BIOMETRIC SMART CARD FOR MOBILE DEVICES
First Claim
1. A smart card for storing data for use in a mobile device comprising:
- a processor;
a biometric sensor coupled to the processor; and
a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein software instructions configured to cause the processor to perform steps comprising;
receiving a data access request to access data stored in the smart card;
prompting a user to complete an authentication process, wherein said authentication process comprises;
prompting the user to use the biometric sensor to generate a candidate biometric trait;
comparing the candidate biometric trait with a biometric template stored in the memory; and
authenticating the user if the generated candidate biometric trait matches the biometric template stored in the memory; and
granting access to the data stored in the smart card only if the user is authenticated.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for controlling access to the data stored on a smart card for use in mobile devices. A user initializes the smart card memory by saving an authentication credential in memory. Subsequently, when various applications executed on the mobile device seek to retrieve the data stored in the smart card memory, the user must submit to an authentication process before access to the data stored in the smart card memory is granted. Embodiments utilize biometric traits and biometric templates stored in memory as authentication credentials. Biometric sensors are provided with the smart card so that a candidate biometric trait can be generated and compared with a biometric template stored in memory. If the biometric trait matches the stored biometric template, then access to the data stored in the smart card is granted.
236 Citations
64 Claims
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1. A smart card for storing data for use in a mobile device comprising:
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a processor; a biometric sensor coupled to the processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein software instructions configured to cause the processor to perform steps comprising; receiving a data access request to access data stored in the smart card; prompting a user to complete an authentication process, wherein said authentication process comprises; prompting the user to use the biometric sensor to generate a candidate biometric trait; comparing the candidate biometric trait with a biometric template stored in the memory; and authenticating the user if the generated candidate biometric trait matches the biometric template stored in the memory; and granting access to the data stored in the smart card only if the user is authenticated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for controlling access to data stored in a smart card for use in a mobile device, comprising:
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receiving a data access request for data stored in the smart card; prompting a user to complete an authentication process, wherein said authentication process comprises; prompting the user to use a biometric sensor to generate a candidate biometric trait; comparing the candidate biometric trait with a biometric template stored in a memory; and authenticating the user if the generated candidate biometric trait matches the biometric template stored in the memory; and granting access to the data stored in the smart card only if the user is authenticated. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A smart card for storing data for use in a mobile device comprising:
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means for receiving a data access request to access data stored in the smart card; means for generating a candidate biometric trait and biometric template; means for storing said biometric template; means for prompting a user to use said means for generating the candidate biometric trait; means for comparing the candidate biometric trait with the stored biometric template; means for authenticating the user if the generated candidate biometric trait matches the stored biometric template; and means for granting access to the data stored in the smart card if the user is authenticated. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A smart card for storing data for use in a mobile device comprising:
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a smart card memory for storing the data for use in a mobile device; and a smart card processor coupled to the memory; and a biosensor module unit coupled to the smart card processor, wherein the biosensor module unit comprises; a biometric sensor; a biosensor module processor; and a biosensor module memory coupled to the biosensor module processor, the biosensor module memory having stored therein software instructions configured to cause the biosensor module processor to perform the steps comprising; receiving a data access request to access data stored in the smart card memory; prompting a user via the mobile device to complete an authentication process, wherein said authentication process comprises; prompting the user to use the biometric sensor to generate a candidate biometric trait; comparing the candidate biometric trait with a biometric template stored in a memory unit; and authenticating the user if the generated candidate biometric trait matches the biometric template stored in the memory unit; and granting access to the data stored in the smart card memory only if the user is authenticated. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A system for enabling and disabling an access control application within a smart card, comprising:
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a mobile device configured to communicate via cellular wireless networks, the mobile device comprising a mobile device processor and mobile device memory in communication with the mobile device processor, wherein the mobile device memory has stored therein a number of applications for execution on the mobile device processor; a smart card in communication with the mobile device processor, the smart card comprising a biometric sensor, and smart card memory, and a smart card processor in communication with the biometric sensor, the smart card memory and the mobile device processor, wherein the smart card memory has stored therein data for use in the number of applications for execution on the mobile device processor and software instructions configured to cause the smart card processor to perform steps comprising; receiving a data access request from any one of the number of applications to access data stored in the smart card; prompting a user to complete an authentication process, wherein said authentication process comprises; prompting the user submit to the biometric sensor to generate a candidate biometric trait; comparing the candidate biometric trait with a biometric template stored in memory; and authenticating the user if the generated candidate biometric trait matches the biometric template stored in memory; and granting access to the data stored in the smart card only if the user is authenticated; and an authentication server having a server processor coupled to a server memory, wherein the authentication server is configured to receive remotely generated candidate biometric traits and biometric templates for storage in the server memory to authenticate a remote user. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A server for remotely authenticating a user to access data stored on a smart card comprising;
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a server memory; and a server processor coupled to the server memory and configured to communicate via the Internet or cellular wireless network, wherein the processor is configured by processor-executable software instructions to perform steps comprising; receiving a remotely generated candidate biometric trait from a mobile device owner; comparing the remotely generated candidate biometric trait with a biometric template stored in server memory;
authenticating the user if the remotely generated candidate biometric trait matches the biometric template stored in the server memory; andtransmitting a signal to the owner'"'"'s mobile device via the cellular wireless network to disable a access control application contained in the mobile device'"'"'s smart card.
