Biometric authentication methods patented for ID document and subdermal watch imaging

Global ID has been granted a patent by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for a protocol to reinforce exchanges of data between a chip in an identity document and a biometric recognition terminal.

The patented protocol for a ‘Method, Electronic Identity Object, and Terminal for Recognizing and/or Identifying a User’ was developed by researchers with the Security and Cryptography Lab of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (LASEC/EPFL), including Global ID CEO Dr. Lambert Sonna. The patent describes steps for establishing a wireless connection between the digital identity credential and the terminal, verifying if the terminal is allowed to communicate with it, and sharing a secret in the event of a positive response. The shared secret is used to establish an encrypted symmetric data link, and then transmit the digital identity information, likely biometrics, to the terminal for verification.

Since the patent application was filed 20 months ago, Global ID says it has progressed significantly on miniaturization of its scanners with partner CSEM’s technology, as well as development of its contactless vein biometric scanner with Idiap.

Apple Watch could provide subepidermal biometric authentication

Apple has been granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for biometric authentication with Apple Watch based on subepidermal imaging of features like veins, bones, or skin pigmentation, according to Patently Apple.

The patent for a ‘Wearable electronic device having a light field camera usable to perform bioauthentication from a dorsal side of a forearm near a wrist’ describes a light field camera on the bottom of the watch face, which captures an image and applies a synthetic focussing operation to construct an image of at least one layer of the forearm. Features such as hair follicle pattern, vascular pattern, vein or artery pattern, blood perfusion in the skin or tendons, or patterns of skim pigmentation, pores, and bone shape can be obtained for comparison to a reference image in this way.

The document explains that the invention is intended to solve the problem of how to fit a biometric authentication capability onto the form factor of a wearable like a watch, while also dealing with the complications to using the area covered by a watch posed by arm hair.

The patent was applied for in March, 2019.

Article Topics

Apple  |  authentication  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  Global ID  |  identity document  |  identity verification  |  wearables