Biometric sensor for human presence detection and associated methods

• US 8,656,486 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2010
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: AuthenTec Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Hicks, Glenn, Albury, Richard, Neil, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khoshnoodi, Nadia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jamshidi, Ghodrat
• Application Number:
  US12/704,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20110202994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 726/19
• US Class Current: 726/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device may include a communications interface, a user prompting device, a biometric sensor, and a controller. The controller may perform biometric spoof detection with the biometric sensor, and receive a request for human presence verification from a remote device via the communications interface. The controller may also prompt the user for a verification action using the sensor based upon receiving the request, and determine that the user has completed the verification action in response to the prompting and based upon the biometric spoof detection. The controller may further send a response to the remote device via the communications interface and based upon determining that the user has completed the verification action. The controller may send a notification to the remote device that there is a biometric sensor.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a communications interface;

a user prompting device;

a biometric sensor; and

a controller cooperating with said communications interface, said user prompting device, and said biometric sensor, said controller configured for

performing biometric spoof detection with said biometric sensor,

receiving a request for human presence verification from a remote device via said communications interface,

sending a notification to the remote device via said communications interface that said biometric sensor is coupled to said controller,

prompting, subsequent to sending the notification, the user, via said user prompting device, with a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) request for a verification action using said biometric sensor based upon receiving the request for human presence verification,

determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric sensor in response to the prompting and based upon the biometric spoof detection, and

sending a response to the remote device via said communications interface and based upon determining that the user has completed the verification action for bypassing the CAPTCHA request with said biometric sensor.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said biometric sensor comprises a biometric finger sensor.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2 wherein said controller performs biometric spoof detection based upon impedance sensing.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2 wherein the verification action comprises removing a finger from said biometric finger sensor and repositioning the finger adjacent said biometric finger sensor.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said controller performs the biometric spoof detection prior to the determining.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said controller is for determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric sensor within a predetermined time of the prompting.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said communications interface is configured to communicate over the Internet.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said user prompting device comprises at least one of a display and an audible indicator.

9. A human presence verification system for an electronic device comprising a communications interface, and a user prompting device, the system comprising:

a biometric sensor; and

a controller cooperating with the communications interface, the user prompting device, and said biometric sensor, said controller configured for

performing biometric spoof detection with said biometric sensor,

receiving a request for human presence verification from a remote device via the communications interface,

sending a notification to the remote device via the communications interface that said biometric sensor is coupled to said controller,

prompting, subsequent to sending the notification, the user, via the user prompting device, with a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) request for a verification action using said biometric sensor based upon receiving the request for human presence verification,

determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric sensor in response to the prompting and based upon the biometric spoof detection, and

sending a response to the remote device via the communications interface and based upon the determining for bypassing the CAPTCHA request with said biometric sensor.

10. The human presence verification system according to claim 9 wherein said biometric sensor comprises a biometric finger sensor.

11. The human presence verification system according to claim 10 wherein said controller performs biometric spoof detection based upon impedance sensing.

12. An electronic device comprising:

a biometric finger sensor; and

a controller cooperating with said biometric finger sensor, and configured for

performing biometric spoof detection with said finger biometric sensor,

sending a notification to a remote device that said biometric finger sensor is coupled to said controller,

receiving a request for human presence verification from the remote device,

prompting, subsequent to sending the notification, a user with a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) request for a verification action using said biometric finger sensor based upon receiving the request for human presence verification,

determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric finger sensor in response to the prompting, and

sending a response to the remote device based upon determining that the user has completed the verification action for bypassing the CAPTCHA request with said biometric finger sensor.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12 wherein the verification action comprises removing a finger from said biometric finger sensor and repositioning the finger adjacent said biometric finger sensor.

14. The electronic device according to claim 12 wherein said controller is for determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric finger sensor within a predetermined time of the prompting.

15. A human presence verification system for an electronic device comprising:

a biometric finger sensor; and

a controller cooperating with said biometric sensor, and configured for

performing biometric spoof detection with said biometric finger sensor,

sending a notification to a remote device that said finger biometric sensor is coupled to said controller,

receiving a request for human presence verification from a remote device,

prompting, subsequent to sending the notification, a user with a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) request for a verification action using said biometric finger sensor based upon receiving the request for human presence verification,

determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric sensor in response to the prompting, and

sending a response to the remote device and based upon the determining for bypassing the CAPTCHA request with said finger biometric sensor.

16. The human presence verification system according to claim 15 wherein the verification action comprises removing a finger from said biometric finger sensor and repositioning the finger adjacent said biometric finger sensor.

17. The human presence verification system according to claim 15 wherein said controller is for determining that the user has completed the verification action using said biometric finger sensor within a predetermined time of the prompting.

18. A method of verifying a human presence using an electronic device comprising a communications interface, a user prompting device, a biometric sensor, and a controller cooperating with the communications interface, the user prompting device, and the biometric sensor, the method comprising:

performing biometric spoof detection with the biometric sensor;

receiving a request for human presence verification from a remote device via the communications interface;

sending a notification to the remote device via the communications interface that the biometric sensor is coupled to the controller;

prompting, subsequent to sending the notification, the user, via the user prompting device, with a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) request for a verification action using the biometric sensor based upon receiving the request for human presence verification;

determining that the user has completed the verification action using the biometric sensor in response to the prompting and based upon the biometric spoof detection; and

sending a response to the remote device via the communications interface and based upon determining that the user has completed the verification action for bypassing the CAPTCHA request with said biometric sensor.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein biometric sensor comprises a biometric finger sensor.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein performing biometric spoof detection comprises performing biometric spoof detection based upon impedance sensing.

21. A method of verifying a human presence using an electronic device comprising a biometric finger sensor and a controller cooperating with the biometric finger sensor, the method comprising:

performing biometric spoof detection with the biometric finger sensor;

sending a notification to a remote device that the biometric finger sensor is coupled to the controller;

receiving a request for human presence verification from the remote device;

prompting, subsequent to sending the notification, the user with a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) request for a verification action using the biometric finger sensor based upon receiving the request for human presence verification;

determining that the user has completed the verification action using the biometric finger sensor in response to the prompting; and

sending a response to the remote device via the communications interface and based upon determining that the user has completed the verification action for bypassing the CAPTCHA request with said biometric sensor.

22. The method according to claim 21 wherein the verification action comprises removing a finger from the biometric finger sensor and repositioning the finger adjacent the biometric finger sensor.

23. The method according to claim 21 further comprising determining that the user has completed the verification action using the biometric finger sensor within a predetermined time of the prompting.