Controlled access to functionality of a wireless device

• US 9,134,804 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2010
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Ferren, Bran
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALLEN C
• Application Number:
  US13/376,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20120075452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,924 Days
• Field of Search: 348/78, 382/115, 358/3.26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/0065 having a beam-folding prism or mirror
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/009 having zoom function
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 3/00 Focusing arrangements of general interest for cameras, projectors or printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/40 by quorum, i.e. whereby two or more security principals are required
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1011 Aiming
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10811 Focalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 : Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 : Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 : Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 : Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/165 : using facial parts and geometric relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 : Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 : Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/45 : Detection of the body part being alive
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 : using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 : with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 : including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 : using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/243 : using three or more 2D image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 : for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 : by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/67 : Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 : Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 : for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

Various embodiments of the invention may be used to verify that a person being authorized by biometric techniques to use a device is a living person and not some form of recording intended to spoof the system. Some embodiments may try to cause a change in a measured biometric feature, and compare images taken before and after the change to verify the change occurred. In some embodiments, multiple stages of verification may be used, either to increase the difficulty of spoofing the security system, or to provide different levels of security for different levels of access to the device'"'"'s functionality.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an electronic device comprising a processor, a memory, and a camera, wherein the device is to;

obtain a first biometric measurement of a part of a person'"'"'s body;

initiate a physical change in the part;

obtain a second biometric measurement of the part subsequent to the change; and

verify that the second measurement is different than the first measurement,

wherein the first biometric measurement is kept unpredictable to avoid anticipating the first and second biometric measurements, and

wherein the physical change is kept unpredictable to avoid anticipating a subsequent physical change.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the part is to be a pupil of the person'"'"'s eye, and the change is to be a reduction in size of the pupil caused by directing light towards the eye.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the first biometric measurement is to be a first picture of the person'"'"'s eye;

the second biometric measurement is to be a second picture of the person'"'"'s eye; and

the reduction in size is to be calculated from the first and second pictures,

wherein the first biometric measurement and the second biometric measurement are obtained close together in time to avoid switching recordings between readings of the first and second biometric measurements.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the reduction in size is to be inferred from measuring light reflected from a retina of the eye.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the part is to be a pupil of the person'"'"'s eye;

the first biometric measurement is to be a first picture of the pupil taken without a flash;

the second biometric measurement is to be a second picture of the pupil taken with a flash; and

the change is to be a presence of red-eye in the pupil in the second picture.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the part is to be the person'"'"'s eyelid, and the change is to be indicated by movement of the eyelid.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the movement of the eyelid is to be measured as at least one parameter selected from a list of parameters consisting of:

the eyelid being open in one picture and closed in another picture;

existence of at least one blink within a predetermined time period;

an average rate of blinking;

rise time of an eyelid during a blink;

fall time of an eyelid during a blink; and

a difference in timing of a blink of the person'"'"'s right eye and a blink of the person'"'"'s left eye.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

an electronic device comprising a processor, a memory, and a camera, wherein the device is to;

illuminate an eye of a person with infrared light;

measure infrared light reflected from a retina of the person'"'"'s eye;

compare the infrared light reflected from the retina to a reference level; and

determine the person is a living person based on the comparison, wherein determining further includes detecting blinking of an eyelid of the eye at least once during a predetermined time to confirm the person is a living person, and wherein detecting further includes comparing a blinking rate of the blinking with a living person'"'"'s standard blinking rate;

wherein said reference level is selected from a list consisting of;

infrared light reflected from at least one other part of the person'"'"'s face;

infrared light reflected from the retina without said illuminating the eye.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the blinking is determined based on at least one or more of using a video to conform the person blinks at least once during the predetermined period of time, measuring the blink rate to confirm its consistence with the living person'"'"'s blink rate, measuring, via a high-speed photodetector, a rise time or a fall time of the eyelid during a blink to confirm its consistence with that of the living person, and measuring, via the high-speed photodetector, a mismatch between the rise time and the fall time of left and right eyelids.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the blinking is further determined based on measuring, via the high-speed photodetector, saccades as the eye moves from point to point in a field of view, wherein the saccades include rapid movements of the eye.

11. A method, comprising:

obtaining a first biometric measurement of a part of a person'"'"'s body;

causing the part to physically change in a predetermined manner;

obtaining a second biometric measurement of the part subsequent to the change;

verifying that the second measurement is different than the first measurement in a manner expected from the physical change; and

granting the person access to additional functionality of a device that is performing said obtaining and said verifying, if the person also passes an authorization procedure,

wherein the first biometric measurement is kept unpredictable to avoid anticipating the first and second biometric measurements, and

wherein the physical change is kept unpredictable to avoid anticipating a subsequent physical change.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the part is a pupil of the person'"'"'s eye;

the change is a reduction in size of the pupil; and

said causing includes directing light towards the person'"'"'s eye.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising determining the reduction in size directly from pictures of the eye.

14. The method of claim 12, comprising inferring the reduction in size from measuring light reflected from a retina of the eye.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the part is a pupil of the person'"'"'s eye;

said obtaining the first biometric measurement comprises taking a picture of the pupil without a flash;

said obtaining the second biometric measurement comprises taking a picture of the pupil with a flash; and

the physical change is a presence of red-eye in the pupil in the second picture,

wherein the first biometric measurement and the second biometric measurement are obtained close together in time to avoid switching recordings between readings of the first and second biometric measurements.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the part is the person'"'"'s eyelid, and the change is at least one blink of the eyelid.

17. The method of claim 16, where the blink is measured as at least one parameter selected from a list of parameters consisting of:

existence of at least one blink within a predetermined time period;

an average rate of blinking;

rise time of an eyelid during a blink;

fall time of an eyelid during a blink; and

a difference in timing of a blink of the right eye and a blink of the left eye.

18. An article comprising:

least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that contains instructions, which when executed by one or more processors result in performing operations comprising;

obtaining a first picture of a person'"'"'s eye;

causing the eye to physically change in a predetermined manner;

obtaining a second picture of the eye;

verifying that the eye appears different in the second picture than in the first picture; and

granting the person access to functionality of a device that is performing said obtaining and said verifying, if the person also passes an authorization procedure,

wherein the first biometric measurement is kept unpredictable to avoid anticipating the first and second biometric measurements, and

wherein the physical change is kept unpredictable to avoid anticipating a subsequent physical change.

19. The article of claim 18, wherein:

the operation of causing includes directing light towards the person'"'"'s eye; and

the physical change is a reduction in size of a pupil of the eye;

the part is a pupil of the person'"'"'s eye;

said obtaining the first biometric measurement comprises taking a picture of the pupil without a flash; and

said obtaining the second biometric measurement comprises taking a picture of the pupil with a flash, and the physical change is a presence of red-eye in the pupil in the second picture,

wherein the first biometric measurement and the second biometric measurement are obtained close together in time to avoid switching recordings between readings of the first and second biometric measurements.

20. The article of claim 19, wherein the reduction in size is determined from a size of the pupil as shown in the first and second pictures.

21. The article of claim 19, wherein the reduction in size is determined by measuring light reflected from a retina of the eye.

22. The article of claim 18, wherein:

the first picture is taken without a flash;

the second picture is taken with a flash; and

the difference is a presence of red-eye in the pupil in the second picture.

23. The article of claim 18, wherein the change involves movement of the eye'"'"'s eyelid.