API for a system having a passcode authenticator

• US 7,707,622 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biogy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Biogy, Inc.
• Inventors: Fiske, Michael Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Song; Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US11/106,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20060107064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2- 4, 380/44, 713182-186, 382115-118, 382/124
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/33 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/081 applying self-generating credentials, e.g. instead of receiving credentials from an authority or from another peer, the credentials are generated at the entity itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

Protecting the security of an entity by using passcodes is disclosed. A passcode device generates a passcode. In an embodiment, the passcode is generated in response to receipt of user information. The passcode is received by another system, which authenticates the passcode by at least generating a passcode from a passcode generator, and comparing the generated passcode with the received passcode. The passcode is temporary. At a later use a different passcode is generated from a different passcode generator.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a machine-readable medium storing thereon

machine instructions for an Application Program Interface (API), which when invoked, cause a processor system of a machine to implement the API, the API having an argument for a passcode generator and a user ID, the processor system having one or more processors; and

another set of instructions, which when invoked, cause the processor system to compare a submitted passcode to a generated passcode;

wherein the passcode generator is a value derived from user information; and

wherein the passcode generator is a value from which deriving the user information is expected to be intractable

wherein the other set of instructions include instructions for causing one or more processors to generate a generated passcode from a new passcode generator;

wherein the other set of instructions receive the passcode generator from the API, and generate the new passcode generator from the passcode generator.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a database storing one or more passcode generators indexed according to user ID.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable medium also stores thereon installation instructions, which cause one or more processors to perform a method including at least

installing the instructions for the API on another system;

and

receiving input from which a decision is made as to whether

to store the passcode generator in a preexisting database, or

to set aside storage space for the passcode generator, wherein the storage space is unrelated to any preexisting database.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the installation instructions cause the one or more processors to offer a choice, and the input is the reply to the offer.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the installation instructions cause the one or more processors to automatically detect whether the preexisting database is present, and the input is a result of automatically detecting whether the preexisting database is present.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the installation instructions also include if the decision is made to store the passcode generator in the preexisting database, adding a field to the database for storing the passcode generator.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the installation instructions also include if the decision is made to store the passcode generator in the preexisting database, adding a field to the database for storing a user ID.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the other set of instructions includes at least instructions that cause a user ID to be extracted from a passcode received from the API.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the other set of instructions include instructions for receiving a registration code from the API, and generating a passcode generator from the registration code.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable media stores thereon administrator instructions for causing access to a secure entity to be granted or denied based on results of the compare caused by the administrator instructions.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein machine-readable media stores thereon administrator instructions for causing access to a secure entity to be granted or denied.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the administrator instructions include instructions for retrieving the passcode generator based on a user ID received from the API.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one machine readable media includes administrator instructions that receive a user ID from the API, and retrieve a passcode generator.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor system that implements the API instructions; and

a memory system including at least the machine readable medium.

15. A method comprising:

a processor system, of a machine having one or more processors, retrieving instructions for an Application Program Interface (API) from a memory system associated with the machine, the memory system having one or more a machine-readable media;

the instructions for the API causing the processor system to implement the API, the API having an argument for a passcode generator and a user ID; and

the processor system retrieving from the memory system another set of instructions, causing the processor system to compare a submitted passcode to a generated passcode;

wherein the passcode generator is a value derived from user information; and

wherein the passcode generator is a value from which deriving the user information is expected to be intractable; and

wherein the other set of instructions include instructions that cause the processor system to generate a generated passcode from a new passcode generator;

wherein the other set of instructions cause the processor system to receive the passcode generator from the API, and generate the new passcode generator from the passcode generator.