System and method for remote self-enrollment in biometric databases

• US 8,296,573 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2004
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bolle, Rudolf M., Pankanti, Sharathchandra U., Ratha, Nalini K., Senior, Andrew W.
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIE, OSCAR A
• Application Number:
  US10/818,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20050229007A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,122 Days
• Field of Search: 713/186
• US Class Current: 713/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands

Abstract

A method and system is provided to provide enrollment of biometric data from individuals without the need for the enrollees to travel to a central location. The system and method provides for optionally detecting multiple types of biometric data, for example, fingerprints, facial scan, visual scan, iris scan, voice scan, or the like, to be captured at the point of enrollee use. During the biometric capture process, the biometric enrollment device monitors and establishes the identity of the enrollee and measures the quality of the biometric input as it occurs. If unacceptable quality is detected, then repeated biometric scans may be necessary, but is done at time of enrollment avoiding any need to send inaccurate information back to a service institution. When the enrollment process completes, the biometric data is encrypted, time stamped and either mailed back to the service institution or is transmitted back. The biometric device may remain with the user for subsequent use as an identification sensor which may authenticate a user with stored biometric information to authenticate a user'"'"'s identity for a transaction or a request to access a service or equipment. The biometric enrollment device may also be embodied with another piece of equipment to authenticate use of that equipment.

Claims

1. A method of providing a service from a service provider institution for capturing biometric data, comprising the steps of:

acquiring biometric data from one or more biometric sensors;

authenticating an enrollee associated with the biometric data;

enrolling the authenticated enrollee associated with the biometric data, wherein the acquiring occurs externally from equipment that requires an identification;

verifying individual samplings of the biometric data for quality at the time of enrollment based on a pre-determined threshold;

verifying whether the enrollee presenting the biometric data is authenticated at the time of enrollment;

verifying the biometric data according to pre-determined verification standards requiring;

two fingers presented simultaneously for fingerprinting;

a fingerprint and an eye scan performed sequentially; and

a voice scan and face scan performed simultaneously;

signing a request of a third party with a private key stored on a biometric enrollment device and associated with the third party, the signing denoting that the biometric data is verified for a transaction between the third party and the enrollee; and

sending the signed third party request to the third party to complete authenticating of the transaction.

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

delivering the biometric data associated with the enrollee to a service provider; and

authenticating at the service provider that all delivered data has been captured according to an accredited procedure.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of communicating the biometric data to an external device using one of a wired or wireless communications port to communicate the biometric data to the external device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more biometric sensors is at least one of a fingerprint sensor, a skin reflectivity sensor, a camera suitable for capture of a facial image, a microphone for acquiring voice data, and an eye scanner, and the one or more biometric sensors acquiring the biometric data sequentially or simultaneously when two or more biometric sensors are present.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of time stamping the biometric data when the enrolling occurs.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of encrypting and certifying the biometric data.

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

determining a quality measure for the biometric data sensed by the one or more biometric sensors; and

storing one or more biometric records only when the biometric data is of a quality sufficient to meet a predetermined threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, further including providing feedback to cause a change in the biometric data sensed by the one or more biometric sensors so that an increase in the sensed quality of the biometric data occurs.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of comparing two biometric records and denying access when the compared two biometrics records are different.

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

receiving at least one of a password, a secret data, and a user identification before sensing biometric data occurs; and

verifying one or more previously enrolled biometrics before allowing enrollment of additional biometric data.

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

creating one or more biometric records;

encrypting the one or more biometric records; and

associating the one or more biometric records with the enrollee.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of connecting to communications equipment to remotely communicate with the service provider.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing immediate feedback to the enrollee based on whether the pre-determined threshold had been met.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting tampering with a biometric enrollment device and erasing the biometric data from the biometric enrollment device as a result of the tampering.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising reusing a biometric enrollment device, which includes one or more biometric sensors, by sending the biometric enrollment device to another enrollee.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the biometric enrollment device remains in the possession of the enrollee.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising customizing the biometric enrollment device to the enrollee.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the customizing includes at least one of a user name, password, public key, personal identification number, and an expected biometric.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising returning the biometric enrollment device to an enrolling service institution after the enrollee has been enrolled.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more biometric sensors comprise a fingerprint sensor, a skin reflectivity sensor, a camera suitable for capture of a facial image, a microphone for acquiring voice data, and an eye scanner; and

the method further comprises;

receiving the third party request from the third party for the authenticating of the transaction between the third party and the enrollee; and

verifying the third party as a valid third party authorized for a type of the transaction being requested.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the verifying of the third party comprises validating a key associated with the third party; and

the method further comprises informing the enrollee of the verification of the third party.

22. A method of providing a service from a service provider institution for capturing biometric data, comprising the steps of:

acquiring biometric data from one or more biometric sensors;

enrolling an enrollee associated with the biometric data, wherein individual samplings of the biometric data are verified for quality at the time of enrollment based on a pre-determined threshold;

delivering the biometric data associated with the enrollee to a service provider;

receiving a request from a third party for authenticating a transaction between the third party and the enrollee;

verifying the third party as a valid third party authorized for a type of the transaction being requested;

authenticating an enrollee using at least one of a password, a user identification and a previously stored biometric prior to the enrolling step and limiting access until the authenticating is successful;

signing a request of a third party with a private key stored on a biometric enrollment device and associated with the third party, the signing denoting that the biometric data is verified for a transaction between the third party and the enrollee;

verifying the acquired biometric data meets pre-determined verification standards requiring;

two fingers presented simultaneously for fingerprinting,

a fingerprint and an eye scan performed sequentially, and

a voice scan and face scan performed simultaneously;

encrypting the biometric data producing encrypted biometric data; and

generating a time stamp of when the enrolling occurs.

23. A computer program product comprising a tangible computer usable storage memory device having readable program code embodied in the tangible computer usable storage memory device, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, provides a service from a service provider institution and is operable to cause the computing device to

acquire biometric data from one or more biometric sensors;

enroll an enrollee associated with the biometric data, wherein individual samplings of the biometric data are verified for quality at the time of enrollment by comparing the biometric data to a pre-determined threshold;

verify whether the enrollee presenting the biometric data is authenticated at the time of enrollment;

verify the biometric data according to pre-determined verification standards requiring;

two fingers presented simultaneously for fingerprinting;

a fingerprint and an eye scan performed sequentially; and

a voice scan and face scan performed simultaneously;

deliver the biometric data associated with the enrollee to a service provider;

sign a request of a third party with a private key stored on a biometric enrollment device and associated with the third party, the signing denoting that the biometric data is verified for a transaction between the third party and the enrollee; and

send the signed third party request to the third party to complete authenticating of the transaction.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein:

the one or more biometric sensors comprise a fingerprint sensor, a skin reflectivity sensor, a camera suitable for capture of a facial image, a microphone for acquiring voice data, and an eye scanner; and

the computing device at least one component is further operable to;

receive the third party request from the third party for the authenticating of the transaction between the third party and the enrollee; and

verify the third party as a valid third party authorized for a type of the transaction being requested.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein:

the verifying of the third party comprises validating a key associated with the third party; and

the computing device is further operable to inform the enrollee of the verification of the third party.