Biometric key

• US 8,307,207 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2011
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MU Hua Investments Limited
• Original Assignee: MU Hua Investments Limited
• Inventors: Bacchiaz, John David, Pajnič, Andrej, Žepič, Tomaž, Podlipec, Boštjan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pich, Ponnoreay
• Application Number:
  US13/167,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20120079273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 726/9, 726/20, 713/186
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns
• 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: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A biometric key (10) which has an interface or electrical connection to a receptor body (11) which functions as an external power source a biometric sensor, a CPU, a nonvolatile memory unit incorporating a database of authorized biometric signatures or biocodes along with associated firmware required for comparison between data received from the biometric sensor and to provide acceptance or rejection of said data upon electrical connection to the receptor body (11) whereby a signal is sent to a facility (12, 13, 15, 16, 17) accessible by the key (10) advising of said acceptance or rejection.

Claims

1. A method for providing access to a facility including the following steps:

(i) making electrical connection between a biometric key and a receptor body thereby making communication with a server wherein the biometric key has a public key and a private key and the server also has a public key and a private key wherein the server will identify the biometric key upon making such electrical connection whereby said receptor body provides electrical power to the biometric key and which simultaneously activates a biometric sensor located in the biometric key;

(ii) establishing a secure communication path between the biometric key and the server, wherein (a) all messages between the server and the biometric key will be encrypted with the biometric key'"'"'s public key and sent to the biometric key for decryption by the private key of the biometric key and (b) all messages between the biometric key and the server will be encrypted with the server'"'"'s public key and sent to the server for decryption by the server'"'"'s private key, wherein (a) and (b) are based on generation of a randomly based symmetric key and each message is unique; and

(iii) establishing using the secure communication path and procedure in step (ii) that the biometric key is authorized to use the receptor body by comparison between a biocode of a user of the biometric key with a database located in the biometric key and if a match is obtained to generate an authorized biometric signature whereby a communication from the biometric key using the secure communication path and procedure in step (ii) will be sent to the server wherein access to the facility will be provided whereby during steps (i), (ii) and (iii) said authorized biometric signature is not transferred to any external computer or processor,

wherein during step (i) identification of the biometric key is obtained by forwarding a unique identification number (“

ID”

) or a unique serial number of the biometric key to the server using the secure communication path and procedure of step (ii) whereby encryption of the ID number or serial number occurs with the public key of the server and decryption of the ID number or serial number occurs with the private key of the biometric key wherein said ID number or serial number is checked using an ID number or serial number database associated with the server.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in relation to step (ii) there are different authorizations assigned at different levels so that a user can only use a receptor body authorized at an appropriate level.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said different levels of authorizations involve the use of receptor bodies including a door unit, a desktop unit or biometric key authorization unit.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein after location of the identification number, the public key of the biometric key is generated and subsequently said public key of the biometric key is encrypted with the symmetric key.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein after location of the serial number of the biometric key, the public key of the biometric key is generated and subsequently said public key of the biometric key is encrypted with the symmetric key.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a biometric sensor is used in enrolment of a user'"'"'s fingerprint in the database of the biometric key wherein said user'"'"'s fingerprint is scanned by the biometric sensor and stored as a biocode in a non-volatile memory of the biometric key.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein during manufacture of the biometric key a serial number is assigned to the receptor body as well as the biometric key and also the public key and private key for the biometric key is also generated as well as a public key and private key for the receptor body.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a serial number and public key and private key of a plurality of receptor bodies is generated.

9. A communication method including the following steps:

(i) making electrical connection between a biometric key and a receptor body thereby making communication with a server wherein the biometric key has a public key and a private key and the server also has a public key and a private key wherein the server will identify the biometric key upon making such electrical connection;

(ii) establishing a secure communication path between the biometric key and the server wherein (a) all messages between the server and the biometric key will be encrypted with the biometric key'"'"'s public key and sent to the biometric key for decryption by the private key of the biometric key and (b) all messages between the biometric key and the server will be encrypted with the server'"'"'s public key and sent to the server for decryption by the server'"'"'s private key wherein (a) and (b) are based on generation of a randomly based symmetric key and each message is unique;

(iii) establishing using the secure communication path and procedure in step (ii) that the biometric key is authorized to use the receptor body and if such authorization is present a biocode of a user of the biometric key will subsequently be compared to a database located in the biometric key and if a match is obtained a communication from the biometric key using the secure communication path and procedure in step (ii) will be sent to the server or receptor body wherein access to a facility accessible by the server or receptor body will be provided,

wherein step (iii) takes place by the server checking the authority of the biometric key or facility and if there is no authority the server will encrypt a resulting NO message with the symmetrical key and send a resultant communication to the biometric key for decryption by the symmetrical key for ultimate recordal in the biometric key as to time and serial number of the receptor body.

