System, portable device and method for digital authenticating, crypting and signing by generating short-lived cryptokeys

• US 7,996,683 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2002
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genkey Netherlands BV
• Original Assignee: Genkey AS
• Inventors: Lyseggen, Jørn, Øyhus, Kim Gunnar Støvring, Laurtizen, Roar Andre
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami; Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): Traore; Fatoumata
• Application Number:
  US10/491,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20060198514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,234 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/186
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861

Abstract

A system for authentication, encryption and/or signing, as well as corresponding devices and methods, that use temporary but repeatable encryption keys uniquely connected to the user and generated from a unique set of input parameters. The system comprises an input device (105) designed to extract predetermined characteristic values from value input by the user, which value is specific to the user, by means of a given algorithm, which algorithm is designed to remove the natural variation in the characteristic values in order to yield an identical set of characteristic values upon input of the same value, and a device (106) designed to generate at least one user specific encryption key comprising said characteristic values.

Claims

1. A system for authentication, encryption and/or signing, comprising:

an input device designed by means of a given algorithm to extract predetermined characteristic values from a value input by a user, said value is specific to the user, wherein the predetermined characteristic values supplied exhibit a natural variation, said algorithm is designed to remove the natural variations in the predetermined characteristic values in order to yield an identical set of characteristic values on input of the corresponding predetermined characteristic values; and

a device designed to generate at least one user specific encryption key comprising said characteristic values,

wherein removing said natural variations comprises using a correction vector, said correction vector determined such that a value of a cutting vector corrected by said correction vector is disposed in the middle of a nearest interval.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said cutting vector is determined from a predetermined number of samples of said predetermined characteristic values.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said nearest interval comprises at least one of a plurality of intervals determined by splitting a sample space for each of said predetermined characteristic values.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said correction vector is at least one of generated and stored such that it is available to generate said at least one encryption key.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the device for generation of said at least one encryption key is given a system input in addition to said user code, so as to increase further the complexity of the input to the generation of the encryption key(s) and consequently the level of security.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the device for generation of said at least one encryption key from characteristic values generates one or more sets of unique key sets for every user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said predetermined characteristic values are corrected by said correction vector to remove said natural variations.

8. The system of claim 7, comprising a converted characteristic value, said converted characteristic value determined such that its value identifies the interval in which a corresponding value of said corrected characteristic values is located.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the input value consists of biometric data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the device for generation of said at least one encryption key includes a prime number generator.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the device for generation of said at least one encryption key is connected to a device for input of at least one user code, thereby to increase the complexity of the input to the generation of the encryption key(s) and consequently the level of security.

12. A portable device for secure authentication, encryption and/or signing, comprising a system having:

an input device designed by means of a given algorithm to extract predetermined characteristic values from at least one value input by a user, which values are specific to the user, wherein the predetermined characteristic values supplied exhibit a natural variation, said algorithm is designed to remove the natural variations in the predetermined characteristic values in order to yield an identical set of characteristic values on input of the corresponding predetermined characteristic values; and

a device designed to generate at least one user specific encryption key comprising said characteristic values,

wherein it is designed so as on the basis of the input values to produce a user specific signal suitable for identifying the user,

wherein removing said natural variations comprises using a correction vector, said correction vector determined such that a value of a cutting vector corrected by said correction vector is disposed in the middle of a nearest interval.

13. The portable device of claim 12, wherein the device for generation of said at least one encryption key is connected to a device for input of at least one user code, thereby to increase the complexity of the input to the generation of the encryption key(s) and consequently the level of security.

14. The portable device of claim 12, wherein the input value consists of biometric data.

15. The portable device of claim 12, comprising a stored correction vector.

16. The portable device of claim 12:

wherein said predetermined characteristic values are corrected by said correction vector to remove said natural variations; and

comprising a converted characteristic value, said converted characteristic value determined such that its value identifies the interval in which a corresponding value of said corrected characteristic values is located.

17. A portable device that forms a user assigned master key that will operate electronic locks/switches, comprising:

an input device to the portable device designed to extract predetermined characteristic values from an input value by means of an algorithm, said algorithm is designed to remove the natural variations in the predetermined characteristic values in order to yield an identical set of characteristic values upon input of the same input values; and

a device in the portable device designed to generate at least one user specific encryption key comprising said characteristic values,

wherein removing said natural variations comprises using a correction vector, said correction vector determined such that a value of a cutting vector corrected by said correction vector is disposed in the middle of a nearest interval.

18. The portable device of claim 17, wherein the device for generation of said at least one encryption key is connected to a device for input of at least one user code, thereby to increase the complexity of the input to the generation of the encryption key(s) and consequently the level of security.

19. The portable device of claim 17, wherein the input value consists of biometric data.

20. The portable device of claim 17, comprising a stored correction vector.

21. The portable device of claim 17:

wherein said predetermined characteristic values are corrected by said correction vector to remove said natural variations; and

comprising a converted characteristic value, said converted characteristic value determined such that its value identifies the interval in which a corresponding value of said corrected characteristic values is located.