Biometric Smart Card Authentication for Secure OTP Provision

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing OTP devices are vulnerable to unauthorized access when lost or stolen, as they can generate and use one-time passwords without user authentication.

Innovation Solution

Integrating a biometric sensor with a smart card to authenticate users before providing one-time passwords, ensuring that only authorized users can access the OTP device.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If OTP devices are made portable and accessible, then ease of operation is improved, but security against unauthorized access deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveportability and accessibilityVSAvoidsecurity against unauthorized access

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a biometric sensor as an intermediary authentication mechanism between the user and the OTP device. The biometric sensor verifies the user's identity before allowing OTP generation, creating a security layer that prevents unauthorized access while maintaining portability. This mediator resolves the contradiction by adding authentication without compromising device accessibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If biometric authentication is added to OTP devices, then security is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesecurityVSAvoidsystem architecture

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the authentication system into separate functional modules: a biometric sensor module for identity verification, a cryptographic module for OTP generation, and a control module for coordinating operations. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall system architecture by distributing complexity across modular units rather than concentrating it in a single complex structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Speed

If biometric data is stored locally for authentication, then authentication speed is improved, but privacy and security risks increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication speedVSAvoidprivacy and security risks

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the biometric data storage function from the OTP device and relocates it to a secure element or external authentication server. This extraction removes the privacy and security risks associated with storing sensitive biometric data in the OTP device while maintaining fast authentication performance. The OTP device only retains the cryptographic functionality, separating data storage from data processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS12567970B2Method for managing a one-time-password

Publication Date: 2026.03.03 THALES DIS FRANCE SA

AI summary

Provided is a method for providing a One-Time-Password by an OTP device that when configured establishes a communication session between the OTP device and a card embedding a biometric sensor, sends to the card, a request to get a cryptographic value computed from an identifier of the card, tries to authenticate a user through said biometric sensor and automatically releasing the cryptographic value in case of success only, sends the cryptographic value from the card to the OTP device, checks, by the OTP device, the cryptographic value by using a reference value, and provides the One-Time-Password by the OTP device only in case of success. Other embodiments disclosed.