Methods and apparatus for restricting access of a user using random partial biometrics

• US 6,735,695 B1
• Filed: 12/20/1999
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kanevsky, Dimitri, Maes, Stephane Herman, Gopalakrishnan, Ponani S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morse, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lipman, Jacob
• Application Number:
  US09/467,581
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 713/186, 713/200
• US Class Current: 713/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

A biometrics security method and apparatus are disclosed that restrict the ability of a user to access a device or facility using a portion of biometric data to validate the user'"'"'s identity. Upon a user request to access a secure device or facility, the central biometric security system initially sends a first request for a specific sample of a portion of the user'"'"'s biometric information. The specific sample may be identified, for example, using a set of image coordinates. A second request is also sent to retrieve the biometric prototype from a database of registered users. The central biometric security system then compares the user biometrics portion with the corresponding biometrics prototype portions. The user receives access to the requested device if the user biometrics portion(s) matches the corresponding biometrics prototype portions. In one variation, the biometric security system transmits a security agent to the user'"'"'s computing device upon a user request to access a remote device. The security agent serves to extract user biometric portions in accordance with the sampling request from the central biometric security system. In another variation, a local recognition is performed before a remote recognition to reduce the risk of a failed server side recognition due to a poor biometrics feature.

Claims

1. A method for restricting access of a user, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a pattern of biometric information for said user;

selecting at least one portion of said pattern of biometric information for said user, wherein said selected at least one portion can identify said user and does not contain all of said biometric information;

obtaining a corresponding portion of a biometric prototype for said user; and

providing access to said user if said selected at least one biometric information portion matches said corresponding biometric prototype portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtained biometric information is a transformed version of biometric data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected at least one biometric information portion is an encrypted version of biometric data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected at least one biometric information portion is obtained in accordance with a set of image coordinates for a biometric image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected at least one biometric information portion is obtained in accordance with a set of pixels for a biometric image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected at least one biometric information portion is obtained in accordance with a request for one or more features in a biometric image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected at least one biometric information portion is obtained in accordance with a request based on the content of a biometric image.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtained biometric information is obtained as a set of phones from a spoken phrase.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtained biometric information is obtained as a set of speech tokens.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtained biometric information is obtained as a set of speech attributes in response to a given question.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtained biometric information is a biometric image.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtained biometric information includes speech segments.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of encrypting said selected at least one biometric information portion before transmission.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of identifying said user based on said selected at least one biometric information portion.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of verifying the identity of said user based on said selected at least one biometric information portion.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected at least one portion of said biometric information is selected randomly.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtained biometric information are obtained using time-sampled sensors.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said biometric prototype is captured from a predefined point of view and recorded in a canonical system of coordinates.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected at least one biometric information portion is obtained by an agent executing on a computing device associated with said user.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said agent extracts said selected at least one biometric information portion in accordance with a sampling request from a central security system.

21. A method for restricting access of a user, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a pattern of biometric information for said user;

selecting at least one portion of said pattern of biometric information for said user, wherein said selected at least one portion can identify said user and does not contain all of said biometric information;

processing said selected at least one biometric information portion on a computing device associated with said user to ensure that said selected at least one biometric information portion satisfies predefined criteria;

transmitting said selected at least one biometric information portion to a central server if said selected at least one biometric information portion satisfies said predefined criteria; and

providing access to said user if said central server determines that said selected at least one biometric information portion matches a corresponding portion of a biometric prototype.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said computing device associated with said user compares said selected at least one biometric information portion to a biometric image for said user from a recorded medium to identify said user.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said computing device associated with said user compares said selected at least one biometric information portion to a biometric image for said user from a recorded medium to verify the identity of said user.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said computing device associated with said user evaluates said selected at least one biometric information portion to ensure that the quality of said biometric information satisfies predefined criteria.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein said computing device associated with said user evaluates said selected at least one biometric information portion to ensure that extracted features of said selected at least one biometric information portion satisfies predefined criteria.

26. A method for restricting access of a user, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a set of speech samples of said user;

selecting at least one sub-unit of said speech samples to produce at least one tagged segment, wherein said selected sub-unit can identify said user and does not contain all of said speech samples;

transmitting said at least one tagged segment to a central security system; and

receiving an authorization from said central security system to allow said access if said central security system verifies said at least one tagged segment match speech prototypes recorded for said user.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said set of speech samples includes samples of different phones.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said set of speech samples includes samples of classes of phones.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein said set of speech samples is obtained as a set of speech tokens.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein said set of speech samples is obtained as a set of speech attributes in response to a given question.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein said central security system employs a frame-by-frame, text independent speech recognition process.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein said central security system identifies said user based on said at least one tagged segment.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein said central security system verifies the identity of said user based on said at least one tagged segment.

