System and method for evaluating a document and creating a record of the evaluation process and an associated transaction

• US 6,341,169 B1
• Filed: 02/08/1999
• Issued: 01/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pulse Systems Incorporated (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pulse Systems Incorporated (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Inventors: Arcentales, Miguel R., Vall, Jonathan E., Cadorette, Normand G. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): AHMED, SAMIR ANWAR
• Application Number:
  US09/246,261
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115, 382/116, 382/118, 235/375, 235/379, 235/380, 235/382, 235/470, 235/492, 704/246, 704/273, 902/3, 902/4, 902/25, 705/1, 705/26, 705/42-45, 705/64, 705/75, 356/71
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A system for evaluating a document for the purpose authorizing an individual presenting the document for a transaction. The system comprises means for acquiring data from the document presented by the individual and for acquiring biometric data characteristics of the individual at the time of the transaction. The system uses data processing means to compare the acquired data to reference data stored in databases containing records corresponding to various types of documents and records characterizing the individuals to whom documents were issued. The system retrieves the biographical information corresponding to the individual seeking authorization and determines whether the information indicates that the individual is eligible for the transaction. The system stores information identifying authorization attempts and information identifying associated transaction. The invention additionally comprises a method following the stated functions of the system.

Claims

1. A transaction authorization system for determining whether an individual is authorized to perform a transaction, the system comprising:

a first data acquisition means, for use in acquiring a first set of document-specific data characteristic of a document presented by an individual seeking authorization;

a second data acquisition means, for use in acquiring a first set of person-specific biometric data characteristic of an individual seeking authorization;

a first database of data records where each of said data records includes a second set of document-specific data characteristic of a unique type of valid document;

a first data processing means for determining whether the first set of document-specific data corresponds to the second set of document-specific data from any data record in the first database and therefore whether the document presented is valid;

a first set of rules for validating a presented document by determining whether the acquired first set of document-specific data corresponds to the second set of document-specific data from any record in the first database, where the first data processing means applies the first set of rules to the acquired first set of document-specific data and to the second set of document-specific data in the data records in the first database;

a second database of data records, where each of said data records corresponds to a unique document, each record including a third set of document-specific data, a first set of person-specific biographical data and further including a second set of person-specific biometric data and where both sets of person-specific data are characteristic of the same person;

a second data processing means for selecting a data record in the second database corresponding to the first set of document-specific data;

a third data processing means for determining whether the first set of person-specific biometric data corresponds to the second set of person-specific biometric data from a data record in the second database and therefore whether the record corresponds to an individual seeking authorization;

a fourth data processing means for determining whether the first set of person-specific biographical data from a record in the second database indicates that the individual characterized by the record is eligible to perform a transaction; and

a device for indicating whether a transaction is authorized.

2. The transaction authorization system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second set of rules for determining whether the presented document corresponds to any single record in the second database, where the second data processing means applies the second set of rules to at least one data element of the acquired first set of document-specific data and to at least one of the elements of the second set of document-specific data contained in any of the data records in the second database;

a third set of rules for verifying a presented document by determining whether the second set of person-specific biometric data from a data record in the second database corresponding to the presented document corresponds to the acquired first set of person-specific biometric data, thereby confirming that the individual seeking authorization is the person corresponding to the presented document, where the third data processing means applies the third set of rules to the acquired first set of person-specific biometric data and to the second sets of person-specific biometric data in the data records in the second database; and

a fourth set of rules for authorizing a transaction by determining whether the first set of person-specific biographical data from a data record in the second database corresponding to the presented document indicates the presenter'"'"'s eligibility to perform the transaction, where the fourth data processing means applies the fourth set of rules to the set of person-specific biographical data from the data record in the second database corresponding to the individual seeking authorization.

3. The transaction authorization system of claim 1, further comprising:

a graphics display device as the device for indicating transaction authorization where the display device is also used to present graphical information to an operator of the transaction authorization system; and

a manual alphanumeric data input device for use by an operator of the transaction authorization system for entering data required by the system.

4. The transaction authorization system of claim 3, further comprising:

a fifth set of rules by which an operator of the transaction authorization system is guided in a manual procedure performed by the operator for determining whether a transaction is authorized, said set of rules also determining the criteria for invoking the manual procedure; and

a fifth data processing means which employs the graphics display device and the alphanumeric data input device according to the third set of rules.

5. The transaction authorization system of claim 1, further comprising:

a means for securing and limiting access to the databases comprised by the transaction authorization system.

