EyeLock patents technology to sequentially link iris and facial biometrics

EyeLock has been granted a U.S. patent for technology that links an iris image with a face image acquired in sequence (during the same transaction), which marks its 45th issued patent.

Originally filed on May 14, 2015, Patent No. 9,613,281 is titled “Methods for performing biometric recognition of a human eye and corroboration of same”.

The patent application details a biometric recognition method that collects multiple face images or other non-iris images, along with an iris image of an individual.

If the multiple images are determined to establish an expected sequence of images, the face and iris images are associated together.

“The issuance of our latest patent is very timely given the multi-modal biometric capabilities that have recently come to market on flagship smartphones,” EyeLock CEO Jim Demitrieus said. “The patent is for a method in which images of the iris and face are tracked in a sequence that validates that both images are from the same, live person. The importance in the process is the real-time tracking that links the iris image to the face image.”

As an example, Demitrieus states how a mobile phone integrating EyeLock’s patented method would use iris authentication sequentially linked to facial imaging or recognition to ascertain that the person performing the transaction is real and not a machine or a hacker.

The company’s patented method is important to the Internet of Things (IoT) framework for several reasons, such as providing a defense measure against fraud by assuring that iris biometrics are obtained in real time from the same live individual as the facial image, even if these images are captured by different cameras.

The method ensures stronger authentication where both iris and facial images are used in multi-factor authentication; as well as the continuous authentication of a user in which iris and facial biometrics can be switched as they are available.

The patented method provides non-repudiation of biometrics, deterrence for fraud, and an effective means for user redress — in a biometrics-authorized transaction by capturing and retaining a corresponding, recognizable facial image for the transaction that is retrievable as needed.

EyeLock’s approach also ensures greater flexibility by offering designs that have either on-board or host-based processing and illumination.

Independent biometric testing firm Novetta has validated the algorithm performance capabilities for speed and accuracy as being unmatched in the market.

The EyeLock reference designs have working distances of up to 60 cm (23.6 inches) with a false accept rate of 1 in 1.5 million for single eye authentication and a false reject rate of less than 1 percent.

Previously reported, EyeLock is exhibiting its outdoor iris identity authentication solution, nano EXT, as well as several other solutions, this week at ISC West 2017 in Las Vegas.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  EyeLock  |  facial recognition  |  iris recognition  |  Novetta  |  patents