34. The method of claim 26, wherein said set of speech samples is obtained as a set of phones from a spoken phrase.

35. A method for verifying the identity of an individual, said method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a pattern of biometric information for said individual;

selecting at least one portion of said pattern of biometric information for said individual, wherein said selected at least one portion can identify said user and does not contain all of said biometric information;

obtaining a corresponding portion of a biometric prototype for said individual; and

verifying the identity of said individual if said selected at least one biometric information portion matches said corresponding biometric prototype portion.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said biometric prototype is obtained based on a password.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein said biometric prototype is obtained based on a pocket token associated with said individual.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein said biometric prototype is obtained based on a computer-readable card associated with said individual.

39. A method for identifying an individual, said method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a pattern of biometric information for said individual;

selecting at least one portion of said pattern of biometric information for said individual, wherein said selected at least one portion can identify said user and does not contain all of said biometric information;

comparing said selected at least one biometric information portion to biometric prototypes for registered users; and

identifying said individual if said selected at least one biometric information portion matches a corresponding biometric prototype portion.

40. A system for restricting access of a user, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to implement said computer-readable code, said computer-readable code configured to;

obtain a pattern of biometric information for said user;

select at least one portion of said pattern of biometric information for said user, wherein said selected at least one portion can identify said user and does not contain all of said biometric information;

obtain a corresponding portion of a biometric prototype for said user; and

provide access to said user if said selected at least one biometric information portion matches said corresponding biometric prototype portion.

41. A system for restricting access of a user, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to implement said computer-readable code, said computer-readable code configured to;

obtain a pattern of biometric information for said user;

select at least one portion of said pattern of biometric information for said user, wherein said selected at least one portion can identify said user and does not contain all of said biometric information;

process said selected at least one biometric information portion on a computing device associated with said user to ensure that said selected at least one biometric information portion satisfies predefined criteria;

transmit said selected at least one biometric information portion to a central server if said selected at least one biometric information portion satisfies said predefined criteria; and

provide access to said user if said central server determines that said selected at least one biometric information portion matches a corresponding portion of a biometric prototype.

42. A system for restricting access of a user, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to implement said computer-readable code, said computer-readable code configured to;

obtain a set of speech samples of said user;

select at least one sub-unit of said speech samples to produce at least one tagged segment, wherein said selected sub-unit can identify said user and does not contain all of said speech samples;

transmit said at least one tagged segment to a central security system; and

receive an authorization from said central security system to allow said access if said central security system verifies said at least one tagged segment match speech prototypes recorded for said user.

43. A system for verifying the identity of an individual, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to implement said computer-readable code, said computer-readable code configured to;

obtain a pattern of biometric information for said individual;

select at least one portion of said pattern of biometric information for said individual, wherein said selected at least one portion can identify said user and does not contain all of said biometric information;

obtain a corresponding portion of a biometric prototype for said individual; and

verify the identity of said individual if said selected at least one biometric information portion matches said corresponding biometric prototype portion.

44. An article of manufacture for restricting access of a user, comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;

a step to obtain a pattern of biometric information for said user;

a step to select at least one portion of said pattern of biometric information for said user, wherein said selected at least one portion can identify said user and does not contain all of said biometric information;

a step to obtain a corresponding portion of a biometric prototype for said user; and

a step to provide access to said user if said selected at least one biometric information portion matches said corresponding biometric prototype portion.

45. An article of manufacture for restricting access of a user, comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;

a step to obtain a pattern of biometric information for said user;

a step to select at least one portion of said pattern of biometric information for said user, wherein said selected at least one portion can identify said user and does not contain all of said biometric information;

a step to process said selected at least one biometric information portion on a computing device associated with said user to ensure that said selected at least one biometric information portion satisfies predefined criteria;

a step to transmit said selected at least one biometric information portion to a central server if said selected at least one biometric information portion satisfies said predefined criteria; and

a step to provide access to said user if said central server determines that said selected at least one biometric information portion matches a corresponding portion of a biometric prototype.

46. An article of manufacture for restricting access of a user, comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;

a step to obtain a set of speech samples of said user;

a step to select at least one sub-unit of said speech samples to produce at least one tagged segment, wherein said selected sub-unit can identify said user and does not contain all of said speech samples;

a step to transmit said at least one tagged segment to a central security system; and

a step to receive an authorization from said central security system to allow said access if said central security system verifies said at least one tagged segment match speech prototypes recorded for said user.

47. An article of manufacture for verifying the identity of an individual, comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;

a step to obtain a pattern of biometric information for said individual;

a step to select at least one portion of said pattern of biometric information for said individual, wherein said selected at least one portion can identify said user and does not contain all of said biometric information;

a step to obtain a corresponding portion of a biometric prototype for said individual; and

a step to verify the identity of said individual if said selected at least one biometric information portion matches said corresponding biometric prototype portion.