Selective passive voice authentication

• US 10,515,639 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2018
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Johnson, Zakery Layne, Fernandez, Gabriel Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): Mcfadden, Susan I
• Application Number:
  US15/993,933
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 704273
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/70 Multimodal biometrics, e.g. combining information from different biometric modalities
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/06 Decision making techniques; Pattern matching strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• 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: 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: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

Various embodiments of the technology described herein alleviate the need to specifically request enrollment information from a user to enroll the user in a voice biometric authentication program. The system can receive voice data from a user device including audio data of a user speaking a word or phrase. The system can determine the word or phrase from the voice data to determine whether the word or phrase is in a set of available words or phrases and whether the word or phrase is usable for voice authentication of the user. In response to the word or phrase being in the set of available words or phrases and being usable for the voice authentication of the user, the system can perform authentication based on the voice data without requiring further interaction from the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method executed by at least one processor, the method comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor, voice data from a user device, the voice data comprising audio data of a user speaking a word or phrase;

determining, by the at least one processor, the word or phrase from the voice data to determine whether the word or phrase is in a set of available words or phrases and whether the word or phrase is usable for voice authentication of the user,

wherein the set of available words or phrases is a sub-set of words or phrases; and

in response to the word or phrase being in the set of available words or phrases and being usable for the voice authentication of the user, performing authentication based on the voice data without requiring further interaction from the user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the word or phrase is in the set of available words or phrases and whether the word or phrase is usable for the voice authentication comprises:

determining that a voice profile that is specific to the word or phrase and the user is usable for the voice authentication of the user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the set of available words and phrases comprises at least one word or phrase in a superset of words or phrases, wherein the superset of words and phrases comprises voice commands that can be executed.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor, an indication that the user is authenticated based on the voice data; and

in response to receiving the indication that the user is authenticated, allowing, to the user, access to a back-end system.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein allowing access to the back-end system comprises providing secure data for display to the user, the secure data being selected for display based on the word or phrase.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

displaying a message on the user device indicating that the word or phrase can be used for the authentication of the user, wherein displaying the message is performed in response to the word or phrase being in the set of available words and phrases and being useable for the voice authentication of the user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor, second voice data from the user device, the second voice data comprising audio data of the user speaking a second word or phrase; and

in response to determining that the second voice data comprises a word or phrase that is not in the set of available words or phrases or that the second word or phrase is not usable for the voice authentication of the user;

initiating an active authentication scheme for selectively enabling access to secure data in response to authentication data received during the active authentication scheme.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the active authentication scheme comprises:

providing, by the at least one processor, an authentication interface for display on the user device, the authentication interface enabling user input of the authentication data;

receiving, by the at least one processor, the authentication data; and

selectively enabling access to the secure data based on the authentication data.

9. A system comprising:

a data store for storing data; and

at least one processor configured to interact with the data store, the at least one processor being further configured to execute computer-readable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the at least one processor, voice data from a user device, the voice data comprising audio data of a user speaking a word or phrase;

determining, by the at least one processor, the word or phrase from the voice data to determine whether the word or phrase is in a set of available words or phrases and whether the word or phrase is usable for voice authentication of the user,

wherein the set of available words or phrases is a sub-set of words or phrases; and

in response to the word or phrase being in the set of available words or phrases and being usable for the voice authentication of the user, performing authentication based on the voice data without requiring further interaction from the user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein determining whether the word or phrase is in the set of available words or phrases and whether the word or phrase is usable for the voice authentication comprises:

determining that a voice profile that is specific to the word or phrase and the user is usable for the voice authentication of the user.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of available words and phrases comprises at least one word or phrase in a superset of words or phrases, wherein the superset of words and phrases comprises voice commands that can be executed.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the at least one processor, an indication that the user is authenticated based on the voice data; and

in response to receiving the indication that the user is authenticated, allowing, to the user, access to a back-end system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein allowing access to the back-end system comprises providing secure data for display to the user, the secure data being selected for display based on the word or phrase.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying a message on the user device indicating that the word or phrase can be used for the authentication of the user, wherein displaying the message is performed in response to the word or phrase being in the set of available words and phrases and being useable for the voice authentication of the user.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the at least one processor, second voice data from the user device, the second voice data comprising audio data of the user speaking a second word or phrase; and

in response to determining that the second voice data comprises a word or phrase that is not in the set of available words or phrases or that the second word or phrase is not usable for the voice authentication of the user;

initiating an active authentication scheme for selectively enabling access to secure data in response to authentication data received during the active authentication scheme.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the active authentication scheme comprises:

providing, by the at least one processor, an authentication interface for display on the user device, the authentication interface enabling user input of the authentication data;

receiving, by the at least one processor, the authentication data; and

selectively enabling access to the secure data based on the authentication data.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor, voice data from a user device, the voice data comprising audio data of a user speaking a word or phrase;

determining, by the at least one processor, the word or phrase from the voice data to determine whether the word or phrase is in a set of available words or phrases and whether the word or phrase is usable for voice authentication of the user,

wherein the set of available words or phrases is a sub-set of words or phrases; and

in response to the word or phrase being in the set of available words or phrases and being usable for the voice authentication of the user, performing authentication based on the voice data without requiring further interaction from the user.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein determining whether the word or phrase is in the set of available words or phrases and whether the word or phrase is usable for the voice authentication comprises:

determining that a voice profile that is specific to the word or phrase and the user is usable for the voice authentication of the user.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the set of available words and phrases comprises at least one word or phrase in a superset of words or phrases, wherein the superset of words and phrases comprises voice commands that can be executed.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the at least one processor, an indication that the user is authenticated based on the voice data; and

in response to receiving the indication that the user is authenticated, allowing, to the user, access to a back-end system.