Device using histological and physiological biometric marker for authentication and activation

• US 7,796,013 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2001
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HALO Wearables LLC
• Original Assignee: Ensign Holdings Limited (Co-Operative Group Limited)
• Inventors: Miller, David, Murakami, Rick V., Pettit, Matthew W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Brian A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Nam V
• Application Number:
  US09/758,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20070063816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,534 Days
• Field of Search: 340 58- 584, 340 552- 553, 382/124, 382/115, 235/380, 235/492, 235/379, 235/381, 455/411, 600/310, 600316-317, 600/322
• US Class Current: 340/5.82
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1171 based on the shapes or appearances of their bodies or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/00 Aspects of pattern recognition specially adapted for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/12 Classification; Matching
• 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: G06V 40/1341 Sensing with light passing through the finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/14 Vascular patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/15 Biometric patterns based on physiological signals, e.g. heartbeat, blood flow
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2011/02 related to amusement parks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/26 using a biometric sensor integrated in the pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A biometrically activated device wherein data derived from detection of unique internal biometric traits are stored within said biometrically activated device to be compared to stored data relative to said internal biometric markers or traits previously scanned from a user of said biometrically activated device. The biometrically activated device may allow or disallow access to information, or provide use of, data or a device protected by the biometrically activated device.

Claims

1. A device activated by biometric authentication, comprising:

a biometric sensor configured to measure a plurality of different specific, internal, physiological characteristics of a user, said biometric sensor comprising,

an energy emitter configured to emit an electromagnetic energy signal toward said user, wherein said electromagnetic energy signal is configured to penetrate said user to measure one or more of said specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristics of said user, and

an energy sensor configured to detect an electromagnetic energy signal returned from said user responsive to said emitted electromagnetic energy signal to thereby obtain a measurement of said one or more specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristics of said user; and

a memory module in communication with said biometric sensor comprising a biometric profile of an authorized user of said device,

wherein the device is configured to select a first one and a second one of said plurality of specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristics of said user, emit an electromagnetic energy signal from said electromagnetic energy emitter to measure said first specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristic, and said second specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristic, receive a returned energy signal comprising said measurements of said first and second specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristics of said user, determine a first biometric marker of said user using said measurement of said first specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristic, determine a second biometric marker of said user using said measurement of said second specific, internal sub-epidermal physiological characteristic, and generate an authentication signal if said first biometric marker and said second biometric marker match a biometric profile of an authorized user of said device.

2. A device activated by biometric authentication, comprising:

a biometric sensor configured to measure a plurality of different specific, internal, physiological characteristics of a user, said biometric sensor comprising,

an energy emitter configured to emit an electromagnetic energy signal toward said user, wherein said electromagnetic energy signal is configured to penetrate said user to obtain measurements of one or more of said plurality of specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristics of said user, and

an energy sensor configured to detect an electromagnetic energy signal returned from said user responsive to said emitted electromagnetic energy signal to thereby obtain measurements of said one or more specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristics of said user; and

a memory module in communication with said biometric sensor comprising a biometric profile of an authorized user of said device,

wherein the device is configured to select a first one and a second one of said plurality of specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristics of said user,

emit a first electromagnetic energy signal from said electromagnetic energy emitter to measure said first specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristic, receive a first returned energy signal comprising said measurement of said first specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristic of said user using said energy sensor, emit a second electromagnetic energy signal from said electromagnetic energy emitter to measure said second specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristic, receive a second returned energy signal comprising said measurement of said second specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristic of said user using said energy sensor, determine a first biometric marker of said user using said measurement of said first specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristic and a second biometric marker of said user using said measurement of said second specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristic, generate an authentication signal if said first biometric marker and said second biometric marker match a biometric profile of an authorized user of said device.

3. A device activated by biometric authentication, comprising:

a biometric sensor configured to measure a plurality of different specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristics of a user, the biometric sensor comprising,

an energy emitter configured to emit an electromagnetic energy signal toward the user, and

an energy sensor configured to detect an electromagnetic energy signal responsive to the emitted electromagnetic energy signal to thereby obtain a measurement of a specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristic of the user; and

a memory module communicatively coupled to the biometric sensor, the memory module comprising a biometric profile of an authorized user of the device,

wherein the device is configured to acquire measurements of two or more of the plurality of different specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristics of the user using the biometric sensor, to determine two or more biometric markers using the two or more measurements, and to generate an authentication signal when the two or more biometric markers match the biometric profile of the authorized user.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the biometric sensor is configured to prevent identification by a user of the device of the plurality of the specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristics measured by the biometric sensor.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein a first one of the two or more biometric markers is substantially unique to the user.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein a second one of the two or more biometric markers is substantially unique to the user.

