Online identity scoring

• US 10,789,346 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2019
• Issued: 09/29/2020
• 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:
  US16/442,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20190303552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 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:

registering an identity profile corresponding to an individual person by;

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

storing, in a blockchain, an identity profile linking the registrant to a claimed identity including;

the plurality of authentication points for the registrant, and

the plurality of identity points for the claimed identity; and

authenticating a claimant claiming to be the claimed identity by;

receiving, from the claimant, a request to authenticate as the individual person including a plurality of authentication points for the claimant;

retrieving, from the identity profile in the blockchain, the plurality of authentication points for the registrant;

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 corresponds to a likelihood that the claimant corresponds to the registrant;

determining, based on the identity points in the identity profile, an identity score for the registrant,

wherein the identity score corresponds to a likelihood that the registrant corresponds to the claimed identity; and

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 corresponds to a likelihood that the claimant corresponds to the claimed identity; and

determining an authentication result based on the confidence score.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of registering an identity profile corresponding to an individual person further comprises validating the plurality of identity points against the registrant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of authentication point includes at least one biometric authentication point.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of authentication point includes at least one PIN.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of identity points includes at least one digital representation of a government-issued identity document.

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

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the registrant provides the identity points and the authentication points in person.

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

receiving, from the claimant, a request to authenticate as an individual person, the request including a plurality of authentication points for the claimant;

retrieving an identity profile for the individual person from a blockchain,

wherein the identity profile includes a plurality of authentication points for the identity profile and a plurality of identity points;

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

wherein the authentication score corresponds to a likelihood that the claimant corresponds to the identity profile;

determining, based on the plurality of identity points in the identity profile, an identity score for the identity profile,

wherein the identity score corresponds to a likelihood that the identity profile corresponds to the individual person; and

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

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

determining an authentication result based on the confidence score.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identity points are stored encrypted in the blockchain.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of authentication points includes at least one biometric authentication point.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of identity points includes at least one digital representation of a government-issued identity document.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the authentication result is a rejected authentication if any of the plurality of authentication points for the claimant failed to validate against the plurality of authentication points for the identity profile.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of validating the plurality of authentication points for the claimant against the plurality of authentication points for the identity profile consists of validating against only a portion of the authentication points for the identity profile.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of validating the plurality of authentication points for the claimant against the plurality of authentication points for the identity profile consists of validating against any single authentication point in the plurality of authentication points.

15. 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:

registering an identity profile corresponding to an individual person by;

receiving, from a registrant, at least one identity point for the claimed identity and at least one authentication point for the registrant;

storing, in a blockchain, an identity profile linking the registrant to a claimed identity including;

the at least one authentication point for the registrant, and

the at least one identity point for the claimed identity; and

authenticating a claimant claiming to be the claimed identity by;

receiving, from the claimant, a request to authenticate as the individual person including at least one authentication point for the claimant;

retrieving, from the identity profile in the blockchain, the at least one authentication point for the registrant;

validating 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 corresponds to a likelihood that the claimant corresponds to the registrant;

determining, based on the at least one identity point in the identity profile, an identity score for the registrant,

wherein the identity score corresponds to a likelihood that the registrant corresponds to the claimed identity; and

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 corresponds to a likelihood that the claimant corresponds to the claimed identity; and

determining an authentication result based on the confidence score.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein the at least one authentication point includes a biometric authentication point.

17. The media of claim 15, wherein the at least one authentication point includes an authentication token.

18. The media of claim 15, wherein the at least one authentication point is provided via communication with the registrant'"'"'s cell phone.

19. The media of claim 15, wherein the at least one identity points include at least one digital representation of a government-issued identity document.

20. The media of claim 15, wherein the registrant provides the identity points and the authentication points in person.