Biometric safeguard method with a fob

• US 7,154,375 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Saunders, Peter D., Montgomery, Joshua L., Larkin, Carl, Gray, William J., Fields, Seth W., Bonalle, David S., Beenau, Blayn W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy A
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NAM V
• Application Number:
  US10/708,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20040252012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.53, 340/5.2, 340/5.4, 340/5.6, 340/5.7, 340/5.82, 340 101- 105, 340/439, 701/29, 707/3, 707/7, 707/10, 235/492, 235379-381, 705/39, 705/41, 705/35, 705/45, 705/76
• US Class Current: 340/5.53
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/29 the pass containing active electronic elements, e.g. smartcards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861

Abstract

A method for facilitating biometric security in a transponder-reader transaction system is provided. The method includes determining if a transaction violates an established rule, such as a preset spending limit. The method also includes 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 facilitating biometric security in a transponder-reader transaction system, said method comprising:

determining whether a user requested transaction exceeds a preloaded value defined by a preloaded value data file associated with a transponder;

determining whether said transaction exceeds a combination of said preloaded value and a reload value defined by a reload protocol data file associated with said transponder, wherein said preloaded value data file and said reload protocol data file define predetermined values for use in satisfying a user transaction request;

notifying a user to proffer a biometric sample to authorize use of said combination of said preloaded value and said reload value to complete said transaction;

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

verifying said proffered biometric sample; and

authorizing said transaction to proceed by applying said preloaded value from a first funding source associated with said transponder and applying a portion of said reload value from one of said first funding source and a second funding source according to said reload protocol data file.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether said transaction is at least one of a purchase exceeding an established per purchase spending limit, a purchase exceeding a preset number of transactions, any portion of a purchase using non-monetary funds, a purchase exceeding an established limit, a minimum transaction amount, a maximum number of transactions within a time period, use by certain merchants, a temporal limitation, and a geographic limitation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of notifying includes providing notification by at least one of an audible signal, visual signal, optical signal, mechanical signal, vibration, blinking, signaling and beeping to said user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of detecting further includes detecting a proffered biometric sample at a sensor configured to communicate with said system via at least one of a transponder, reader, and network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of detecting includes at least one of:

storing, and processing said proffered biometric sample.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of detecting includes receiving a limited number of proffered biometric samples during a transaction.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising logging each proffered biometric sample.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of detecting includes at least one of processing and storing at least one second proffered biometric sample.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of verifying includes comparing a proffered biometric sample with a stored biometric sample.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein comparing a proffered biometric sample with a stored biometric sample includes comparing a proffered biometric sample with at least one of a biometric sample of a criminal, a terrorist, and a transponder user.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said stored biometric sample is stored by one of a third-party biometric security vendor and a governmental agency.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of verifying includes verifying a proffered biometric sample using information contained on at least one of a local database, a remote database, and a third-party controlled database.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of verifying includes verifying a proffered biometric sample using one of a protocol/sequence controller and a third-party security vendor.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether said proffered biometric sample is associated with a preset transaction limitation independent of an established transaction limitation associated with said first funding source and said second funding source.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said preset transaction limitation comprises at least one of a maximum transaction amount, minimum transaction amount, maximum number of transactions within a time period, maximum number of transactions, use by certain merchants, temporal limitation, geographic limitation, and use of non-monetary funds.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising requiring a second proffered biometric sample to override said preset transaction limitation.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating said preloaded value data file according to said reload protocol data file.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing a transponder system identifier and update reload indicia to a user interface to obtain user authorization prior to reloading said preloaded value.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing incentives a transponder user based on said reloading of said preloaded value.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a transponder system identifier to an issuer system server and providing in real-time an update reload protocol to said issuer system server for reloading the preloaded value in real-time according to said reload protocol.