DETAILED ACTION
This communication responsive to the Application No. 18/929,706 filed on October 29, 2024. A preliminary amendment was filed on 02/17/2025 in which claims 16-22 have been canceled. Claims 1-15 are pending and are directed towards APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR CONTENT-BASED BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/06/2024 was Acknowledge. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. US 2023/0252120 A1 (hereinafter “Kim”) in view of Ahn et al. US 2022/0192530 A1 (hereinafter “Ahn”).
As per claim 1, Kim teaches an apparatus for increasing authenticity and security using multiple biometrics, the apparatus comprising:
two or more biometric sensors that each measure one or more biometric attributes of a user (The first and second modalities may be different modalities of plural modalities that may include a face image modality, a fingerprint image modality, an iris image modality, a vein image modality, a palmprint image modality, a signature modality, a voice modality, a gait modality, and/or a DNA structure modality of a user. Kim, para [0019]);
a processor; and a non-transitory memory comprising an authentication engine that runs on the processor (mobile apparatus includes a processor, and a memory storing instructions, which when executed by the processor configure the processor to perform a single authentication based on a first modality among plural modalities. Kim, para [0040]), wherein the authentication engine is configured to:
receive a request to authenticate the user (a user 50 performs a biometric recognition or authentication. Kim, para [0060]);
contextually determine which one or more of the two or more biometric sensors to use to authenticate the user (in a case of using a combined authentication of the face modality and the iris modality, both the first preview screen and the second preview screen may be controlled to not be displayed, both may be controlled to be displayed, or only the second preview screen may be controlled to be displayed. Kim, para [0154])( The two or more of the plural modalities may also be modalities selected by a user through a user interface for the authentication method. Kim, para [0017]);
prompt the user to use the one or more determined biometric sensors to measure the one or more biometric attributes of the user; measure the one or more biometric attributes of the user (a user may be selectively authenticated using an iris image and a face image. The iris image and the face image may be captured through an IR camera, a color camera, a monochrome camera, or a three-dimensional (3D) camera, as non-limiting examples. The 3D camera may include or be implemented as one or more respective various types of cameras such as a time-of-flight (ToF) camera and a structured light camera, noting that such types of 3D cameras are merely demonstrative examples and thus 3D camera examples herein are not limited thereto. In an example, the iris image may be captured through the IR camera or another type of camera, e.g., a color camera, configured to also capture IR information, while the face image is captured through the color camera, one or more other color cameras, or the example 3D camera. Thus, the iris image and the face image may be captured through various combinations of the above-mentioned cameras. Kim, para [0064]);
store the measured one or more biometric attributes (The enrollment DB 410 includes enrollment feature vectors for each modality. For example, the enrollment DB 410 may be provided for each of modalities or provided as a single unified DB including all the modalities. The enrollment DB 410 may be, or stored in, a memory of the authentication apparatus, and thus, such enrollment feature vectors may be requested and/or accessed from the enrollment DB 410 in the memory. Kim, para [0101]);
compare the measured one or more biometric attributes to one or more previously stored biometric attributes to authenticate the user (In response to (face score, iris score) satisfying the predetermined FAR in operation 630, the authentication apparatus determines whether a combination of the iris score and the face score, or a fusion score calculated by fusing the iris score and the face score, satisfies a combined authentication condition, in operation 650. In response to the combined authentication condition being satisfied, the authentication apparatus accepts the authentication. Kim, para [0122]); and
authenticate the user (In response to the combined authentication condition being satisfied, the authentication apparatus accepts the authentication. Kim, para [0122]);
wherein each of the two or more biometric sensors measure a different biometric attribute of the user (In response to (face score, iris score) satisfying the predetermined FAR in operation. Kim, para [0122]).
Kim does not explicitly teach one or more analog to digital signal converters that convert the one or more biometric attributes measured by the two or more biometric sensors from an analog signal to computer-readable digital data; convert, using the one or more analog to digital signal converters, the measured one or more biometric attributes to digital data.
However, Ahn teaches one or more analog to digital signal converters that convert the one or more biometric attributes measured by the two or more biometric sensors from an analog signal to computer-readable digital data; convert, using the one or more analog to digital signal converters, the measured one or more biometric attributes to digital data (an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert an analog biometric signal into a digital biometric signal. Ahn, para [0062])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the teaching of Kim in view of Ahn. One would be motivated to do so, to be able to analyze the biometrical data after converting them.
As per claim 2, Kim and Ahn teach the apparatus of claim 1 wherein the authentication engine contextually determines which one or more of the two or more biometric sensors to use to authenticate the user by analyzing one or more of:
when the request was received;
where the request was received from;
how the request was received;
who or what the request was received from (The authentication apparatus determines the first condition based on a determination of whether to emphasize security or whether to emphasize convenience, such for accessing or performing a face verification or authentication of a particular application to type of application. Kim, para [0095]);
who the request is for (a user executes a financial institution application such as a banking or stock trading application, the authentication apparatus determines the first condition such that a strict authentication is performed by emphasizing security. Kim, para [0095]); and
which biometric sensors are available to the user.
