Devices and methods for biometric authentication

• US 7,286,691 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2000
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Giesecke + Devrient Mobile Security GmBH (Giesecke & Devrient GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
• Inventors: Stephan, Elmar, Modl, Albert, Muller, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancuso, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhavannik, Hadi
• Application Number:
  US09/926,634
• Time in Patent Office: 2,707 Days
• Field of Search: 382115-123
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/20 Analysing
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07354 by biometrically sensitive means, e.g. fingerprint sensitive fingerprint sensors in general G06V40/12; biometrically activated access control G07C9/25
• 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 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• 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

The present invention relates to devices and a method for biometric authentication by means of reference data stored in a memory of a portable data carrier.

For biometric authentication methods to make their final breakthrough with respect to more widespread use, there is a need for standardized generation of reference data for the particular biometric features used for authentication. Different suppliers of methods and devices for biometric authentication have hitherto used algorithms for generating the reference data which normally lead to different reference data which are not interchangeable. This limits the employability of biometric methods to the supplier'"'"'s particular system.

The present invention avoids this problem by storing several sets of biometric reference data, thereby increasing the likelihood of the evaluation of at least one set of stored biometric reference data being possible. Thus, the desired system-independent authentication can be attained.

Claims

1. A portable data carrier capable of authentication by means of biometric data, comprising a memory in which at least two sets of biometric reference data each belonging to a different system for biometric authentication are stored, wherein the different sets of reference data are generated from biometric data of one and the same biometric feature using different algorithms, and wherein each of the sets of biometric reference data includes an identification which designates the algorithm used for generating the set of reference data.

17. A portable data carrier according to claim 1, wherein the portable data carrier is a smart card.

18. A portable data carrier according to claim 1, wherein the detected biometric feature is selected from the group consisting of iris, retina, face, speech, fingerprints and a signature including the writing dynamics determined during signing.

2. A terminal for authentication by means of biometric data comprising a sensor arranged to detect a biometric feature, an I/O device for transferring data, and a control and data processing unit which is arranged to convert biometric data from the sensor which were derived from one and the same detected biometric feature into comparative data by an algorithm, wherein at least two different algorithms are used to convert said biometric data from the sensor into said comparative data, each of said different algorithms belonging to a different system for biometric authentication, said comparative data including an identification which designates the algorithm used for generating the comparative data.

16. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the detected biometric feature is selected from the group consisting of iris, retina, face, speech, fingerprints and a signature including the writing dynamics determined during signing.

3. A biometric authentication device comprising:

a portable data carrier capable of authentication by means of biometric data comprising a memory in which at least two sets of biometric reference data are stored each belonging to a different system for biometric authentication, wherein the different sets of reference data are generated from biometric data of one and the same biometric feature using different algorithms, and wherein each of the sets of biometric reference data includes an identification which designates the algorithm used for generating the set of reference data;

a terminal for authentication by means of biometric data comprising a sensor arranged to detect at least one biometric feature, an I/O device for transferring data, and a control and data processing unit which is arranged to convert biometric data from the sensor which were derived from one and the same detected biometric feature into comparative data by an algorithm, wherein at least two different algorithms are used to convert said biometric data from the sensor into comparative data;

wherein said reference data are transferred by the I/O device from the data carrier to the terminal, and

wherein the control and data processing unit are arranged to check the reference data for a match with the comparative data.

4. The authentication device according to claim 3, wherein the comparative data are transferred by the I/O device from the terminal to the data carrier;

and

the data carrier includes a control and data processing unit arranged to check the reference data for a match with the comparative data.

5. The authentication device according to claim 3, wherein the portable data carrier is a smart card.

6. The authentication device according to claim 3, wherein the sets of reference data and the algorithms used for generating the sets of comparative data have a characteristic identification, and wherein reference data and comparative data with the same identification are checked.

7. The authentication device according to claim 3, wherein the detected biometric feature is selected from the group consisting of iris, retina, face, speech, fingerprints and a signature including the writing dynamics determined during signing.

8. A method for authentication by means of biometric data comprising the steps:

deriving and storing several sets of reference data from biometric data of one and the same detected biometric feature using different algorithms each belonging to a different system for biometric authentication, wherein each of the sets of biometric reference data includes an identification which designates the algorithm used for generating the set of reference data;

detecting biometric data;

converting the detected biometric data into comparative data by an algorithm; and

comparing the stored reference data with the converted comparative data for an authentication.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of converting detected biometric data into comparative data is carried out by using at least two different algorithms.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the reference data and/or comparative data or the algorithms generating them have an identification, and only the stored reference data are compared with converted comparative data which have the same identification or only comparative data are converted from the detected biometric data by the algorithm which has the same identification.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the detected biometric feature is selected from the group consisting of iris, retina, face, speech, fingerprints and a signature including the writing dynamics determined during signing.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein several different sets of reference data are derived and stored, and several different sets of comparative data have been converted from detected biometric data, and wherein the several different sets of reference data are compared with the several different sets of comparative data for authentication.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the different sets of reference data and the different sets of comparative data are derived and converted from biometric data of the same kind which have been converted by different algorithms.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the conversion of the different sets of reference data and comparative data starts out from different biometric data which have been converted by the same or by different algorithms.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein upon comparison of several different sets of reference data with several different sets of comparative data, the authentication is decided positively if the majority of comparisons are positive.