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44. A server for remotely authenticating a user to access data stored on a smart card comprising;
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a server memory; and a server processor coupled to the server memory and configured to communicate via the Internet or cellular wireless network, wherein the processor is configured by processor-executable software instructions to perform steps comprising; receiving a remotely generated candidate biometric trait from a mobile device owner; comparing the remotely generated candidate biometric trait with a biometric template stored in server memory; and authenticating the user if the remotely generated candidate biometric trait matches the biometric template stored in server memory; and transmitting a signal to the owner'"'"'s mobile device via the cellular wireless network to grant access non-authenticated users to the data stored in the mobile device'"'"'s smart card.
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45. A smart card, comprising:
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an interface for connecting to a mobile device; a memory module including nonvolatile memory; a processor coupled to the memory module and the interface; and a fingerprint scanner coupled to the processor, the fingerprint scanner comprising; an optical path including a lens and a prism, the optical path configured to receive an image from a fingerprint; an illuminator optically coupled to the optical path so as to illuminate a fingerprint imaged by the optical path; an optical sensor optically coupled to the optical path so as to receive the image from the finger print; an image generator coupled to the optical sensor and to the processor, the image generator configured to receive signals from the optical sensor, generate a fingerprint image based upon the received signals from the optical sensor, and send the generated fingerprint image to the processor, wherein the processor is configured with software instructions to perform steps comprising; receiving a candidate fingerprint image from the fingerprint scanner; comparing the candidate fingerprint image to a fingerprint template stored in the memory module; allowing access to data stored in the memory module if the candidate fingerprint image matches the fingerprint template stored in the memory module within an acceptable tolerance level; and denying access to data stored in the memory module if the candidate fingerprint image does not match the fingerprint template stored in the memory module within an acceptable tolerance level. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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54. A smart card, comprising:
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an interface for connecting to a mobile device; a smart card memory module including nonvolatile memory; a smart card processor coupled to the memory module and the interface; and a fingerprint module coupled to the processor comprising; a fingerprint module interface for connecting to the smart card; a fingerprint module memory unit including nonvolatile memory; a fingerprint module processor coupled to the fingerprint module memory unit; a fingerprint scanner coupled to the fingerprint module processor, the fingerprint scanner comprising; an optical path including a lens and a prism, the optical path configured to receive an image from a fingerprint; an illuminator optically coupled to the optical path so as to illuminate a fingerprint imaged by the optical path; an optical sensor optically coupled to the optical path so as to receive the image from the finger print; an image generator coupled to the optical sensor and to the fingerprint module processor, the image generator configured to receive signals from the optical sensor, generate a fingerprint image based upon the received signals from the optical sensor, and send the generated fingerprint image to the fingerprint module processor, wherein the fingerprint module processor is configured with software instructions to perform steps comprising; receiving a candidate fingerprint image from the fingerprint scanner; comparing the candidate fingerprint image to a fingerprint template stored in a memory storage unit; allowing access to data stored in the smart card memory module if the candidate fingerprint image matches the fingerprint template stored in the memory storage unit within an acceptable tolerance level; and denying access to data stored in the smart card memory module if the candidate fingerprint image does not match the fingerprint template stored in the memory storage unit within an acceptable tolerance level. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62)
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63. An access control card for regulating access to a mobile device, comprising:
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a processor; a biometric sensor coupled to the processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein software instructions configured to cause the processor to perform steps comprising; receiving an access request to use the mobile device; prompting a user to use the biometric sensor to generate a candidate biometric trait; comparing the candidate biometric trait with a biometric template stored in the memory; authenticating the user if the generated candidate biometric trait matches the biometric template stored in the memory; and allowing use of the mobile device only if the user is authenticated.
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64. A mobile handset, comprising:
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a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; an electrical connection slot configured to receive a biometric sensor card; and a biometric sensor connected to the electrical connection, wherein; the electrical connection slot is configured to electrically connect the biometric sensor to the processor; and the memory has stored therein software instructions configured to cause the processor to perform steps comprising; receiving an access request to use the mobile device; prompting a user to use the biometric sensor to generate a candidate biometric trait; comparing the candidate biometric trait with a biometric template stored in the memory; authenticating the user if the generated candidate biometric trait matches the biometric template stored in the memory; and allowing use of the mobile device only if the user is authenticated.
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Specification