Method and apparatus for fingerprint authentication during on-line transactions

• US 6,944,773 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2000
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Abrahams, Marc David
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): JACKSON, JENISE E
• Application Number:
  US09/575,410
• Time in Patent Office: 1,943 Days
• Field of Search: 713/200, 713/201, 713/202, 713/182, 713/186, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 709/229
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861

Abstract

A method of on-line authentication includes having a user present one or more fingerprints for authentication during an on-line transaction, such as an Internet transaction. The user provides the fingerprints by placing the appropriate finger on the print pad of the fingerprint reader associated with the client computer that the user is using. The method includes receiving through the computer network a communication indicating that authentication is needed, obtaining a first number that indicates how many fingerprints will be requested for authentication, randomly selecting which fingerprints will be requested, sending through the computer network one or more requests for entry of the randomly selected fingerprints, receiving fingerprint data through the computer network in response to the one or more requests for entry of the randomly selected fingerprints, and comparing the received fingerprint data to fingerprint data stored in a database.

Claims

1. A method of on-line authentication, comprising the steps of:

receiving through a computer network a communication indicating that authentication is needed;

obtaining a first number that indicates how many fingerprints will be requested for authentication;

randomly selecting which fingerprints will be requested by using a fingerprint numbering scheme designated by a user whose fingerprints will be requested, wherein the fingerprint numbering scheme includes fingerprint designators that are assigned by the user;

sending through the computer network one or more requests for entry of the randomly selected fingerprints;

receiving fingerprint data through the computer network in response to the one or more requests for entry of the randomly selected fingerprints; and

comparing the received fingerprint data to fingerprint data stored in a database.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining a first number comprises the step of:

randomly selecting the first number.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining a first number comprises the step of:

retrieving the first number from the database.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first number is equal to or less than a total number of fingerprints stored in the database for a particular user.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of randomly selecting which fingerprints will be requested comprises the step of:

randomly selecting fingerprints from a total number of fingerprints stored in the database for a particular user.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of:

detecting through the computer network whether a client computer has a fingerprint reader.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving set-up data for a particular user through the computer network; and

storing the received set-up data in the database.

22. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the fingerprint data stored in the database comprises more than ten fingerprints stored for the user.

8. A method of setting up on-line authentication, comprising the steps of:

sending through the computer network a request for a total number that indicates how many fingerprints to hold for authentication;

receiving through the computer network the requested total number;

sending through the computer network one or more requests for entry of fingerprints;

receiving fingerprint data through the computer network in response to the one or more requests for entry of fingerprints;

assigning a number to each entered fingerprint that is consistent with a number intended by a user who entered the fingerprints such that fingerprint designators are assigned by the user; and

storing the received fingerprint data and assigned numbers in a database.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8, further comprising the step of:

sending through the computer network a request for a first number that indicates how many fingerprints will be requested for each authentication.

10. A method in accordance with claim 8, further comprising the step of:

receiving through the computer network a first number that indicates how many fingerprints are to be requested for each authentication, wherein the first number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to the total number.

11. A method in accordance with claim 8, further comprising the step of:

receiving through the computer network an indication that a number is to be randomly selected to indicate how many fingerprints will be requested for each authentication.

12. A method in accordance with claim 8, further comprising the step of:

sending through the computer network a request for whether username and password authentication should be enabled for client computers not having a fingerprint reader.

13. A method in accordance with claim 8, further comprising the step of:

receiving through the computer network an indication that username and password authentication should be enabled for client computers not having a fingerprint reader.

23. A method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the requested total number is greater than ten.

14. A system for providing on-line authentication, comprising:

a database configured to store fingerprint data and user set-up data;

a communication device configured to provide a connection to a computer network; and

a processor and a memory configured to receive through the computer network a communication indicating that authentication is needed, obtain a first number that indicates how many fingerprints will be requested for authentication, randomly select which fingerprints will be requested by using a fingerprint numbering scheme designated by a user whose fingerprints will be requested, send through the computer network one or more requests for entry of the randomly selected fingerprints, receive fingerprint data through the computer network in response to the one or more requests for entry of the randomly selected fingerprints, and compare the received fingerprint data to fingerprint data stored in the database;

wherein the fingerprint numbering scheme includes fingerprint designators that are assigned by the user.

15. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to obtain the first number by randomly selecting the first number.

16. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to obtain the first number by retrieving the first number from the database.

17. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the first number is equal to or less than a total number of fingerprints stored in the database for a particular user.

18. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to receive set-up data for a particular user through the computer network and store the set-up data in the database.

19. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to send through the computer network a request for a total number that indicates how many fingerprints to hold for authentication.

20. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to receive fingerprint data through the computer network in response to one or more requests for entry of fingerprints.

21. A system in accordance with claim 20, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to assign a number to each entered fingerprint that is consistent with the fingerprint numbering scheme designated by the user who entered the fingerprints, and store the received fingerprint data and assigned numbers in the database.

24. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the fingerprint data stored in the database comprises more than ten fingerprints stored for the user.