System and method for extending a biometric framework

• US 9,053,048 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Stufflebeam, Kenneth Wade, Hamlin, Daniel L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough, H S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wood, William C
• Application Number:
  US13/715,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20140173639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes providing a biometric framework in a native environment thereof. The biometric framework includes a biometric service, a biometric device interface (BDI), and a BDI driver. The biometric service includes a biometric unit relative to a biometric sensor. The biometric unit includes a sensor adapter, an engine adapter, and a storage adapter. The method further includes extending the biometric framework to store biometric templates in a secondary database maintained in a secondary location. The extending includes extending the storage adapter to support storage in the secondary location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

on an information handling system, providing a biometric framework in a native operating-system environment thereof, the biometric framework comprising a biometric service, a biometric device interface (BDI), and a BDI driver;

wherein the native operating-system environment is an operating-system environment in which the biometric framework is designed to operate;

wherein the biometric service comprises a biometric unit relative to a biometric sensor;

wherein the biometric unit comprises a sensor adapter, an engine adapter, and a storage adapter;

on the information handling system, extending the biometric framework to store biometric templates in a secondary database maintained in a secondary location, the extending comprising extending the storage adapter to support storage in the secondary location; and

on the information handling system, accessing the secondary database from outside the native operating-system environment of the biometric framework.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising, responsive to creation of a new biometric template:

storing the new biometric template in a biometric database on the information handling system; and

storing the new biometric template in the secondary database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the extending comprises:

adding a storage application programming interface (API);

extending the storage adapter to make calls to the storage API; and

adding a receiver interface to receive calls via the storage API.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising:

wherein the adding comprises adding the storage API to the BDI;

wherein the receiver interface comprises an extended BDI driver; and

wherein the secondary database comprises a sensor database on the biometric sensor.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

performing biometric authentication from outside the native operating-system environment via the accessed secondary database.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the accessing and the performing occur in a pre-boot environment.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising at least one of:

restoring a biometric database on the information handling system via the secondary database; and

migrating biometric templates stored on the secondary database to a new environment.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

wherein the biometric service comprises a plurality of biometric units; and

utilizing the extended storage adapter across the plurality of biometric units.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary database comprises a database record for each biometric template stored therein.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one database record of the secondary database comprises additional data not stored in a biometric database of the information handling system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the additional data comprises secret data for authentication purposes in a non-native environment.

12. An information handling system, comprising:

a processing unit, wherein the processing unit is operable to;

provide a biometric framework in a native operating-system environment thereof, the biometric framework comprising a biometric service, a biometric device interface (BDI), and a BDI driver;

wherein the native operating-system environment is an operating-system environment in which the biometric framework is designed to operate;

wherein the biometric service comprises a biometric unit relative to a biometric sensor;

wherein the biometric unit comprises a sensor adapter, an engine adapter, and a storage adapter;

extend the biometric framework to store biometric templates in a secondary database maintained in a secondary location, the extension comprising extension of the storage adapter to support storage in the secondary location; and

access the secondary database from outside the native operating-system environment of the biometric framework.

13. The information handling system of claim 12, wherein the processing unit is operable to, responsive to creation of a new biometric template:

store the new biometric template in the secondary database; and

store the new biometric template in a biometric database on the information handling system.

14. The information handling system of claim 12, wherein the extension comprises:

addition of a storage application programming interface (API);

extension of the storage adapter to make calls to the storage API; and

addition of a receiver interface to receive calls via the storage API.

15. The information handling system of claim 14, comprising:

wherein the addition comprises addition of the storage API to the BDI;

wherein the receiver interface comprises an extended BDI driver; and

wherein the secondary database comprises a sensor database on the biometric sensor.

16. The information handling system of claim 12, wherein the processing unit is operable to:

perform biometric authentication from outside the native operating-system environment via the accessed secondary database.

17. The information handling system of claim 12, wherein:

the biometric service comprises a plurality of biometric units; and

the processing unit is operable to utilize the extended storage adapter across the plurality of biometric units.

18. The information handling system of claim 12, wherein the secondary database comprises a database record for each biometric template stored therein.

19. The information handling system of claim 18, wherein:

at least one database record of the secondary database comprises additional data not stored in a biometric database of the information handling system; and

the additional data comprises secret data for authentication purposes in a non-native environment.

20. A computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method comprising:

providing a biometric framework in a native operating-system environment thereof, the biometric framework comprising a biometric service, a biometric device interface (BDI), and a BDI driver;

wherein the native operating-system environment is an operating-system environment in which the biometric framework is designed to operate;

wherein the biometric service comprises a biometric unit relative to a biometric sensor;

wherein the biometric unit comprises a sensor adapter, an engine adapter, and a storage adapter;

extending the biometric framework to store biometric templates in a secondary database maintained in a secondary location, the extending comprising extending the storage adapter to support storage in the secondary location; and

accessing the secondary database from outside the native operating-system environment of the biometric framework.