As per claim 3, Kim and Ahn teach the apparatus of claim 1 wherein the authentication engine contextually determines which one or more of the two or more biometric sensors to use to authenticate the user through a machine learning algorithm (The classifier 500 learns the parameter or a corresponding weight with respect to feature vectors, for example, using a support vector machine (SVM). Kim, para [0114]).
As per claim 4, Kim and Ahn teach the apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a communication link (a communication interface 1550, and sensors 1570. The processor 1510, the memory 1530, the communication interface 1550, and the sensors 1570 communicate with each other through a communication bus 1505. Kim, para [0172]).
As per claim 5, Kim and Ahn teach the apparatus of claim 4 wherein the previously stored biometric attributes are stored in a database remote from the apparatus (the authentication apparatus 1500 is connected to an external device, for example, a personal computer or a network, through the communication interface 1550, and thereby exchanges data with the external device, which may include the aforementioned example one or more modalities. The authentication apparatus 1500 may be a smart television, a smart phone, a smart vehicle, and various electronic systems, as non-limiting examples. Kim, para [0179]).
As per claim 6, Kim and Ahn teach the apparatus of claim 1 wherein one of the biometric sensors is a fingerprint scanner (The first and second modalities may be different modalities of plural modalities that may include a face image modality, a fingerprint image modality, an iris image modality, a vein image modality, a palmprint image modality, a signature modality, a voice modality, a gait modality, and/or a DNA structure modality of a user. Kim, para [0019]).
As per claim 7, Kim and Ahn teach the apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus is a mobile device (a user 50 performs a biometric recognition or authentication using an image sensor 110, an infrared (IR) sensor 120, or a fingerprint sensor 130 of a mobile device. Kim, para [0060]).
As per claim 8, Kim and Ahn teach the apparatus of claim 1 wherein one of the biometric sensors is a signature scanner (The first and second modalities may be different modalities of plural modalities that may include a face image modality, a fingerprint image modality, an iris image modality, a vein image modality, a palmprint image modality, a signature modality, a voice modality, a gait modality, and/or a DNA structure modality of a user. Kim, para [0019]).
As per claim 9, Kim and Ahn teach the apparatus of claim 1 wherein one of the biometric sensors is an iris scanner (The first and second modalities may be different modalities of plural modalities that may include a face image modality, a fingerprint image modality, an iris image modality, a vein image modality, a palmprint image modality, a signature modality, a voice modality, a gait modality, and/or a DNA structure modality of a user. Kim, para [0019]).
As per claim 10, Kim and Ahn teach the apparatus of claim 1 wherein one of the biometric sensors is a camera configured to scan one or more physical characteristics of the user (The first and second modalities may be different modalities of plural modalities that may include a face image modality, a fingerprint image modality, an iris image modality, a vein image modality, a palmprint image modality, a signature modality, a voice modality, a gait modality, and/or a DNA structure modality of a user. Kim, para [0019])
Claim(s) 11-12 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. US 2023/0252120 A1 (hereinafter “Kim”) in view of Abdallah et al. US 2010/0299002 A1 (hereinafter “Abdallah”).
As per claim 11, Kim teaches a method for increasing authentication and security using multiple biometrics, the method comprising:
receiving, at an authentication engine, a request to authenticate the user (a user 50 performs a biometric recognition or authentication. Kim, para [0060]);
contextually determining, at the authentication engine, which one or more of two or more biometric sensors to use to authenticate the user (in a case of using a combined authentication of the face modality and the iris modality, both the first preview screen and the second preview screen may be controlled to not be displayed, both may be controlled to be displayed, or only the second preview screen may be controlled to be displayed. Kim, para [0154])( The two or more of the plural modalities may also be modalities selected by a user through a user interface for the authentication method. Kim, para [0017]);
prompting the user to use the one or more contextually determined biometric sensors to measure one or more biometric attributes of the user; measuring the one or more biometric attributes of the user using the one or more contextually determined biometric sensors (a user may be selectively authenticated using an iris image and a face image. The iris image and the face image may be captured through an IR camera, a color camera, a monochrome camera, or a three-dimensional (3D) camera, as non-limiting examples. The 3D camera may include or be implemented as one or more respective various types of cameras such as a time-of-flight (ToF) camera and a structured light camera, noting that such types of 3D cameras are merely demonstrative examples and thus 3D camera examples herein are not limited thereto. In an example, the iris image may be captured through the IR camera or another type of camera, e.g., a color camera, configured to also capture IR information, while the face image is captured through the color camera, one or more other color cameras, or the example 3D camera. Thus, the iris image and the face image may be captured through various combinations of the above-mentioned cameras. Kim, para [0064]);
storing, temporarily, the measured one or more biometric attributes of the user (The enrollment DB 410 includes enrollment feature vectors for each modality. For example, the enrollment DB 410 may be provided for each of modalities or provided as a single unified DB including all the modalities. The enrollment DB 410 may be, or stored in, a memory of the authentication apparatus, and thus, such enrollment feature vectors may be requested and/or accessed from the enrollment DB 410 in the memory. Kim, para [0101]);
authenticating the user (In response to the combined authentication condition being satisfied, the authentication apparatus accepts the authentication. Kim, para [0122]); and
purging the measured one or more biometric attributes of the user (in response to the iris data and the face data being respectively captured by respective cameras of the authentication apparatus or requested or received from such respective cameras, or stored to and read from memories or buffers in which such data may temporarily be stored. Kim, para [0118]).