6. The transaction authorization system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of transaction authorization systems constituting an evaluation network, where the transaction authorization systems are located at evaluation points within an evaluation domain;

an administrative station comprising a communication means by which the administrative station communicates with the transaction authorization systems for the purpose of controlling and monitoring the operation of the transaction authorization systems; and

a data processing means by which the administrative station controls access to the databases comprised by the transaction authorization systems with which the administrative station communicates.

7. The transaction authorization system of claim 6, where:

the communication means by which the administrative system communicates with said transaction authorization systems is secure.

8. The transaction authorization system of claim 6, further comprising:

a data processing means for creating reports detailing or summarizing the operations of the transaction authorization systems.

9. The transaction authorization system of claim 1, where the first data acquisition means comprises:

an optical document scanner;

an image processing means for processing an optical image of a document which detects data imprinted on the document; and

a means for detecting data encoded on or into on the document.

10. The transaction authorization system of claim 1, where:

the second data acquisition means comprises an electronic camera which is used to acquire an optical image of the face of an individual seeking authorization and an associated data processing means implementing an optical facial recognition algorithm for processing an optical image of a face to create a set of parameters uniquely corresponding to the face, said parameters serving as the first set of person-specific biometric data; and

the second set of person-specific biometric data included in each of the data records in the second database are parameters created by a data processing means implementing the identical optical facial recognition algorithm implemented by the second data acquisition means, said data processing means having processed an official optical image of the face of the person corresponding to the data record.

11. The transaction authorization system of claim 1, further comprising:

a third database of data records, where each of said data records includes a third set of person-specific biometric data characterizing an individual who has previously been authorized for a transaction; and

a sixth data processing means for determining whether the first set of person-specific biometric data corresponds to the third set of person-specific biometric data from a data record in the third database and therefore whether the record corresponds to an individual who is automatically authorized to perform a transaction without presenting a document.

12. The transaction authorization system of claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth database of data records, where each of said data records includes a fourth set of person-specific biometric data characterizing an individual who has been registered as an operator of the transaction authorization system;

a seventh data processing means for determining whether a fifth set of person-specific biometric data acquired through the second data acquisition means corresponds to a fourth set of person-specific biometric data from a data record in the fourth database and therefore whether the record corresponds to an individual who is automatically authorized to operate the transaction authorization system; and

an eighth data processing means for associating the operator of the transaction authorization system with authorization attempts and transactions authorized by the system.

13. The transaction authorization system of claim 1, where the individual seeking authorization acts as the operator of the system.

14. The transaction authorization system of claim 13, where:

the device indicating authorization is an electronic signaling circuit which generates a signal detectable by another system.

15. The transaction authorization system of claim 1, further comprising:

a fifth database of data records, where each of said data records includes information characterizing an instance of the performance of the transaction authorization method; and

a data processing means for generating records for inclusion in the fifth database.

16. The transaction authorization system of claim 1, further comprising:

a sixth database of data records, where each of said data records includes information characterizing a transaction authorized by the system; and

a data processing means for generating records for inclusion in the sixth database.

17. A method for verifying whether an individual seeking authorization to perform a transaction and presenting a document as a condition of the authorization is authorized to perform the transaction, the method comprising:

acquiring a first set of biometric data characteristic of the individual directly from the individual;

detecting whether the first set of biometric data corresponds with any one of a plurality of sets of biometric data, each set of biometric data corresponding to an individual who can be automatically authorized to perform the transaction;

acquiring a first set of document-specific data from a document presented by the individual;

applying a first set of rules to the first Set of document-specific data to identify one of a plurality of sets of document-specific data where each set of document-specific data corresponds to a different type of valid document, thereby detecting the type of document being presented for validation;

acquiring a first set of person-specific data from a document presented by the individual, where the first set of person-specific data comprises a plurality of data elements;

using at least one data element of the first set of person-specific data to access one of a plurality of databases of valid person-specific document records, where the particular database of valid person-specific document records is determined by the type of document being presented for validation, where the database of person-specific document records includes a separate document record for each valid document, where each valid document record includes a second set of person-specific data about a single individual, and further includes pre-established biometric data, where the result of e access to the database of valid document records results in a retrieved document record;

comparing the pre-established biometric data of the retrieved document record with the first set of acquired biometric data to determine if the retrieved document record, and the document presented by the document presenter, corresponds to the document presenter; and

applying a second set of rules to the person-specific data of the retrieved document record to determine if the document presenter is authorized to perform the transaction.