Automatic association of authentication credentials with biometrics

• US 9,832,189 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Han, Byron B., Marciniak, Craig A., Wright, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Assistant Examiner(s): MURPHY, JOSEPH B
• Application Number:
  US13/802,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20140007185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• 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 computing device may receive authentication information. Within a time-out period, a fingerprint may also be received. The computing device may assign one or more authentication credentials to the fingerprint based on authentication credentials associated with the received authentication information. In some implementations, the computing device may assign the authentication credentials associated with the received authentication information to the biometric. However, in other implementations, the computing device may assign different authentication credentials to the biometric based on one or more user preferences, defaults, security policies, and/or enterprise policies. In various implementations, the authentication credentials assigned to the biometric may be altered, such as by adding and/or removing one or more authentication credentials. Such alteration may be performed in response to a received user request, changed enterprise policy, changed security policy, fraud alert, and/or other such factor.

Claims

1. A method for automatic association of authentication credentials with biometrics, the method comprising:

receiving authentication information from at least one user utilizing at least one processing unit;

within a time-out period from receipt of the authentication information, receiving at least one fingerprint from the at least one user utilizing the at least one processing unit via a fingerprint sensor disposed below a touch sensitive surface of at least one touch input/output (I/O) device, wherein the at least one fingerprint is received while the touch sensitive surface receives one or more touch inputs from the at least one user; and

assigning at least one authentication credential to the at least one fingerprint, utilizing the at least one processing unit, based at least on at least one authentication credential associated with the authentication information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication information comprises invalid authentication information and at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint comprises at least one invalid authentication indication, further comprising:

transmitting the at least one fingerprint and the at least one invalid authentication indication from the at least one processing unit to at least one server computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising altering the at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint utilizing the at least one processing unit.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said operation of altering the at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint utilizing the at least one processing unit further comprises adding at least one authentication credential or removing the at least one authentication credential.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said operation of altering the at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint utilizing the at least one processing unit is performed in response to at least one enterprise system policy pushed to a computing device that incorporates the at least one processing unit by at least one enterprise system server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint includes at least one authentication credential that is not associated with the authentication information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint is a subset of authentication credentials associated with the authentication information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the subset of the authentication credentials associated with the authentication information is selected based at least on at least one default, user preference, security policy, or enterprise system policy.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint is identical to the at least one authentication credential associated with the authentication information.

10. A system for automatic association of authentication credentials with biometrics, comprising:

at least one processing unit;

at least one touch input/output (I/O) device coupled to the at least one processing unit, wherein the at least one touch I/O device includes a fingerprint sensor disposed below a touch sensitive surface, the touch sensitive surface configured to receive touch inputs for the system; and

at least one non-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable by the at least one processing unit to;

receive authentication information from at least one user;

within a time-out period from receipt of the authentication information, receive at least one fingerprint from the at least one user via the touch sensitive surface while the touch sensitive surface receives one or more touch inputs from the at least one user; and

assign at least one authentication credential to the at least one fingerprint based at least on at least one authentication credential associated with the authentication information.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint is identical to the at least one authentication credential associated with the authentication information.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint is a subset of authentication credentials associated with the authentication information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processing unit selects the subset of the authentication credentials associated with the authentication information based at least on at least one default, user preference, security policy, or enterprise system policy.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint includes at least one authentication credential that is not associated with the authentication information.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one non-transitory storage medium further stores instructions executable by the at least one processing unit to alter the at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said alteration of the at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint further comprises adding at least one authentication credential or removing the at least one authentication credential.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one processing unit alters the at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint in response to at least one enterprise system policy pushed to a computing device that incorporates the at least one processing unit by at least one enterprise system server.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the authentication information comprises invalid authentication information and at least one authentication credential assigned to the at least one fingerprint comprises at least one invalid authentication indication.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one processing unit transmits the at least one fingerprint and the at least one invalid authentication indication to at least one server computing device.

20. A computer program product comprising:

a first set of instructions, stored in at least one non-transitory machine readable medium, executable by at least one processing unit to receive authentication information from at least one user;

a second set of instructions, stored in the at least one non-transitory machine readable medium, executable by the at least one processing unit to within a time-out period from receipt of the authentication information, receive at least one fingerprint from the at least one user via a fingerprint sensor disposed below a touch sensitive surface of at least one touch input/output (I/O) device, wherein the at least one fingerprint is received while the touch sensitive surface receives one or more touch inputs from the at least one user; and

a third set of instructions, stored in the at least one non-transitory machine readable medium, executable by the at least one processing unit to assign at least one authentication credential to the at least one fingerprint based at least on at least one authentication credential associated with the authentication information.