Methods and apparatus to certify digital signatures

• US 8,700,902 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2006
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Novack, Brian M., Dunmire, David L., Madsen, Daniel L., Cheaney, Michael D., Thompson, Timothy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrishamkar, Kaveh
• Application Number:
  US11/352,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,983 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/175
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to certify digital signatures are disclosed. An example method includes receiving a request to certify a digital signature from a user, receiving information about a physical characteristic of the user, comparing the information about the physical characteristic to stored physical characteristic information, and based on the comparison, at least one of certifying the digital signature based on the comparison or requesting certification of the digital signature based on the comparison.

Claims

1. An apparatus to validate a request to certify a digital signature, the apparatus comprising:

a data transceiver to receive the request to certify the digital signature from a user and to receive first information about a first physical characteristic of the user;

a biometric authenticator to compare the first information about the first physical characteristic of the user to first stored physical characteristic information;

a location authenticator to verify a second geographical location identified in the request by retrieving a first geographical location associated with an identification number identified in the request and associated with a network device from a first database, comparing the first geographical location associated with the identification number to the second geographical location, and determining that the first geographical location matches the second geographical location; and

a certificate issuer to certify the digital signature to indicate an authenticity of the digital signature based on the comparison of the first information about the first physical characteristic to the first stored physical characteristic information and the verification of the second geographical location.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first stored physical characteristic information is stored in a database that is external to the apparatus.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the first database is associated with at least one of a telephone service provider, an internet access provider, a cable television service provider, a satellite television service provider, a credit card service provider, or a hank.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the data transceiver is further to request the identification number associated with the network device.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first database is at least one of an accounting database, an equipment inventory database, or a customer records database.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first geographical location is stored in a second database associated with at least one of a telephone service provider, an internet access provider, a cable television service provider, a satellite television service provider, a credit card service provider, or a bank.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first information about the first physical characteristic is biometric information.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the biometric information is at least one of information about a fingerprint, information about a voice, information about an eye, information about a handprint, information about facial features, information about a signature, information about a typing pattern, or information about a writing style.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the biometric authenticator is further to access a database that associates the biometric information with at least one of a username, a password, a person'"'"'s name, a telephone number, an email address, a birth date, a network identifier, a circuit identifier, or a street address.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein to compare the first information about the first physical characteristic to first stored physical characteristic information, the location authenticator is to:

retrieve at least one of the username, the password, the person'"'"'s name, the telephone number, the email address, the birth date, the network identifier, the circuit identifier, or the street address associated with the biometric information;

receive at least one of the username, the password, the person'"'"'s name, the telephone number, the email address, the birth date, the network identifier, the circuit identifier, or the street address from the user; and

determine if at least one of the username, the password, the person'"'"'s name, the telephone number, the email address, the birth date, the network identifier, the circuit identifier, or the street address received from the user matches at least one of the username, the password, the person'"'"'s name, the telephone number, the email address, the birth date, the network identifier, the circuit identifier, or the street address associated with the biometric information.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the certificate issuer is at a location different than a location of the user.

12. A tangible storage device or storage disc comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

verifying a second geographical location identified in a request to certify a digital signature by;

retrieving, from a first database, a first geographical location associated with an identification number associated with a network device and identified in the request, the network device associated with a user;

comparing the first geographical location associated with the identification number to the second geographical location identified in the request; and

certifying the digital signature to indicate an authenticity of the digital signature when the first geographical location matches the second geographical location.

13. The tangible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed cause the machine to supply a service other than digital signature certification.

14. The tangible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to obtain the identification number when the user requests the service other than the digital signature certification.

15. The tangible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to request the identification number associated with the network device.

16. The tangible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 12, wherein the first database associates identification numbers associated with network devices with at least one of a username, a password, a person'"'"'s name, a telephone number, an email address, a birth date, a network identifier, a circuit identifier, or a street address.

17. The tangible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 12, wherein the first database is at least one of an accounting database, an equipment inventory database, or a customer records database.

18. The tangible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 12, wherein the first database is associated with at least one of a telephone service provider, an internet access provider, a cable television service provider, a satellite television service provider, a credit card service provider, or a bank.

19. The tangible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 12, wherein the request to certify the digital signature includes biometric information.

20. The tangible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 19, wherein the biometric information comprising at least one of information about a fingerprint, information about a voice, information about an eye, information about a handprint, information about facial features, information about a signature, information about a typing pattern, or information about a writing style.

21. The tangible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 19, wherein physical characteristic information stored in a database associates the biometric information with at least one of a username, a password, a person'"'"'s name, a telephone number, an email address, a birth date, a network identifier, a circuit identifier, or a street address.

22. The tangible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 21, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

retrieve at least one of the username, the password, the person'"'"'s name, the telephone number, the email address, the birth date, the network identifier, the circuit identifier, or the street address associated with the biometric information;

receive at least one of the username, the password, the person'"'"'s name, the telephone number, the email address, the birth date, the network identifier, the circuit identifier, or the street address from the user; and

determine if at least one of the username, the password, the person'"'"'s name, the telephone number, the email address, the birth date, the network identifier, the circuit identifier, or the street address received from the user matches at least one of the username, the password, the person'"'"'s name, the telephone number, the email address, the birth date, the network identifier, the circuit identifier, or the street address associated with the biometric information.

23. The tangible storage device or storage disc of claim 12, wherein the digital signature is certified at a location different than a location of the user.

24. A method to certify a digital signature, the method comprising:

comparing biometric information associated with a user to stored biometric information;

verifying a second geographical location identified in a request to certify the digital signature by;

retrieving, from a first database, a first geographical location associated with an identification number associated with a network device and identified in the request;

comparing the first geographical location associated with the identification number to the second geographical location; and

determining that the first geographical location matches the second geographical location; and

certifying the digital signature to indicate an authenticity of the digital signature based on the comparison of the biometric information to the stored biometric information and the verification of the second geographical location.

25. The method as defined in claim 24, further comprising supplying a service other than digital signature certification.

26. The method as defined in claim 25, further comprising obtaining biometric information or physical characteristic information when a user requests the service other than the digital signature certification.

27. The method as defined in claim 24, further comprising requesting the identification number associated with the network device.

28. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein the first database is at least one of an accounting database, an equipment inventory database, or a customer records database.

29. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein the first database is associated with at least one of a telephone service provider, an internet access provider, a cable television service provider, a satellite television service provider, a credit card service provider, or a bank.

30. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein the biometric information is at least one of information about a fingerprint, information about a voice, information about an eye, information about a handprint, information about facial features, information about a signature, information about a typing pattern, or information about a writing style.

31. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein the stored biometric information is stored in a database that associates users'"'"' biometric information with at least one of a username, a password, a person'"'"'s name, a telephone number, an email address, a birth date, a network identifier, a circuit identifier, or a street address.

32. The method as defined in claim 31, wherein comparing the biometric information to stored biometric information comprises:

retrieving at least one of the username, the password, the person'"'"'s name, the telephone number, the email address, the birth date, the network identifier, the circuit identifier, or the street address associated with the biometric information;

receiving at least one of the username, the password, the person'"'"'s name, the telephone number, the email address, the birth date, the network identifier, the circuit identifier, or the street address from the user; and

determining if at least one of the username, the password, the person'"'"'s name, the telephone number, the email address, the birth date, the network identifier, the circuit identifier, or the street address received from the user matches at least one of the username, the password, the person'"'"'s name, the telephone number, the email address, the birth date, the network identifier, the circuit identifier or the street address associated with the biometric information.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein the digital signature is certified at a location different than a location of the user.