10. A communication method between a biometric key and a server which includes the following steps:

(i) making electrical connection between a biometric key as described above having a biometric sensor and a receptor body thereby making communication with a server wherein the biometric key has a public key and a private key and the server also has a public key and a private key wherein the server will identify the biometric key upon making such electrical connection;

(ii) establishing a secure communication path for communication between the biometric key and the server wherein said (a) all messages between the server and the biometric key will be encrypted with the biometric key'"'"'s public key and sent to the biometric key for decryption by the private key of the biometric key and said (b) all messages between the biometric key and the server will be encrypted with the server'"'"'s public key and sent to the server for decryption by the server'"'"'s private key, wherein a biometric sensor is used for enrolment of a user'"'"'s fingerprint in an authorized template or database of the biometric key wherein said user'"'"'s fingerprint is scanned by the biometric sensor and stored as a biocode in a non-volatile memory of the biometric key and thereafter a secure pair of the public key and private key of the biometric key is generated wherein the public key of the server is stored in the non-volatile memory of the biometric key and subsequently a serial number of the biometric key and the public key of the biometric key is encrypted which is then sent to the server for decryption wherein subsequently the serial number and corresponding public key of the biometric key is stored;

(iii) establishing using the secure communication path and procedure in step (ii) that the biometric key is authorized to access a facility or to use the receptor body and if such authorization is present a biocode such as a fingerprint of a user of the biometric key will subsequently be compared to a database located in the biometric key and if a match is obtained a communication from the biometric key using the secure communication path and procedure in step (ii) will be sent to the server wherein access to a facility accessible by the server will be provided, and

wherein step (iii) takes place by the server checking the authority of the biometric key in regard to the receptor body or a facility and if such authority is present the server will encrypt a resulting YES message with a randomly based symmetric key and forward a resultant communication to the biometric key for decryption by the symmetric key for ultimate recordal by the biometric key as to time and a serial number of the receptor body.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein after receipt of the authority the biometric key after a period of time or waiting will verify the fingerprint or other biometric signature associated with the user and a resulting YES/NO communication encrypted with the symmetrical key will be sent to the server for decryption by the symmetrical key and a time and serial number of the facility or receptor body will also be recorded in the biometrical key and the server and subsequently the facility will be accessed by the user of the biometric key.

12. A communication method including the following steps:

(i) making electrical connection between a biometric key and a receptor body thereby making communication with a server wherein the biometric key has a public key and a private key and the server also has a public key and a private key wherein the server will identify the biometric key upon making such electrical connection;

(ii) establishing a secure communication path between the biometric key and the server wherein said (a) all messages between the server and the biometric key will be encrypted with the biometric key'"'"'s public key and sent to the biometric key for decryption by the private key of the biometric key and said (b) all messages between the biometric key and the server will be encrypted with the server'"'"'s public key and sent to the server for decryption by the servers'"'"' private key

wherein a biometric sensor is used for enrolment of a user'"'"'s fingerprint in an authorized template or database of the biometric key wherein said user'"'"'s fingerprint is scanned by the biometric sensor and stored as a biocode in a non-volatile memory of the biometric key and thereafter a secure pair of the public key and private key of the biometric key is generated wherein the public key of the server is stored in the nonvolatile memory of the biometric key and subsequently a serial number of the biometric key and the public key of the biometric key is encrypted which is then sent to the server for decryption wherein subsequently the serial number and corresponding public key of the biometric key is stored;

(iii) establishing using the secure communication path and procedure in step (ii) that the biometric key is authorized to use the receptor body and if such authorization is present a biocode of a user of the biometric key will subsequently be compared to a database located in the biometric key and if a match is obtained a communication from the biometric key using the secure communication path and procedure in step (ii) will be sent to the server or receptor body wherein access to a facility accessible by the server or receptor body will be provided,

wherein a biometric sensor is used for enrolment of a user'"'"'s fingerprint in an authorized template or database of the biometric key

wherein said user'"'"'s fingerprint is scanned by the biometric sensor and stored as a biocode in a non-volatile memory of the biometric key and thereafter a secure pair of the public key and private key of the biometric key is generated

wherein the public key of the server is stored in the non-volatile memory of the biometric key and subsequently a serial number of the biometric key and the public key of the biometric key is encrypted which is then sent to the server for decryption wherein subsequently the serial number and corresponding public key of the biometric key is stored.