Method and system for biometric authentication

• US 8,977,861 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corporation DAON Technology
• Original Assignee: Daon Holdings Limited
• Inventors: White, Conor Robert, Peirce, Michael, Gupta, Gaurav
• Primary Examiner(s): CERVETTI, DAVID GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US13/233,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20120042171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 713/186, 726/7
• US Class Current: 713/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/768 using context analysis, e.g. recognition aided by known co-occurring patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1353 Extracting features related to minutiae or pores
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1371 Matching features related to minutiae or pores
• 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

A method of authentication is provided that includes capturing biometric data for a desired biometric type from an individual, determining an algorithm for converting the biometric data into authentication words, converting the captured biometric data into authentication words in accordance with the determined algorithm, including the authentication words in a probe, and comparing the probe against identity records stored in a server system. Each of the identity records includes enrollment biometric words of an individual obtained during enrollment. Moreover, the method includes identifying at least one of the identity records as a potential matching identity record when at least one of the authentication words included in the probe matches at least one of the enrollment biometric words included in the at least one identity record, and generating a list of potential matching identity records.

Claims

1. A method of text-based biometric authentication comprising:

capturing biometric data for a desired biometric type from an individual using a client system;

communicating the captured biometric data to a server system, the server system having identity records stored therein, each identity record including enrollment biometric words that represent a plurality of different biometric types;

determining an algorithm for converting the biometric data into authentication words;

converting the captured biometric data into authentication words using the algorithm;

combining the authentication words into a sentence;

comparing the sentence against each enrollment biometric word in each identity record;

identifying at least one of the identity records as a potential matching identity record when at least part of the sentence matches at least one of the enrollment biometric words included in the at least one identity record; and

generating a list of potential matching identity records.

2. A method of text-based biometric authentication in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

verifying the identity of the individual by conducting a 1;

1 verification matching transaction between a captured biometric feature template generated from the captured biometric data and a corresponding biometric feature template included in each of the potential matching identity records; and

communicating a positive result when the captured biometric feature template matches the corresponding biometric feature template of at least one of the potential matching identity records.

3. A method of text-based biometric authentication in accordance with claim 1, further comprising ranking the potential matching identity records in the list of potential matching identity records in accordance with authentication policies stored in the server system.

4. A method of text-based biometric authentication in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

mapping the authentication words and the enrollment biometric words generated from the desired biometric type to a first vocabulary; and

mapping the enrollment biometric words generated from biometric types different than the desired biometric type to a fused vocabulary, the fused vocabulary being different than the first vocabulary.

5. A method of text-based biometric authentication in accordance with claim 1, further comprising adding additional authentication words to the identity record after enrolling the individual in the server system, the additional authentication words being combinable with the sentence.

6. A method of text-based biometric authentication in accordance with claim 1, said converting operation comprising:

processing the captured biometric data into at least one biometric feature template such that the at least one biometric feature template includes a plurality of features; and

converting each of the features into an authentication word.

7. A method of text-based biometric authentication in accordance with claim 1, further comprising enrolling a plurality of individuals in the server system, said enrolling operation comprising:

collecting biographic data and capturing biometric data from a plurality of individuals, the captured biometric data corresponding to different biometric types;

converting the biometric data of each of the individuals into enrollment biometric words; and

storing the collected biographic data and the enrollment biometric words of each individual in a corresponding one of the identity records in the server system.

8. A method of text-based biometric authentication in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

combining biographic words associated with the individual with the sentence; and

comparing the combination against each enrollment word and each biographic word in each identity record to provide unified identity searching.

9. A system for text-based biometric authentication comprising:

a computer configured as a server, said server including at least a data base, said server being configured to store within said database at least one conversion algorithm and at least a gallery of data comprising identity records, each identity record including at least biographic data of an individual and enrollment biometric words of the individual, the enrollment biometric words being generated from a desired biometric type and from biometric types different than the desired biometric type; and

at least one client system comprising at least a computer configured to communicate with said server, said client system being configured to at least capture biometric data for the desired biometric type from an individual,

said server being further configured to

convert the captured biometric data into authentication words by executing at least one conversion algorithm,

combine the authentication words into a sentence,

compare the sentence against each enrollment biometric word in each identity record,

identify at least one of the identity records as a potential matching identity record when at least a part of the sentence matches at least one of the enrollment biometric words included in the at least one identity record, and

generate a list of potential matching identity records.

10. A system for text-based biometric authentication in accordance with claim 9, said server being further configured to:

map the authentication words and the enrollment biometric words generated from the desired biometric type to a first vocabulary; and

map the enrollment biometric words generated from the biometric types different than the desired biometric type to a fused vocabulary, the fused vocabulary including a plurality of vocabularies.

11. A system for text-based biometric authentication in accordance with claim 9, said server being further configured to add additional authentication words to the identity record after enrolling the individual in the server system, the additional authentication words mapping to at least one vocabulary.

12. A system for biometric authentication in accordance with claim 9, said server being further configured to verify the identity of the individual by conducting a 1:

1 verification matching transaction between a captured biometric feature template generated from the captured biometric data and a corresponding biometric feature template included in each of the potential matching identity records.

13. A system for biometric authentication in accordance with claim 12, said at least one client system being further configured to display an output communicating a positive result when the captured biometric feature template matches the corresponding biometric feature template of at least one of the potential matching identity records.

14. A system for biometric authentication in accordance with claim 9, said server being further configured to:

process the captured biometric data into a biometric feature template; and

convert data included in the biometric feature template into at least an authentication word.

15. A system for biometric authentication in accordance with claim 9, each authentication word being comprised of an alphanumeric text string that textually describes a biometric feature of the captured biometric data.

16. A system for biometric authentication in accordance with claim 9, wherein said server is further configured to:

convert biometric data of each of the individuals obtained during enrollment into enrollment biometric words with the at least one conversion algorithm; and

store the collected biographic data and the enrollment biometric words of each individual in a corresponding identity record in said data base.

17. A computer program recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium included in an authentication computer system for enabling authentication of individuals, the computer program being comprised of instructions, which when read and executed by the authentication computer system, cause the authentication computer system to perform at least the following operations:

determine a plurality of algorithms, each of the algorithms being operable to convert biometric data of a corresponding biometric type captured from a user into a vocabulary of words;

convert the captured biometric data for each biometric type into authentication words in accordance with the corresponding one of the algorithms;

combine the authentication words into a sentence;

compare the sentence against identity records, wherein each of the identity records includes enrollment biometric words of a corresponding individual and the enrollment biometric words and the authentication words represent a plurality of different biometric types;

identify at least one of the identity records as a potential matching identity record when at least part of the sentence matches at least one of the enrollment biometric words included in the at least one identity record; and

generating a list of potential matching identity records.

18. A computer program recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium in accordance with claim 17, further comprising instructions, which when read and executed by the authentication computer system, cause the authentication computer system to:

verify the identity of the individual by conducting a 1;

1 verification matching transaction between a captured biometric feature template generated from biometric data captured from the individual and a corresponding biometric feature template included in each of the potential matching identity records; and

communicate a positive result when the captured biometric feature template matches the corresponding biometric feature template of at least one of the potential matching identity records.