7. The device of claim 3, wherein the device is configured to determine whether the two or more measurements were obtained from a live human using the first one of the two or more biometric markers.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the device is configured to assert the authentication signal when the first biometric marker indicates that the two or more measurements were obtained from a live human.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the device is configured to prevent assertion of the authentication signal when the first biometric marker indicates that the two or more measurements were not obtained from a live human.

10. The device of claim 3, wherein a first one of the two or more measurements comprises a heartbeat waveform.

11. The device of claim 3, wherein a first one of the two or more measurements comprises a capillary pattern.

12. The device of claim 3, wherein a first one of the two or more measurements comprises a blood oxygen level.

13. The device of claim 3, wherein the energy emitter comprises a light emitting diode.

14. The device of claim 3, wherein the energy emitter is configured to emit optical energy in the infra-red spectrum.

15. The device of claim 3, wherein the energy emitter is configured to emit optical energy at one of a plurality of different wavelengths.

16. The device of claim 3, wherein the device comprises a cell phone.

17. The device of claim 3, wherein the device comprises a portable computing device.

18. The device of claim 3, wherein the device comprises a communications device capable of communication with a communications network.

19. The device of claim 3, wherein activating the device comprises causing the device to transmit at least one of the two or more measurements and at least one of the two or more biometric markers on the communications network.

20. The device of claim 3, wherein a first one of the two or more measurements comprises one of a cardiac rhythm, a capillary density, a blood oxygen level, sub-dermal layer analysis, a diacrotic notch, and a hematocrit level.

21. A method for authenticating a user of a device comprising a biometric sensor, the method comprising:

acquiring two or more measurements of different specific internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristics of an individual using the biometric sensor, the biometric sensor comprising an optical energy emitter and an optical energy sensor, wherein acquiring a measurement comprises,

emitting an optical energy signal toward the individual using the optical energy emitter, and

sensing an optical energy signal responsive to the emitted optical energy signal using the optical energy sensor, and

determining a measurement of an internal, sub-epidermal physiological characteristic of the individual using the sensed optical energy signal;

deriving two or more biometric markers from the two or more measurements acquired using the biometric sensor;

comparing the two or more biometric markers to a biometric profile of an authorized user of the device; and

asserting an authentication signal when the two or more biometric markers match the biometric profile of the authorized user.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the biometric sensor is configured to prevent identification of the specific, internal, sub-epidermal physiological, characteristics measured by the biometric sensor.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein a first one of the two or more biometric markers is substantially unique to the individual.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein a second one of the two or more biometric markers is substantially unique to the individual.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining whether the two or more measurements were acquired from a live human using a first one of the two or more biometric markers.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the authentication signal is asserted when the first one of the two or more biometric markers determines that the two or more measurements were acquired from a live human.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising preventing assertion of the authentication signal when the first one of the two or more biometric markers determines that the two or more measurements were not acquired from a live human.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein a first and a second one of the two or more measurements are obtained by emitting a single optical energy signal towards the individual using the optical energy emitter of the biometric sensor.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the optical energy emitter comprises a light emitting diode.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein the optical energy emitter is configured to emit optical energy in the infra-red spectrum.

31. The method of claim 21, wherein the optical energy emitter is configured to emit optical energy at one of a plurality of different wavelengths.

32. The method of claim 21, wherein a first one of the two or more measurements comprises one of a cardiac rhythm, a capillary density, a blood oxygen level, sub-dermal layer analysis, a diacrotic notch, and a hematocrit level.

33. The method of claim 21, wherein the device comprises a communications device capable of communication on a network.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the device comprises one of a mobile phone, a portable computing device, and a personal digital assistant.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising activating the device responsive to deriving the two or more biometric markers, wherein activating the device comprises using the device to transmit one or more of the measurements and one or more of the biometric markers using the device.