Online identity scoring

• US 10,325,081 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2016
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HRB Innovations Incorporated (H&R Block, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HRB Innovations Incorporated (H&R Block, Inc.)
• Inventors: Houseworth, Jason, Ciaramitaro, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Naghdali, Khalil
• Application Number:
  US15/240,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20180054733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 726 7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals

Abstract

Method, media, and system for authentication of a claimant as a claimed identity. Embodiments break the authentication process into two steps. In the first step, a registrant establishes an identity profile by presenting identity documents and authentication points that can later be used to verify that they are the person who established the identity profile. Subsequently, when a claimant claims the identity in the identity profile, an identity score and an authentication score can be calculated based on the identity profile and the information provided by the claimant. The authentication score measures how likely it is that the claimant is the same person who established the identity profile. The identity score measures how likely it is that the registrant is who they are claiming to be. The identity score and the authentication score can then be combined to determine the likelihood that the claimant actually corresponds to the claimed identity.

Claims

1. A method for authenticating a claimant as a claimed identity, comprising the steps of:

receiving, from a registrant, a plurality of identity points for the claimed identity and a plurality of authentication points for the registrant,

wherein the claimed identity corresponds to an individual person;

establishing, based on the plurality of identity points for the claimed identity and the plurality of authentication points for the registrant, an identity profile linking the registrant to a claimed identity;

determining, based on the plurality of identity points for the claimed identity, an identity score for the registrant,

wherein the identity score is determined at least in part based on a number of identity points provided and at least in part based on a type of identity point provided;

receiving a request to authenticate the claimant,

wherein the claimant claims the claimed identity, and

wherein the request includes a plurality of authentication points for the claimant;

validating the plurality of authentication points for the claimant against the plurality of authentication points for the registrant to determine an authentication score for the claimant,

wherein the authentication score is determined at least in part based on a number of authentication points provided and a type of authentication point provided;

determining, based on the authentication score for the claimant and the identity score for the registrant, a confidence score for the claimant,

wherein the confidence score reflects that likelihood the claimant corresponds to the claimed identity; and

transmitting a response indicating an authentication result,

wherein the authentication result is based on the confidence score.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity profile is stored in a distributed data structure.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the distributed data structure is a block chain.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of authentication points for the registrant includes a current location of a smartphone associated with the registrant.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of authentication points for the registrant includes a biometric value associated with the registrant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a value associated with at least one authentication point for the claimed identity is updated based on the authentication result.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication result includes the confidence score.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform a method of authenticating a claimant as a claimed identity, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from a registrant, a plurality of identity points corresponding to the claimed identity and a plurality of authentication points for the registrant,

wherein the claimed identity corresponds to an individual person;

storing, in a distributed data store, an identity profile corresponding to the registrant and including the plurality of identity points corresponding to the claimed identity and the plurality of authentication points for the registrant;

receiving, from a claimant, a plurality of authentication points for the claimant;

retrieving, from the distributed data store, the identity profile;

validating at least some of the authentication points for the claimant against corresponding authentication points for the registrant;

determining, based on the step of validating, an authentication score for the claimant,

the authentication score determined at least in part based on a number of authentication points validated;

calculating, based on at least a portion of the identity points for the claimed identity, an identity score for the registrant,

the identity score determined at least in part based on a number of identity points received form the registrant;

calculating, based at least in part on the identity score and the authentication score, a confidence score reflecting the likelihood that the claimant corresponds to the claimed identity; and

authenticating the claimant as the claimed identity based on the confidence score.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein at least some of the plurality of identity points and the plurality of authorization points for the registrant are stored in the distributed data store in encrypted form.

10. The media of claim 8, wherein the plurality of authentication points for the registrant includes a current location of a smartphone associated with the registrant.

11. The media of claim 8, wherein the plurality of authentication points for the registrant includes a biometric value associated with the registrant.

12. The media of claim 8, wherein the distributed data store is a block chain.

13. A system for authenticating a claimant as a claimed identity, comprising:

a registration terminal;

an identity clearinghouse; and

an identity terminal,

wherein the registration terminal is programmed to;

receive at least one authentication point for a registrant and at least one of identity points for the claimed identity,

wherein the claimed identity corresponds to an individual person; and

transmit the at least one authentication point for the registrant and the at least one identity point for the claimed identity to the identity clearinghouse;

wherein the identity clearinghouse is programmed to;

receive the at least one authentication point for the registrant and the at least one identity point for the claimed identity;

store the at least one authentication point for the registrant and the at least one identity point for the claimed identity in an identity data store;

receive a request to authenticate a claimant as the claimed identity and at least one authentication point for the claimant;

validate the at least one authentication point for the claimant against the at least one authentication point for the registrant to determine an authentication score for the claimant,

wherein the authentication score score is determined based at least in part on the type of the validated at least one authentication point;

determine, based on the at least one identity point for the claimed identity, an identity score for the registrant,

wherein the identity score is determined based at least in part on a type of the at least one identity point;

calculate, based on the identity score for the registrant and the authentication score for the claimant, an confidence score reflecting the likelihood that the claimant corresponds to the claimed identity;

based on the confidence score, transmit an authentication of the claimant to the identity terminal; and

wherein the identity terminal is programmed to;

receive, at least one authentication point for the claimant;

transmit a request to authenticate the claimant including the at least one authentication point to the identity clearinghouse; and

receive, from the identity clearinghouse, the authentication of the claimant.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the registration terminal, the identity clearinghouse, and the identity terminal are geographically dispersed.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the identity terminal includes a biometric reader to capture a biometric authentication point for the claimant.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the biometric reader is a fingerprint reader.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the biometric authentication point is timestamped by the identity terminal.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one authentication point for the claimant includes a location of a smartphone associated with the registrant.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the request to authenticate the claimant includes at least one identity point required to authenticate the registrant as the claimed identity.

20. The system of claim 13, further comprising a plurality of registration terminals and a plurality of identity terminals.