METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING ELECTRONIC TRANSACTIONS USING BIOMETRICS

• US 20050187883A1
• Filed: 05/11/2005
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Salow, Glen, Bishop, Fred, Bonalle, David S
• Granted Patent: US 7,505,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/67
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/027 involving a payment switch or gateway
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4097 using mutual authentication between devices and transaction partners
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating electronic transactions using a biometric are disclosed. The system for facilitating electronic transactions using a biometric comprises a smartcard-reader transaction system. The method comprises determining if a transaction violates an established rule, such as a preset spending limit. The method also comprises notifying a user to proffer a biometric sample in order to verify the identity of said user, and detecting a proffered biometric at a sensor to obtain a proffered biometric sample. The method additionally comprises verifying the proffered biometric sample and authorizing a transaction to continue upon verification of the proffered biometric sample.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a transaction in a transaction system, the method comprising:

receiving a transaction request from a user, said user proffering a transaction instrument to facilitate said transaction request;

issuing a challenge to said user;

receiving a response from said user based upon said challenge;

receiving a biometric at a biometric sensor to create a biometric sample, said biometric sensor communicating with said transaction system to initiate verification of said biometric sample; and

,

processing said response to verify said transaction instrument and said biometric sample to verify said user and to provide access to a transaction service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

assembling credentials for said transaction at a server to create assembled credentials, said assembled credentials comprising at least one key;

providing at least a portion of said assembled credentials to said user;

receiving a second request from said user at said server, said second request comprising said portion of said assembled credentials provided to said user; and

validating, at said server, said portion of said assembled credentials provided to said user with said key of said assembled credentials to provide access to said transaction service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said transaction is an electronic purchase transaction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of processing said response comprises processing said response to verify a smartcard.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving said biometric further comprises receiving a registration of at least one biometric sample, wherein said registration comprises a proffered biometric sample.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of receiving said registration further comprises processing database information contained in at least one of a smartcard, smartcard reader, said biometric sensor, a remote server, a merchant server and a smartcard system.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of receiving said registration further comprises comparing said proffered biometric sample with a stored biometric sample.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said step of comparing further comprises comparing said proffered biometric sample to said stored biometric sample by using at least one of a third-party security vendor device and a local CPU.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving said biometric further comprises at least one of detecting, processing and storing a second biometric sample.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving said biometric further comprises the use of at least one secondary security procedure.

11. A method for conducting a transaction in a transaction system, the method comprising:

detecting a proffered biometric at a sensor communicating with said transaction system to obtain a proffered biometric sample;

detecting a proffered transaction instrument at a reader communicating with said transaction system;

receiving transaction information from a user to facilitate issuing a challenge to said user to verify a user transaction;

initiating verification of said proffered biometric sample and said transaction instrument; and

providing authorization of said transaction upon verification of said proffered biometric sample and transaction instrument.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of detecting said proffered biometric comprises detecting said biometric via at least one of a smartcard, a reader, and a network.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of detecting said proffered biometric further comprises at least one of storing and processing said proffered biometric sample.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of detecting said proffered biometric further comprises receiving a finite number of proffered biometric samples during said transaction.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of detecting said proffered biometric further comprises at least one of detecting, processing and storing at least one second proffered biometric sample.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of initiating verification comprises initiating a comparison of said proffered biometric sample with a stored biometric sample.

17. An electronic transaction system comprising:

a reader configured to communicate with a smartcard;

a biometric sensor configured to detect a biometric sample;

a first device configured to receive a transaction request from a user, issue a challenge to said user, receive a response from said user based upon said challenge, process said response to verify said user, assemble credentials for a transaction at a server to create assembled credentials, and provide at least a portion of said assembled credentials to said user; and

a second device configured to verify said biometric sample and said portion of said assembled credentials to facilitate said transaction.

18. The electronic transaction system of claim 17, wherein said biometric sensor is configured to communicate with the other parts of said system via at least one of said smartcard, said reader, and a network.

19. The electronic transaction system of claim 17, wherein said biometric sensor is configured to facilitate a finite number of scans.

20. The electronic transaction system of claim 17, wherein said biometric sensor is configured to log at least one of said detected biometric sample, processed biometric sample and a stored biometric sample.

21. The electronic transaction system of claim 17, wherein said first and second devices are configured to be the same device.

22. The electronic transaction system of claim 17, wherein said reader is configured to be the same device as said biometric sensor.

23. The electronic transaction system of claim 17, wherein said biometric sample comprises at least a portion of one of said user'"'"'s:

voice, fingerprint, facial features, ear features, sound signature, handwriting signature, vascular patterns, DNA, hand geometry, smell, keystroke/typing features, iris, retina, and brainwaves.

24. The electronic transaction system of claim 17, wherein said second device is configured to compare said proffered biometric sample with a stored biometric sample.

25. The electronic transaction system of claim 24, wherein said second device is configured to compare at least one characteristic of said biometric samples, and wherein said characteristics of said biometric samples include at least one of minutia, vascular patterns, prints, waveforms, odorants, nodal points, reference points, size, shape, thermal patterns, blood flow, and body heat.

26. The electronic transaction system of claim 24, wherein said stored biometric sample comprises a registered biometric sample.

27. The electronic transaction system of claim 17, wherein said biometric sample is primarily associated with at least one of first user information, wherein said first information comprises personal information, charge card information, debit card information, savings account information, membership information, PayPal account information, Western Union Account information, electronic bill payment information, automatic bill payment information and loyalty point information, and wherein said biometric sample is secondarily associated with at least one of second user information, wherein said second information comprises personal information, credit card information, debit card information, savings account information, membership information, PayPal account information, Western Union Account information, electronic bill payment information, automatic bill payment information and loyalty point information, and wherein said second user information is different than said first user information.

28. The electronic transaction system of claim 17, wherein said system is configured to begin authentication upon verification of said proffered biometric sample and portion of said assembled credentials.

29. The electronic transaction system of claim 17, wherein said sensor is configured to provide a notification upon detection of said biometric sample.

30. The electronic transaction system of claim 17, wherein said second device is configured to facilitate the use of at least one secondary security procedure.

31. A computer-readable storage medium containing a set of instructions for a general purpose computer configured for:

receiving a transaction request from a user, said user proffering a transaction instrument;

issuing a challenge to said user;

receiving a response from said user based upon said challenge;

receiving a biometric at a biometric sensor to create a biometric sample, said biometric sensor communicating with said system to initiate verification of said biometric sample; and

,

processing said response to verify said transaction instrument and processing said biometric sample to verify said user.