Identifying and generating biometric cohorts based on biometric sensor input

• US 8,190,544 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daedalus Blue LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Angell, Robert Lee, Friedlander, Robert R, Kraemer, James R
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Seck, Ababacar
• Application Number:
  US12/333,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 706/45
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/23 Clustering techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/762 using clustering, e.g. of similar faces in social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands

Abstract

The illustrative embodiments described herein provide a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for generating biometric cohorts. In one embodiment, biometric data is received which identifies a set of biometric patterns. The biometric data is received from a set of biometric sensors. The biometric data is processed to form digital biometric data that identifies attributes of the biometric data. In addition, the digital biometric data includes metadata describing the attributes of the biometric data. Thereafter, a set of biometric cohorts is generated using the digital biometric data. Each member of the set of biometric cohorts shares at least one biometric attribute in common.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for generating biometric cohorts, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving biometric data identifying a set of biometric patterns, wherein the biometric data is received from a set of biometric sensors;

processing the biometric data to form digital biometric data, wherein the digital biometric data identifies attributes of the biometric data, and wherein the digital biometric data comprises metadata describing the attributes of the biometric data; and

generating a set of biometric cohorts using the digital biometric data, wherein each member of the set of biometric cohorts shares at least one biometric attribute in common.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the set of biometric sensors comprises at least one of an image capture device, an audio capture device, an odor detection device, and a sampling device.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a monitored subject from the attributes of the biometric data.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein processing the biometric data further comprises:

identifying at least one of a behavioral attribute and a physical attribute of a monitored subject.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the biometric data is a first set of biometric data generated at a first time interval, and wherein the computer implemented method further comprises:

receiving a second set of biometric data taken at a second time interval; and

processing the first set of biometric data and the second set of biometric data to generate the digital biometric data, wherein the digital biometric data describes the attributes of a monitored subject.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the set of biometric cohorts by an inference engine; and

processing the set of biometric cohorts by the inference engine for generating a set of inferences.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the set of biometric cohorts further comprises:

analyzing the digital biometric data using at least one of cohort criteria and a set of cohort generation data models, by a cohort generation engine, to identify the set of biometric cohorts.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the set of biometric cohorts further comprises:

responsive to receiving the biometric data in an analog format, converting the biometric data from the analog format into a digital format.

9. A computer program product for generating biometric cohorts, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer recordable-type medium;

first program instructions for receiving biometric data identifying a set of biometric patterns, wherein the biometric data is received from a set of biometric sensors;

second program instructions for processing the biometric data to form digital biometric data, wherein the digital biometric data identifies attributes of the biometric data, and wherein the digital biometric data comprises metadata describing the attributes of the biometric data;

third program instructions for generating a set of biometric cohorts using the digital biometric data, wherein member of the set of biometric cohorts shares at least one biometric attribute in common; and

wherein the first program instructions, the second program instructions, and the third program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer recordable-type medium.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the set of biometric sensors comprises at least one of an image capture device, an audio capture device, an odor detection device, and a sampling device.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

fourth program instructions for identifying at least one of a behavioral attribute and a physical attribute of a monitored subject, wherein the fourth program instructions are stored in the non-transitory computer recordable-type medium.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

fourth program instructions for identifying at least one of a behavioral attribute and a physical attribute of a monitored subject, wherein the fourth program instructions are stored in the non-transitory computer recordable-type medium.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the biometric data is a first set of biometric data generated at a first time interval, and wherein the computer program product further comprises:

fourth program instructions for receiving a second set of biometric data taken at a second time interval;

fifth program instructions for processing the first set of biometric data and the second set of biometric data to generate the digital biometric data, wherein the digital biometric data describes the attributes of a monitored subject; and

wherein the fourth program instructions and the fifth program instructions are stored in the non-transitory computer recordable-type medium.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

fourth program instructions for receiving the set of biometric cohorts by an inference engine;

fifth program for processing the set of biometric cohorts by the inference engine for generating a set of inferences; and

wherein the fourth program instructions and the fifth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer recordable-type medium.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the third program instructions for generating the set of biometric cohorts further comprises:

instructions for analyzing the digital biometric data using cohort criteria, by a cohort generation engine, to identify the set of biometric cohorts.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the third program instructions for generating the set of biometric cohorts further comprises:

instructions for analyzing the digital biometric data in a set of cohort generation data models, by a cohort generation engine, to identify the set of biometric cohorts.

17. An apparatus for generating biometric cohorts, the apparatus comprising:

a bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes computer usable program code; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to receive biometric data identifying a set of biometric patterns, wherein the biometric data is received from a set of biometric sensors;

process the biometric data to form digital biometric data, wherein the digital biometric data identifies attributes of the biometric data, and wherein the digital biometric data comprises metadata describing the attributes of the biometric data; and

generate a set of biometric cohorts using the digital biometric data, wherein member of the set of biometric cohorts shares at least one biometric attribute in common.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to analyze the digital biometric data using cohort criteria to identify the set of biometric cohorts.

19. A system for generating biometric cohorts, the system comprising:

a set of biometric sensors, wherein the set of biometric sensors captures biometric data, and wherein the biometric data comprises a set of biometric patterns;

a biometric pattern processing engine, wherein the biometric pattern processing engine forms digital biometric data from the biometric data; and

a cohort generation engine, wherein the cohort generation engine generates a set of biometric cohorts from the digital biometric data, wherein each biometric cohort in the set of biometric cohorts comprises members who share at least one biometric attribute in common.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

an inference engine, wherein the inference engine generates inferences from the set of biometric cohorts.