Methods and apparatus for verifying the identity of a user requesting access using location information

• US 7,360,248 B1
• Filed: 11/09/1999
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kanevsky, Dimitri, Maes, Stephane Herman
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand; Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nalven; Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US09/437,352
• Time in Patent Office: 3,080 Days
• Field of Search: 713/182, 380/258, 380/247, 726/21
• US Class Current: 726/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS

Abstract

A global positioning system (GPS)-based access control method and apparatus are disclosed for limiting access to a device or secure facility by verifying the location of an authorized user. The GPS-based access control system confirms that the user requesting access to a device or secure location is physically present at the location of the device or secure location. Upon an access control request, the location of the user is obtained using an individual GPS system carried by each user on a portable device, such as a pocket token, computer-readable card, cellular telephone or watch. If the location of a person making an access control request does not coincide with the coordinates of the individual GPS that is being worn by the authorized user associated with the password, then the person requesting access is unauthorized.

Claims

1. A method for verifying the identity of a user, said method comprising the steps of:

issuing a challenge to said user;

receiving a response to said challenge from said user;

identifying a first location of an authorized person associated with said response, wherein said first location is identified by utilizing a portable device assigned to said user;

identifying a second location where said response is received, wherein said second location is identified by utilizing location information associated with a requested resource at said second location; and

providing access to said user if said first and second locations substantially match.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said response is a password.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said response is a pocket token.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said response is a computer-readable card.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said response is biometric information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said first location of an authorized person is obtained using an individual global positioning system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said individual global positioning system includes a local verification system.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said individual global positioning system is included in a portable device carried by said authorized user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said second location where said response is received is obtained from an individual global positioning system associated with a requested device or facility.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said second location where said response is received is obtained from recorded information associated with a requested device or facility.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said first location of an authorized person is obtained using a triangulation technique.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said first location of an authorized person is obtained using enhanced cellular 911 techniques.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said first location of an authorized person is obtained by identifying the location of a transmitting device associated with said authorized person.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said first location of an authorized person is confirmed by querying said user about something at the location of a requested device or facility.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of identifying said user by applying speaker recognition techniques to an answer to said query.

16. A method for verifying the identity of a user, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a response to a challenge from said user;

identifying a first location of an authorized person associated with said response, wherein said first location is identified by utilizing a portable device assigned to said authorized person;

identifying a second location where said response is received, wherein said second location is identified by utilizing location information associated with a requested resource at said second location; and

providing access to said user if said first and second locations substantially match.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said first location of an authorized person is obtained using an individual global positioning system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said individual global positioning system includes a local verification system.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said individual global positioning system is included in a portable device carried by said authorized user.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said second location where said response is received is obtained from an individual global positioning system associated with a requested device or facility.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein said second location where said response is received is obtained from recorded information associated with a requested device or facility.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein said first location of an authorized person is obtained using a triangulation technique.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein said first location of an authorized person is obtained using enhanced cellular 911 techniques.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein said first location of an authorized person is obtained by identifying the location of a transmitting device associated with said authorized person.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein said first location of an authorized person is confirmed by querying said user about something at the location of a requested device or facility.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of identifying said user by applying speaker recognition techniques to an answer to said query.

27. A system for verifying the identity of a user, comprising:

a memory that stores computer readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to;

receive a response to a challenge from said user;

identify a first location of an authorized person associated with said password, wherein said first location is identified by utilizing a portable device assigned to said authorized person;

identify a second location of where said response is received, wherein said second location is identified by utilizing location information associated with a requested resource at said second location; and

provide access to said user if said first and second locations substantially match.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said first location of an authorized person is obtained using an individual global positioning system.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said individual global positioning system includes a local verification system.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein said individual global positioning system is included in a portable device carried by said authorized user.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein said second location where said response is received is obtained from an individual global positioning system associated with a requested device or facility.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein said second location where said response is received is obtained from recorded information associated with a requested device or facility.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein said first location of an authorized person is obtained using a triangulation technique.

34. The system of claim 27, wherein said first location of an authorized person is obtained using enhanced cellular 911 techniques.

35. The system of claim 27, wherein said first location of an authorized person is obtained by identifying the location of a transmitting device associated with said authorized person.

