Systems and methods for user authentication via mobile device

• US 9,183,554 B1
• Filed: 04/21/2009
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Courtright, Christopher Paul, Billman, Bradly Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Nigh, James D
• Application Number:
  US12/427,031
• Time in Patent Office: 2,394 Days
• Field of Search: 705/43, 705/64, 705/67
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3274 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being displayed on the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/388 using mutual authentication without cards, e.g. challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/409 Device specific authentication in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4097 using mutual authentication between devices and transaction partners
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]

Abstract

A user may provide a financial card to an automated teller machine (ATM) or point of sale (POS) terminal and may be authenticated by providing a gesture and/or an image selection via a mobile device to the ATM or the POS. The gesture and/or image selection may be provided using a touchscreen of the mobile device. The gesture and/or image provided by the user via the mobile device may be compared to a stored gesture and/or image provided by the user during an earlier registration of the financial card. If there is a match between the gesture and/or image provided by the user via the mobile device and the previously stored gesture and/or image, then the user is authenticated and may access an account associated with the financial card.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions for user authentication, said computer-readable instructions comprising instructions executable by at least one processor to cause at least one computing device to:

receive information of a financial card of a user;

receive a request for authentication to access an account of the financial card;

in response to the request, display a plurality of images on a mobile device of the user;

receive a selection of a first image from the plurality of images from the user;

display the first image on the mobile device of the user;

receive a first gesture performed by the user over the first image;

generate a composite image by combining the first image with the first gesture;

retrieve a second composite image formed by a combination of a second gesture and a second image of the user that have been stored at an institution system of the financial card; and

determine that the first composite image matches the second composite image; and

based on the determination, authenticate the user to access the account of the financial card.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is an automated teller machine.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is a point of sale terminal.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that receive the second gesture and the second image from the user during registration of the financial card prior to receiving the information of the financial card.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the second gesture and the second image are received during the registration via a website associated with the at least one computing device.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the second gesture comprises a written communication made with an input device on a touchscreen of the mobile device.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the financial card is a credit card, a debit card, or an automated teller machine card.

8. A user authentication system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory resources coupled to the at least one processor and configured to direct the at least one processor to;

receive a request for authentication to access an account of a financial card at an automated teller machine (ATM) or a point of sale (POS);

in response to the request, display a plurality of images on a mobile device of a user;

receive a selection of a first image from the plurality of images from the user;

display the first image on the mobile device of the user;

receive a first gesture performed by the user over the first image;

generate a composite image by combining the first image with the first gesture;

communicate, through a secured messaging system, with an institution system of the ATM or the POS for retrieval of a second composite image formed by a combination of a second image and a second gesture of the user that have been stored at the institution system to;

determine whether the first composite image matches the second composite image of the user; and

authenticate the user to access the account of the financial card at the ATM or the POS if the first composite image matches the second composite image and the gesture matches the stored gesture.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the memory resources further direct the processor to display the first image on a touchscreen of the mobile device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first gesture comprises an input on the touchscreen over the first image displayed on the touchscreen.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the memory resources further direct the processor to receive the second composite image of the user formed by a combination of the second image and the second gesture of the user during a registration of the financial card by the user.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions for user authentication, the computer-readable instructions comprising instructions executable by at least one processor to cause at least one computing device to:

receive a first gesture and a first image from a user during a registration of a financial card;

generate a first composite image by combining the first gesture and the first image;

receive a request from a user for a transaction associated with the financial card;

receive a second composite image formed by a combination of a second gesture and a second image from a mobile device of the user;

determine that the second composite image matches the first composite images;

based on the determination that the second composite image matches the first composite image, authorize the transaction.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions that authenticate the user prior to receiving the request from the user.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13,

wherein the instructions that authenticate the user comprise instructions that:

receive a second gesture from the mobile device at the ATM;

communicate, using a secured messaging system, with an institution system of the ATM to determine whether the second gesture matches a stored second gesture of the user; and

authenticate the user if the second gesture matches the store second gesture.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions that:

receive a selection of an image from the user after receiving the request from the user for the transaction; and

communicate, using a secured messaging system, with an institution system of the ATM to determine whether the image matches a stored image of the user, wherein the transaction is authorized if the gesture matches the stored gesture and the image matches the stored image.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the selection of the image is received from the mobile device of the user at the ATM.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions that:

receive a plurality of gestures from the user during a registration of the financial card, each of the plurality of gestures corresponding to a different one of a plurality of transactions; and

store the plurality of gestures and the corresponding plurality of transactions in storage accessible to the ATM.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions that determine whether the gesture matches the stored gesture of the user comprise instructions that compare the gesture received from the mobile device of the user at the ATM with the plurality of gestures stored, and wherein the instructions that authorize the transaction comprise instructions that allow the transaction if the gesture received from the mobile device of the user matches one of the plurality of gestures stored and one of the plurality of transactions corresponding to the one of the plurality of gestures matches the transaction requested from the user.