Method and apparatus for automatic control of access

• US 20040088553A1
• Filed: 09/05/2003
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shmuel Levin
• Original Assignee: Shmuel Levin
• Inventors: Ashkenazi, Shai, Levin, Shmuel
• Granted Patent: US 7,370,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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 method and apparatus for controlling access of individuals to a service, device or location in order to restrict access to members of a particular age and/or gender category, by machine-sensing a predetermined biometric characteristic of the individual indicative of the particular age and/or gender category, and utilizing the machine-sensed characteristic for automatically controlling access of the individual. The method and apparatus are particularly suited to controlling access of children to certain Internet sites, TV programs, chat rooms, or other places inappropriate to children.

Claims

1. A method of controlling access of an individual to a service, device or location in order to restrict access to members of a particular category, comprising:

machine-sensing at least one predetermined biometric characteristic of the individual indicative of said particular category; and

utilizing said machine-sensed characteristic for automatically controlling access of the individual to said particular service, device or location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said particular category is an age category.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said particular category is a gender category.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said machine-sensed biometric characteristic is the degree of ossification of an examined bone of the individual to determine the age category of the individual.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said degree of ossification of the bone of the individual is determined by sensing the presence or absence of a bone growth-plate in the examined bone.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said examined bone is a phalanx of a finger or toe in the hand or foot of the individual.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a joint of said phalanx is examined to determine whether a growth-plate is present on one side of the joint.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the phalanx bone is examined to determine whether a growth-plate is present at one end of the bone.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein said bone is examined by transmitting ultrasound through said examined bone.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said ultrasound is transmitted transversly through said examined bone.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said ultrasound is transmitted axially through said examined bone.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two biometric characteristics of the invidivual are machine-sensed, one characteristic indicating the age category and the other characteristic indicating the gender category, and both machine-examined characteristics are utilized for automatically controlling access of the individual to said particular service, device or location.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein facial characteristics of the individual are machined-sensed by a camera to indicate the individual'"'"'s gender.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein voice characteristics of the individual are machine-sensed by a microphone to indicate he individual'"'"'s gender.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein bone characteristcs of the individual are examined by an optical sensor to indicate the age category of the individual.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the access controlled is access to an electronic medium.

17. Apparatus for controlling access of an individual to a service, device or location in order to restrict access to members of a particular category, comprising:

at least one sensor for sensing at least one predetermined biometric characteristic of said individual indicative of said particular category; and

a data processor for receiving and analyzing the sensed biometric characteristic;

comparing the biometric characteristic to reference data that correlates the biometric characteristic to the particular category; and

outputting a signal indicating whether or not access to said particular service, device or location is permitted.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said reference data correlates the sensed biometric characteristic to an age category.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said reference data correlates the sensed biometric characteristic to a gender category.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said predetermined biometric characteristic sensed by said sensor is the degree of ossification of an examined bone of the individual.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said sensor senses the degree of ossification of an examined bone of the individual by sensing for the presence or absence of a bone growth-plate.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said sensor is constructed for examining a phalanx of a finger or toe in the hand or foot of said individual.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said sensor is oriented to examine a joint in said phalanx to determine whether a growth-plate is present on one side of the joint.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said sensor is oriented to examine the bone in said phalanx to determine whether a growth-plate is present at one end of the bone.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said sensor is an ultrasound sensor.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said ultrasound sensor is oriented to transmit ultrasound transversely through said examined bone.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said ultrasounde sensor is oriented to transmit ultrasound axially through said examined bone.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the apparatus includes at least two sensors for sensing at least two biometric characteristics of the invidivual, one characteristics indicating the age category and the other characteristics indicating the gender category;

and wherein said data processor analyzes and compares both examined biometric characteristics with referenced data that correlates the biometric characteristics to a particular age category, and outputs a signal indicating whether or not access to said particular service, device or location is permitted.

29. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said sensor is a camera for sensing the face of the individual.

30. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said sensor is a microphone for sensing the voice of the individual.

31. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said sensor is included in a manual control member of an electronic medium.

32. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said sensor is included in an electronic medium.

33. A memory device storing in an installable format a software application for analyzing at least one biometric characteristic of an individual to determine if said individual belongs to a particular category;

and for automatically controlling access of the individual to a service, device or location in order to restrict access according to said particular category.

34. The memory device of claim 33, wherein said particular category is an age and/or gender category.

35. The memory device of claim 33, wherein said biometric characteristic is the presence or absence of a bone growth-plate.

36. A hardware storing in an executable format an application for analyzing at least one biometric characteristic of an individual to determine if said individual belongs to a particular category;

and for automatically controlling access of the individual to a service, device or location in order to restrict access according to said particular category.

37. The hardware of claim 36, wherein said particular category is an age and/or gender category.

38. The hardware of claim 36, wherein said biometric characteristic is the presence or absence of a bone growth-plate.

39. A method of conducting business comprising:

upgrading a user client to perform a biometric age and/or gender classification; and

selling or licensing to a service provider and/or content provider an access control package operably communicating with said user client.