36. The system of claim 27, wherein said first location of an authorized person is confirmed by querying said user about something at the location of a requested device or facility.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein said processor is further configured to identify said user by applying a speaker recognition technique to an answer to said query.

38. An article of manufacture for verifying the identity 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 receive a response to a challenge from said user;

a step to identify a first location of an authorized person associated with said response, wherein said first location is identified by utilizing a portable device assigned to said authorized person;

a step to identify a second location where said response is received, wherein said second location is identified by utilizing location information associated with a requested resource at said second location; and

a step to provide access to said user if said first and second locations substantially match.

39. A method for identifying a user requesting access to a device, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving biometric information from said user;

identifying each registered person within a predefined distance of said requested device, wherein said identification is performed by utilizing a portable device assigned to each registered person and wherein a location of said requested device is identified by utilizing location information associated with said requested device; and

identifying said user from among said identified persons using said biometric information.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said step of identifying each registered person within a predefined distance of said requested device further comprises the step of identifying individual global positioning systems associated with registered persons within said predefined distance.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein said step of identifying each registered person within a predefined distance of said requested device further comprises the step of identifying transmitting devices associated with registered persons within said predefined distance.

42. A method for identifying a user requesting access, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving biometric information from said user;

identifying a list of potential users based on said biometric information; and

identifying said user by comparing a location of each identified potential users with a location where said biometric information was obtained, wherein said location of each identified potential user is obtained by utilizing a portable device assigned to each identified potential user and wherein said location where said biometric information was obtained is identified by utilizing location information associated with a requested resource at said location where said biometric information was obtained.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said location of each identified potential user is obtained by identifying the location of an individual global positioning system associated with each of said identified potential users.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein said location of each identified potential user is obtained by identifying the location of a transmitting device associated with each of said identified potential users.

45. A method for identifying of a user requesting access to a device, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a communication from a transmitting device assigned to said user;

identifying said user using a voice recognition system; and

confirming said user requesting access to said device is physically present at the location of said requested device by determining a location of said transmitting device, wherein said location of said requested device is identified by utilizing location information associated with said requested device.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein said transmitting device is a cellular telephone.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising the step of confirming that said user is using a cellular telephone associated with said user using caller identification techniques.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein confirming step further comprises the step of determining the location of said cellular telephone using enhanced cellular 911 techniques.

49. A system for identifying a user requesting access to a device, comprising:

a memory that stores computer readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to;

receive biometric information from said user;

identify each registered person within a predefined distance of said requested device, wherein said identification is performed by utilizing a portable device assigned to each registered person and wherein a location of said requested device is identified by utilizing location information associated with said requested device; and

identify said user from among said identified persons using said biometric information.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein said registered persons within a predefined distance of said requested device further are identified by identifying individual global positioning systems associated with registered persons within said predefined distance.

51. The system of claim 49, wherein said registered person within a predefined distance of said requested device are identified by identifying transmitting devices associated with registered persons within said predefined distance.

52. A system for identifying a user requesting access, comprising:

a memory that stores computer readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to;

receive biometric information from said user;

identify a list of potential users based on said biometric information; and

identify said user by comparing a location of each identified potential users with a location where said biometric information was obtained, wherein said location of each identified potential user is obtained by utilizing a portable device assigned to each identified potential user and wherein said location where said biometric information was obtained is identified by utilizing location information associated with a requested resource at said location where said biometric information was obtained.

53. The system of claim 52, wherein said location of each identified potential user is obtained by identifying the location of an individual global positioning system associated with each of said identified potential users.

54. The system of claim 52, wherein said location of each identified potential user is obtained by identifying the location of a transmitting device associated with each of said identified potential users.

55. A system for identifying of a user requesting access to a device, comprising:

a memory that stores computer readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to;

receive a communication from a transmitting device assigned to said user;

identify said user using a voice recognition system; and

confirm said user requesting access to said device is physically present at the location of said requested device by determining a location of said transmitting device, wherein said location of said requested device is identified by Utilizing location information associated with said requested device.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein said transmitting device is a cellular telephone.

57. The system of claim 56, wherein said processor is further configured to confirm that said user is using a cellular telephone associated with said user using caller identification techniques.

58. The system of claim 57, wherein said processor is further configured to determine the location of said cellular telephone using enhanced cellular 911 techniques.