Method and system for fingerprint encoding and authentication
First Claim
1. A method of generating an identification code from a fingerprint image exhibiting a plurality of features, comprising:
- establishing a reference point from the plurality of features;
wherein establishing a reference point comprises determining which one feature from a subset of the plurality of features minimizes the maximum distance between itself and all others of the plurality of features from said subset of the features, said reference point being said one feature;
generating at least one metric from the reference point and at least one of the plurality of features; and
forming the identification code from the at least one metric.
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Abstract
A method, system and computer readable-storage medium for generating an identification code from a fingerprint image exhibiting a plurality of features. The method includes establishing a reference point from the plurality of features, generating at least one metric from the reference point and at least one of the plurality of features and forming the identification code from the at least one metric. Changes in the temperature and humidity of a finger when the image is taken at different times will result in minor variations of the measured features which, upon quantization, result a metric that is invariant from one fingerprint image to the next, for the same finger. This lowers the false rejection rate to an acceptable level. Meanwhile, the metric is sufficiently unique for a given set of features such that the probability of assigning the same metric to two different fingers is lowered to an acceptable level.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A method of generating an identification code from a fingerprint image exhibiting a plurality of features, comprising:
- establishing a reference point from the plurality of features;
wherein establishing a reference point comprises determining which one feature from a subset of the plurality of features minimizes the maximum distance between itself and all others of the plurality of features from said subset of the features, said reference point being said one feature;
generating at least one metric from the reference point and at least one of the plurality of features; and
forming the identification code from the at least one metric. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
- establishing a reference point from the plurality of features;
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31. A system for generating an identification code from a fingerprint image exhibiting a plurality of features, comprising:
- means for establishing a reference point from the plurality of features;
wherein establishing a reference point comprises determining which one feature from a subset of the plurality of features minimizes the maximum distance between itself and all others of the plurality of features from said subset of the features, said reference point being said one feature;
means for generating at least one metric from the plurality of features and the reference point; and
means for forming the identification code from the at least one metric.
- means for establishing a reference point from the plurality of features;
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32. A computer readable storage medium containing a program element for execution by a computing device to implement a system for generating an identification code from a fingerprint image exhibiting a plurality of features, said program element including:
- program code for establishing a reference point from the plurality of features;
wherein establishing a reference point comprises determining which one feature from a subset of the plurality of features minimizes the maximum distance between itself and all others of the plurality of features from said subset of the features, said reference point being said one feature;
program code for generating at least one metric from the plurality of features and the reference point; and
program code for forming the identification code from the at least one metric.
- program code for establishing a reference point from the plurality of features;
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33. A method of generating an identification code for association with a human finger, comprising:
- obtaining a fingerprint image of the finger;
identifying a plurality of features on the fingerprint image;
establishing a reference point from the plurality of features;
wherein establishing a reference point comprises determining which one feature from a subset of the plurality of features minimizes the maximum distance between itself and all others of the plurality of features from said subset of the features, said reference point being said one feature;
generating at least one metric from the reference point and at least one of the plurality of features; and
forming the identification code from the at least one metric. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35)
- obtaining a fingerprint image of the finger;
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36. A method of generating an identification code for association with a human finger, comprising:
- obtaining a plurality of fingerprint images of the finger;
identifying, for each fingerprint image, a respective plurality of features;
establishing, from each plurality of features, a respective reference point;
wherein establishing a reference point comprises determining which one feature from a subset of the plurality of features minimizes the maximum distance between itself and all others of the plurality of features from said subset of the features, said reference point being said one feature;
generating, from each plurality of features and the respective reference point, a respective metric;
identifying a most frequently occurring metric from amongst the generated metrics; and
forming the identification code as a function of the most frequently occurring metric.
- obtaining a plurality of fingerprint images of the finger;
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37. A system for generating an identification code for association with a human finger, comprising:
- means for obtaining a fingerprint image of the finger;
means for identifying a plurality of features on the fingerprint image;
means for establishing a reference point from the plurality of features;
wherein establishing a reference point comprises determining which one feature from a subset of the plurality of features minimizes the maximum distance between itself and all others of the plurality of features from said subset of the features, said reference point being said one feature;
means for generating at least one metric from the reference point and at least one of the plurality of features; and
means for forming the identification code from the at least one metric.
- means for obtaining a fingerprint image of the finger;
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38. A computer readable storage medium containing a program element for execution by a computing device to implement a system for generating an identification code for association with a human finger, the program element including:
- program code means for obtaining a fingerprint image of the finger;
program code means identifying a plurality of features on the fingerprint image;
program code means establishing a reference point from the plurality of features;
wherein establishing a reference point comprises determining which one feature from a subset of the plurality of features minimizes the maximum distance between itself and all others of the plurality of features from said subset of the features, said reference point being said one feature;
program code means generating at least one metric from the reference point and at least one of the plurality of features; and
program code means forming the identification code from the at least one metric.
- program code means for obtaining a fingerprint image of the finger;
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39. A computer readable medium storing a program for execution by a computing device to generate an identification code for association with a human finger, the program including the steps of:
- a step of generating at least one quantized metric generated as a function of (i) at least one of a plurality of features and (ii) a reference point established from the plurality of features;
wherein establishing a reference point comprises determining which one feature from a subset of the plurality of features minimizes the maximum distance between itself and all others of the plurality of features from said subset of the features, said reference point being said one feature.
- a step of generating at least one quantized metric generated as a function of (i) at least one of a plurality of features and (ii) a reference point established from the plurality of features;
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40. A fingerprint-based user authentication system, comprising:
- a database of identification codes uniquely associated with respective users;
an input device for obtaining, from a test user, a first fingerprint image and information identifying a first user; and
a controller connected to the input device and to the database, the controller being operable to;
(a) access the database in order to obtain a first identification code associated with the first user;
(b) process the first fingerprint image in order to generate a second identification code;
wherein processing the first fingerprint image in order to generate a second identification code includes;
identifying a plurality of features on the first fingerprint image;
establishing a reference point from the plurality of features;
wherein establishing a reference point comprises determining which one feature from a subset of the plurality of features minimizes the maximum distance between itself and all others of the plurality of features from said subset of the features, said reference point being said one feature;
generating at least one metric as a function of the reference point and at least one of the plurality of features; and
forming the second identification code from the at least one metric; and
(c) authenticate the test user as the first user by comparing the first and second identification codes to one another. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44)
- a database of identification codes uniquely associated with respective users;
Specification