System, method and program product for associating a biometric reference template with a radio frequency identification tag

• US 8,289,135 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Griffin, Phillip H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEE, ANDREW W.
• Application Number:
  US12/370,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20100201498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.81, 340/5.82, 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/10.1, 713/185, 713/186, 235/384
• US Class Current: 340/5.82
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints

Abstract

A system, method and program product for associating a biometric reference template with a RFID tag embedded in or attached to a physical object. The method includes coupling a RFID tag having a unique tag identifier to a physical object to be associated with an individual, providing a reference template having a unique reference template identifier that uniquely identifies biometric data pertaining to the individual and forming an association between the reference template and the tag, where the association provides a relationship, including a relationship type, between the object and the individual. In an embodiment, the forming step includes creating a biometric attribute in the tag for identifying the template identifier for the reference template or creating a tag attribute in the reference template, where the biometric attribute created in the tag and the tag attribute in the biometric application form an association between the object and the reference template.

Claims

1. A method for associating a biometric reference template with an identification tag for a physical object, said method comprising:

verifying, by a processor of a computer system, that a first unique biometric reference template identifier matches a second unique biometric reference template identifier;

wherein the identification tag is embedded in or attached to the physical object, said identification tag comprising the first unique biometric reference template identifier and a unique tag identifier for identifying the physical object, said first unique biometric reference template identifier uniquely identifying biometric data pertaining to a person, said biometric data being of a type that pertains to a local portion of the person'"'"'s body;

wherein the biometric reference template comprises the second unique biometric reference template identifier and the biometric data, said second unique biometric reference template identifier uniquely identifying the biometric data;

wherein the identification tag is a Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tag;

wherein the identification tag further comprises an attribute that includes a privacy policy identifier which identifies a privacy policy that sets forth a proper use and handling of information transmitted by the RFID tag; and

wherein the method further comprises;

prior to said verifying that the first unique biometric reference template identifier matches the second unique biometric reference template identifier and in response to a request by the person to access the physical object, said processor determining that the attribute is signed with a digital signature and verifying that the digital signature matches a signature stored in a database of the computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the biometric reference template further comprises the unique tag identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the biometric reference template further comprises a biometric type indicator that indicates the type of the biometric data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the biometric reference template further comprises an association type component which specifies a type of association between the unique tag identifier and the biometric reference template.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification tag further comprises an association type component which specifies a type of association between the first biometric reference template identifier and the physical object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

prior to said verifying and in response to a request by the person to access the physical object, said processor determining that a biometric sample provided by the person in conjunction with the request to access the physical object matches the biometric data comprised by the biometric reference template; and

in response to said verifying, said processor granting the person access to the physical object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical object is a vehicle, and wherein the person is an owner of the vehicle.

8. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable physically tangible storage device having a computer readable program code stored therein, said program code configured to be executed by a processor of a computer system to implement a method for associating a biometric reference template with an identification tag for a physical object, said method comprising:

said processor verifying that a first unique biometric reference template identifier matches a second unique biometric reference template identifier;

wherein the identification tag is embedded in or attached to the physical object, said identification tag comprising the first unique biometric reference template identifier and a unique tag identifier for identifying the physical object, said first unique biometric reference template identifier uniquely identifying biometric data pertaining to a person, said biometric data being of a type that pertains to a local portion of the person'"'"'s body;

wherein the biometric reference template comprises the second unique biometric reference template identifier and the biometric data, said second unique biometric reference template identifier uniquely identifying the biometric data;

wherein the identification tag is a Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tag;

wherein the identification tag further comprises an attribute that includes a privacy policy identifier which identifies a privacy policy that sets forth a proper use and handling of information transmitted by the RFID tag; and

wherein the method further comprises;

prior to said verifying that the first unique biometric reference template identifier matches the second unique biometric reference template identifier and in response to a request by the person to access the physical object, said processor determining that the attribute is signed with a digital signature and verifying that the digital signature matches a signature stored in a database of the computer system.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the biometric reference template further comprises the unique tag identifier.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the biometric reference template further comprises a biometric type indicator that indicates the type of the biometric data.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the biometric reference template further comprises an association type component which specifies a type of association between the unique tag identifier and the biometric reference template.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the identification tag further comprises an association type component which specifies a type of association between the first biometric reference template identifier and the physical object.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

prior to said verifying and in response to a request by the person to access the physical object, said processor determining that a biometric sample provided by the person in conjunction with the request to access the physical object matches the biometric data comprised by the biometric reference template; and

in response to said verifying, said processor granting the person access to the physical object.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the physical object is a vehicle, and wherein the person is an owner of the vehicle.

15. A computer system comprising a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a computer readable storage device coupled to the processor, said storage device containing program code configured to be executed by the processor via the memory to implement a method for associating a biometric reference template with an identification tag for a physical object, said method comprising:

said processor verifying that a first unique biometric reference template identifier matches a second unique biometric reference template identifier;

wherein the identification tag is embedded in or attached to the physical object, said identification tag comprising the first unique biometric reference template identifier and a unique tag identifier for identifying the physical object, said first unique biometric reference template identifier uniquely identifying biometric data pertaining to a person, said biometric data being of a type that pertains to a local portion of the person'"'"'s body;

wherein the biometric reference template comprises the second unique biometric reference template identifier and the biometric data, said second unique biometric reference template identifier uniquely identifying the biometric data;

wherein the identification tag is a Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tag;

wherein the identification tag further comprises an attribute that includes a privacy policy identifier which identifies a privacy policy that sets forth a proper use and handling of information transmitted by the RFID tag; and

wherein the method further comprises;

prior to said verifying that the first unique biometric reference template identifier matches the second unique biometric reference template identifier and in response to a request by the person to access the physical object, said processor determining that the attribute is signed with a digital signature and verifying that the digital signature matches a signature stored in a database of the computer system.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the biometric reference template further comprises the unique tag identifier.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the biometric reference template further comprises a biometric type indicator that indicates the type of the biometric data.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the biometric reference template further comprises an association type component which specifies a type of association between the unique tag identifier and the biometric reference template.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the identification tag further comprises an association type component which specifies a type of association between the first biometric reference template identifier and the physical object.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

prior to said verifying and in response to a request by the person to access the physical object, said processor determining that a biometric sample provided by the person in conjunction with the request to access the physical object matches the biometric data comprised by the biometric reference template; and

in response to said verifying, said processor granting the person access to the physical object.

21. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the physical object is a vehicle, and wherein the person is an owner of the vehicle.