Recoverable biometric identity system and method

Abstract

A method for identifying persons based on biometric data achieves enhanced security and increased accuracy compared with other systems by distorting one or more biometrics prior to detection and recognition. The method includes detecting a distorted biometric for input into an identification system, comparing the distorted biometric to one or more distortion patterns, and determining an identity of the person based on results of the comparison. The biometric may be an eye pattern, a fingerprint or palm print, a voice print, a handwriting sample, a DNA sample, a facial image, or any other type of characteristic or behavioral attribute of a person. The biometric may be distorted in any one of a variety of ways for comparison to previously enrolled biometrics which have been distorted using the same or similar element. A system and program embodied within a computer-readable medium performs the steps of the method.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims benefit of provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60 / 470,204 filed on May 14, 2003 and provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60 / 436,996 filed on Dec. 31, 2002. The contents of these provisional applications are incorporated by reference herein. This application also incorporates by reference the subject matter in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / _______ entitled “Fingerprint Reader Using Surface Acoustic Wave Device” (Attorney Docket No. IQB-0020), pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / ______, filed on entitled “System and Method for Performing Security Access Control Based on Modified Biometric Data” (Attorney Docket No. IQB-0021), and pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / ______ entitled “System and Method for Performing Personal Identification Based on Biometric Data Recovered Using Surface Acoustic Waves” (Attorney Docket No. IQB-0022).BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021] By distorting the biometric before it is input into the system, the present invention ensures that system security cannot be breached by theft of the biometric itself. The distortion element therefore in effect serves as a key which when combined with the biometric provides two degrees of uniqueness which must be satisfied before a positive identification result can be confirmed. Moreover, if the distorted biometric of a person is ever lost or stolen, the present invention can easily re-enroll biometrics into the system or switch to a different previously enrolled biometric altered using a different unique distortion element. Additional embodiments contemplated combining three or more degrees of uniqueness for providing an even greater level of security.

Problems solved by technology

While existing biometric systems have proven effective, they are not without drawbacks.

Perhaps most significantly, these systems can be breached using stolen biometric data.

Unable to determine the source of the fingerprint, the system will grant access to the thief to thereby causing a breach.

Existing biometric systems have also proven to be inaccurate because they are one-dimensional in nature, e.g., they perform identification verification based on only form of biometric data.

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