Biometric access control transactions

• US 8,694,793 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Evans, James Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Reza, Mohammad W
• Application Number:
  US12/001,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,310 Days
• Field of Search: 726/20, 726/9, 713/182, 713/186, 725/5, 382/115, 382/116, 382/121, 382/124
• US Class Current: 713/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

Aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure provide devices and methods for biometric authentication of a user during access control transactions. In one aspect, an access control processor device, comprising a biometric input sensor configured to receive user biometric information; a biometric verification processor configured to authenticate the input user biometric information; and a communication element configured to activate when the biometric information entered into the biometric verification system is authenticated and maintain an inactive status for the communication element on the payment processor device when the biometric information entered into the biometric verification system is not authenticated.

Claims

1. An access control processor card, comprising:

a fingerprint sensor configured to receive input biometric information from a finger of a user;

a processor, coupled to the fingerprint sensor, configured to authenticate user identity by interrogating the input biometric information against a pre-stored user biometric profile stored within the card and by verifying a password or a token, the input biometric information including both a pressure profile and an optical image for the user;

a communication element coupled to the processor and configured to activate upon the authentication of the input biometric information;

permanently deactivate one or more functions of the access control processor card after determining that the input biometric information and the pre-stored biometric information do not match after a predetermined number of attempted entries; and

reactivate the one or more permanently deactivated functions of the access control processor card when a master lock combination is input into the card.

2. The access control processor card of claim 1 wherein the communication element is a magnetic stripe.

3. The access control processor card of claim 1 wherein the communication element is a contactless radio frequency (R.F.) unit.

4. The access control processor card of claim 1, further comprising a power source, wherein the power source is electrically coupled to the processor, the fingerprint sensor, and the communication element.

5. The access control processor card of claim 4, wherein the power source is charged when the biometric sensor is compressed by the user.

6. The access control processor of claim 1 wherein the fingerprint sensor includes a one or more thin-film transistors (TFT) disposed on a thin-film substrate.

7. A method of authenticating a user for an access control transaction, comprising:

receiving user biometric information into a biometric verification system in an access control processing device, the user biometric information including both a pressure profile and an optical image for the user;

authenticating the user biometric information entered into the biometric verification system in combination with a password or a token;

activating a communication element in the access control processing device when the input biometric information entered into the biometric verification system is authenticated;

maintaining an inactive status for the communication element in the access control processing device when the biometric information entered into the biometric verification system is not authenticated;

permanently deactivating one or more functions of the card after the user biometric information entered into the biometric verification system and a pre-stored biometric information do not match after a predetermined number of attempted entries; and

reactivating the one or more permanently deactivated functions of the card when a master lock combination is input into the card.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the communication element is an active magnetic stripe.

9. The method according to claim 7 further comprising:

authenticating user identity by interrogating input biometric information profile against pre-stored user biometric information profile.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the biometric verification system comprises a biometric fingerprint pressure sensor.

11. The method according to claim 7 wherein the fingerprint is a thumbprint.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the sensor is configured to recognize the directionality and the orientation of the fingerprint information.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the user biometric information includes receiving the user biometric information via a piezoelectric sensor on the access control processing device.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the predetermined number of incorrect biometric entries is three.

15. The method of claim 7 wherein during authentication:

monitoring an applied pressure while receiving the pressure profile; and

determining if a threshold finger pressure is maintained throughout a scanning process.

16. An access control processor device, comprising:

a biometric input sensor configured to receive user biometric information;

a biometric verification processor configured to authenticate the input user biometric information in combination with a password or a token, the user biometric information including both a pressure profile and an optical image for the user;

a communication element configured to activate when the biometric information entered into the biometric verification system is authenticated and maintain an inactive status for the communication element on the payment processor device when the biometric information entered into the biometric verification system is not authenticated;

permanently deactivate one or more functions of the access control processor device after the biometric information entered into the biometric verification system and a pre-stored biometric information do not match after a predetermined number of attempted entries; and

reactivate the one or more permanently deactivated functions of the access control processor device when a master lock combination is input into the card.

17. The access control processor device according to claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to authenticate user identity by interrogating input biometric information profile with pre-stored user biometric information profile.

18. The access control processor device according to claim 16, wherein the communication element is an active magnetic stripe.

19. The access control processor device according to claim 16, wherein the communication element is a contactless radio frequency (R.F.) unit.

20. The access control processor device according to claim 16, wherein the biometric verification system comprises a biometric fingerprint sensor.

21. The access control processor device according to claim 20, wherein the biometric fingerprint sensor is a fingerprint pressure sensor.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium, encoded with data and instructions, such that when executed by an access control processing device, the instruction causes the device to:

receive user biometric information into a biometric verification system, the user biometric information including both a pressure profile and an optical image for a user;

generate input user biometric information profile;

authenticate input user biometric information entered in the biometric verification system with pre-stored authorized user biometric profile in combination with a password or a token;

activate a communication element on the access control processing device when the biometric information entered into the biometric verification system is authenticated;

maintain an inactive status for the communication element on the access control processing device when the biometric information entered into the biometric verification system is not authenticated;

permanently deactivate one or more functions of the access control processing device after the user biometric information entered into the biometric verification system and a pre-stored biometric information do not match after a predetermined number of attempted entries; and

reactivate the one or more permanently deactivated functions of the access control processing device when a master lock combination is input into the card.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22 wherein the access control processing device includes:

a communication element configured to activate;

a non-volatile programmable memory configured to store an authorized user biometric information profile; and

a biometric verification system configured to authenticate input biometric information of the user.