Kim does not explicitly teach storing, at a centralized database, two or more encrypted biometric attributes of a user; communicating with the centralized database; comparing the measured one or more biometric attributes to the two or more encrypted biometric attributes of the user stored at the centralized database.
However, Abdallah teaches storing, at a centralized database, two or more encrypted biometric attributes of a user (The individual's biometric template is stored in encrypted form along with account information in a centralized database. Abdallah, para [0014]);
communicating with the centralized database; comparing the measured one or more biometric attributes to the two or more encrypted biometric attributes of the user stored at the centralized database (When the individual desires to perform a transaction, such as boarding the aircraft, he submits his current biometric template via a template capture station at the gate. The template is then encrypted and verified against the encrypted template stored in the database, and the database returns an authorization or denial. Abdallah, para [0014])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the teaching of Kim in view of Abdallah. One would be motivated to do so, to enhance the security of the system by using encrypted biometric attributes stored at centralized database.
As per claim 12, Kim and Abdallah teach the method of claim 11 further comprising: measuring one or more biometric attributes of the user using a second biometric sensor, wherein the second biometric sensor is a different biometric sensor from the one or more of the two or more biometric sensors (In response to (face score, iris score) satisfying the predetermined FAR in operation 630, the authentication apparatus determines whether a combination of the iris score and the face score, or a fusion score calculated by fusing the iris score and the face score, satisfies a combined authentication condition, in operation 650. In response to the combined authentication condition being satisfied, the authentication apparatus accepts the authentication. Kim, para [0122]).
As per claim 14, Kim and Abdallah teach the method of claim 11 wherein, when the request to authenticate the user requires a plurality of biometric attributes of the user, the contextually determined biometric sensors are a plurality of biometric sensors (in a case of using a combined authentication of the face modality and the iris modality, both the first preview screen and the second preview screen may be controlled to not be displayed, both may be controlled to be displayed, or only the second preview screen may be controlled to be displayed. Kim, para [0154])( The two or more of the plural modalities may also be modalities selected by a user through a user interface for the authentication method. Kim, para [0017]).
As per claim 15, Kim and Abdallah teach the method of claim 11 wherein when the request to authenticate the user requires a plurality of biometric attributes of the user, prompting the user to use two or more distinct biometric sensors (in a case of using a combined authentication of the face modality and the iris modality, both the first preview screen and the second preview screen may be controlled to not be displayed, both may be controlled to be displayed, or only the second preview screen may be controlled to be displayed. Kim, para [0154])( The two or more of the plural modalities may also be modalities selected by a user through a user interface for the authentication method. Kim, para [0017]).
Claim(s) 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. US 2023/0252120 A1 (hereinafter “Kim”) in view of Abdallah et al. US 2010/0299002 A1 (hereinafter “Abdallah”) and further in view of Ahn et al. US 2022/0192530 A1 (hereinafter “Ahn”).
As per claim 13, Kim and Abdallah teach the method of claim 11. Kim does not explicitly teach the method further comprising converting, using one or more analog to digital signal converters, the measured one or more biometric attributes to digital data.
However, Ahn teaches converting, using one or more analog to digital signal converters, the measured one or more biometric attributes to digital data (an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert an analog biometric signal into a digital biometric signal. Ahn, para [0062]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the system of Kim in view of Ahn. One would be motivated to do so, to be able to analyze the biometrical data after converting them.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
A. Huang et al. US 10,169,558 B2 directed to enhancing biometric security of a system.
B. Chang et al. US 2018/0285544 A1 directed to method for adaptive authentication and electronic device.
C. Anderson et al. US 2017/0091433 A1 directed to techniques to determine distinctiveness of a biometric input in a biometric system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KHALID M ALMAGHAYREH whose telephone number is (571)272-0179. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8AM-5PM EST & Friday variable.
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Respectfully submitted
/KHALID M ALMAGHAYREH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2492
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