Distributed biometric access control method and apparatus

• US 7,110,580 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2003
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nextgenid, Inc. (Zeva, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nextgenid, Inc. (Zeva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bostrom, Susan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bali, Vikkram
• Application Number:
  US10/384,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20040036574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 382115-119, 382124-127, 902 3- 6, 235/380, 235/382, 235/382.5, 713/182, 713/186, 340/5.2, 340/5.53, 340/5.1, 340/5.8, 340/5.83
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/94 Hardware or software architectures specially adapted for image or video understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an access control apparatus and method. Enrollment is conducted at a centralized server and enrollment data, such as identification data is downloaded to plural local access units at respective entrances to a restricted area. The local access units then collect data of a person upon an attempted entry in to the area and compare the data with downloaded enrollment data to determine if the person is authorized for access. If the person is authorized, an access control device is operated to open a door, gate, or the like of the entrance. The enrollment data can be primary biometric data or primary and secondary biometric data, said secondary biometric data can be collected at the local access units. If a secondary type of biometric data is collected at the local access units and is correlated to data stored on the local access unit, data of the same type is compared to the downloaded data for access control. The primary enrollment data can be non-environmentally affected data, such as fingerprint parameter data and the secondary type of data can be environmentally affected data, such as facial parameter data. In cases where the primary biometric data does not correspond to stored primary biometric data, secondary biometric data can be collected and authenticated and new primary biometric data collected for potential addition to a user'"'"'s primary biometric enrollments.

Claims

1. A method of controlling access into an area comprising the steps of:

recognizing an authorized user by comparing primary biometric parameter data of a person proximate the entrance collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device with primary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory;

wherein said recognizing step is a verification step that comprises prompting a person proximate the entrance to enter identification data into said local data collection device, retrieving a subset of primary biometric parameter data corresponding to said identification data stored in the local memory, comparing the primary biometric parameter data collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device with said subset of primary biometric parameter data, and granting access to the area when said primary biometric parameter data collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device and said subset of primary biometric parameter data correspond;

granting access by operating the access control device if the primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device and the primary biometric parameter data stored in the local access unit correspond;

prompting the person to enter secondary biometric parameter data through at least one secondary biometric parameter sensing device when the primary biometric parameter data collected by said primary biometric parameter sensing device and the primary biometric parameter data stored in the local access unit do not correspond;

wherein said step of prompting the person to enter secondary biometric data includes authenticating the entered secondary biometric parameter data collected by said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device;

granting access by operating the access control device when the secondary biometric parameter data of an authorized person collected by said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device and the secondary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory correspond;

prompting the person to provide additional updated primary biometric parameter data to the local primary biometric parameter sensing device and storing said additional updated primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device in the local access unit when the secondary biometric parameter data collected by said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device and the secondary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory correspond; and

authenticating, by a system administrator, the additional updated primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device when the secondary biometric parameter data collected by the said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device and the secondary biometric parameter data stored in the local memory correspond, by comparing primary biometric data collected during the primary enrollment procedure with the additional primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the administrator authenticates the secondary biometric parameter data by requiring the person to enter additional identification data collected during an enrollment process including at least one of voiceprints, retinal scans, thermal images, or PIN numbers.

3. A method of controlling access into an area comprising the steps of:

recognizing an authorized user by comparing primary biometric parameter data of a person proximate the entrance collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device with primary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory;

wherein said recognizing step is an identification step that comprises comparing primary biometric parameter data of a person collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device with primary biometric parameter data corresponding to plural users stored in said local memory, and granting access to the area by operating said access control device if the primary biometric parameter data collected by said local primary biometric parameter sensing device and said primary biometric parameter data correspond;

granting access by operating the access control device if the primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device and the primary biometric parameter data stored in the local access unit correspond;

prompting the person to enter secondary biometric parameter data through at least one secondary biometric parameter sensing device when the primary biometric parameter data collected by said primary biometric parameter sensing device and the primary biometric parameter data stored in the local access unit do not correspond;

wherein said step of prompting the person to enter secondary biometric data includes authenticating the entered secondary biometric parameter data collected by said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device;

granting access by operating the access control device when the secondary biometric parameter data of an authorized person collected by said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device and the secondary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory correspond; and

prompting the person to provide additional updated primary biometric parameter data to the local primary biometric parameter sensing device and storing said additional updated primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device in the local access unit when the secondary biometric parameter data collected by said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device and the secondary biometric parameter data stored in said local memory correspond; and

authenticating, by a system administrator, the additional updated primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device when the secondary biometric parameter data collected by the said at least one local secondary biometric parameter sensing device and the secondary biometric parameter data stored in the local memory correspond, by comparing primary biometric data collected during the primary enrollment procedure with the additional primary biometric parameter data collected by the local primary biometric parameter sensing device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the administrator authenticates the secondary biometric parameter data by requiring the person to enter additional identification data collected during an enrollment process including at least one of voiceprints, retinal scans, thermal images, or PIN numbers.