

computational circuitry coupled to the microphone, the computational circuitry to filter the audio to produce a filtered audio, the filtered audio subsequently being used to produce a digital voice pattern; and

a biometric device coupled to the computational circuitry, the biometric device to limit access to a publicly accessible network by preventing access to at least one web site associated with the publicly accessible network when a master digital voice pattern either differs from the digital voice pattern or has a priority level and allows full access to the publicly accessible network when the priority level of the master digital voice pattern is at least equal to the predetermined priority level.

7. The electronic system according to claim 6, wherein the computational circuitry includes filtering hardware, the filtering hardware being used to perform a Fast Fourier Transformation on the audio to produce the filtered audio.

8. The electronic system according to claim 7, wherein the computational circuitry further includes analog-to-digital conversion circuitry to transform the filtered audio into the digital voice pattern.

9. The electronic system according to claim 7 further comprising a memory element coupled to the biometric device, the memory element being used to contain at least the master digital voice pattern.

10. The electronic system according to claim 6, wherein the biometric device includes a host processor.

11. An electronic system comprising:

audio input means for receiving audio;

compute means for filtering the audio to produce a filtered audio subsequently being digitized to produce a digital voice pattern, the compute means being coupled to the audio input means;

biometric means for receiving a master digital voice pattern and the digital voice pattern as inputs, for performing a comparison between the digital voice pattern and the master digital voice pattern, for analyzing a priority level assigned to the master digital voice pattern, and for limiting access to a publicly accessible network by precluding access to at least one web site while still allowing access to the publicly accessible network when the digital voice pattern is not substantially identical to the master digital voice pattern, the biometric means being coupled to the compute means.

12. The electronic system according to claim 11, wherein the biometric means further for precluding access to the at least one web site when the priority level is less than a predetermined threshold level.

13. The electronic system according to claim 12, wherein the compute means includes filtering hardware being used to perform a Fast Fourier Transformation on the audio to produce the filtered audio.

14. A method for regulating access by an electronic system to a plurality of web sites accessible through a publicly accessible network, comprising:

comparing a digital voice pattern with a master digital voice pattern;

determining a priority level assigned to the master digital voice pattern when a successful comparison is performed; and

limiting access to a publicly accessible network by precluding the requesting user from accessing at least one web site of the plurality of web sites accessible through publicly accessible network when the priority level is less than a priority threshold level while still allowing access to the remaining web sites.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

capturing a voice audio associated with a requesting user; and

transforming the voice audio in an analog format into a digital voice pattern.