Biometric visitor check system

• US 8,742,887 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Whillock, Rand, Cohen, Isaac, Blitz, Daniel, Jacobson, Vince
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dorsey, Renee
• Application Number:
  US12/875,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20120056714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/5.2
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence

Abstract

A system for biometric exclusion of certain individuals from entering a facility. A biometric exclusion system may use biometric acquisition and matching and a database to screen a large population of subjects by looking for individuals enrolled in a database. A screening approach may be used to match biometrics having sufficient quality of any individuals attempting to enter the facility, relative to biometrics of individuals stored in the database. A biometric, such as that of a face or an iris, of an individual may be obtained with the individual'"'"'s knowledge or cooperation. The database may have biographical information pertinent to an individual having a biometric in the database. There may be an associated system which may be used to enroll individuals by entering their biometrics in the database.

Claims

1. A method for checking visitors comprising:

detecting a subject attempting to enter a facility;

acquiring a biometric signal from the subject;

extracting a biometric of the subject from the biometric signal; and

performing a quality measure on the biometric to determine whether the quality of the biometric is sufficient for matching to another like biometric; and

wherein;

if the quality measure of the biometric is acceptable, then a biometric, which matches the biometric of the subject, is looked for in a biometric database to determine whether the subject can be admitted to the facility;

if a biometric is found in the database, which matches the biometric of the subject, then the subject is denied entry to the facility; and

if the biometric, which matches the biometric of the subject, is not found in the database, then the biometric of the subject is enrolled in the database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the facility is a casino.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising reviewing whether there is biographical information associated with the biometric, which matches the biometric of the subject, sufficient to support permitting entry by the subject into the facility.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising enrolling the biometric of the subject in the database if there is a biometric in the database that matches the biometric of the subject and enrolling duplicate biometrics in the database is allowed.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising deciding whether to enroll the biometric of the subject in the database based on biographical information associated with a biometric in the database that matches the biometric of the subject.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising alerting an authority if additional action should be taken relative to the subject based on the biographical information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the biometric is a face or iris, or a combination of the face and the iris.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a subject attempting to enter a facility and acquiring a biometric signal from the subject occurs without knowledge of the subject.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a subject attempting to enter a facility and acquiring a biometric signal from the subject is occurs without cooperation of the subject.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein to determine whether the subject can be admitted to the facility comprises:

allowing access of the subject to the facility if there is no biometric, which matches the biometric of the subject, in the database; and

denying access if there is a biometric, which matches the biometric of the subject, in the database that indicates a subject having such biometric should be denied access to the facility or allowed access if the matching biometric has associated biographical information indicating that the subject having such biometric can be admitted to the facility.

11. A system for screening persons wanting to enter a facility comprising:

a biometric acquisition mechanism for acquiring from a person a signal representing a biometric feature of a person;

a processor for processing the signal into a biometric of the person;

a search mechanism for searching a database for a biometric match for the biometric of the person; and

an access control for a facility for denying or permitting entry of the person based on whether the search mechanism finds a biometric match for the biometric of the person, the access control comprising a decision maker for determining whether the subject should be denied access to a facility if there is any found biometric match for the biometric of the subject and a warning mechanism that alerts a person responsible for the facility if the subject should be denied access to the facility; and

wherein;

a search mechanism for searching a database for a biometric match comprises;

a lookup device for finding biometrics in the database resembling the biometric of the subject; and

a matcher for determining whether any of the found biometrics is a biometric match for the biometric of the subject;

the system further comprises an enroller for enrolling the biometric of the subject if the matcher indicates that there is no found biometric match for the biometric of the subject; and

wherein the enroller can enroll the biometric of the subject if the matcher indicates that there is at least one found biometric match for the biometric of the subject, provided that enrollment of duplicates is permitted.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor comprises:

an extractor for extracting the biometric feature from the signal;

a quality mechanism for measuring quality of the biometric feature;

an indicator for determining whether the quality of the biometric feature is sufficient for use in searching a database for a biometric match.