Facial Template Verification for Secure Hands-Free Transactions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current transaction systems do not adequately prevent illegitimate users from updating biometric information associated with user payment accounts, compromising the security of hands-free transactions.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for processing hands-free transactions using facial recognition, where a user's facial template is generated and associated with their account, and subsequent updates are verified by comparing new facial images against the existing template, ensuring that only authorized changes are made, thereby maintaining account security.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If biometric information is allowed to be updated freely for hands-free transactions, then ease of operation is improved, but security is worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of updating biometric informationVSAvoidsecurity of transaction system
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary comparison of the new biometric data against the existing template before allowing any update. The facial recognition system generates a new template from the submitted image and compares it with the stored template to verify identity match, ensuring the user is authorized before permitting the update operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides feedback by comparing the new biometric submission against the existing template and only permits updates when the comparison confirms identity authenticity. The system evaluates whether the new facial template matches the existing one and provides conditional approval based on this feedback, preventing unauthorized changes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If facial recognition is implemented for hands-free transactions, then productivity is improved, but device complexity is worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransaction processing speedVSAvoidcomplexity of biometric verification system
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a simplified digital copy (facial template) of the user's biometric data and stores it for quick comparison during transactions. Instead of performing complex real-time facial analysis during each transaction, the system uses the pre-generated template for rapid matching, significantly improving transaction speed while maintaining security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The facial template is generated and stored in advance during account setup or first transaction. This preliminary action eliminates the need for complex real-time facial recognition processing during subsequent transactions, as the system only needs to compare against the pre-existing template, thereby improving productivity without adding ongoing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3374916B1Facial profile modification for hands free transactions
Publication Date: 2023.12.13 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP3374916B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3374916B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3374916B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An account management system establishes a facial template for a user based on an image. The user computing device, signed into a payment application at the merchant location, receives an identifier from a merchant beacon device to transmit to the account management system, which transmits payment tokens based on payment account data and facial templates to the merchant POS device for each user signed in at the merchant location. The merchant POS device identifies the user by comparing a captured image of the user against the received facial templates and transmits the payment token to an issuer system. At a later time, the account management system receives, from a user computing device, a subsequent user image and generates a subsequent facial template. If the difference of the subsequent facial template is less than a threshold from the existing facial template, the subsequent facial template is associated with the user account.