Global ID patents protocols for biometric device as identity credential

Finger vein recognition has drawn increasing attention from the biometrics community in recent years, with more patents being granted and research published.

Swiss-based finger vein biometrics startup Global ID has claimed a new patent from the European Patent Office for its BioID Security Protocol.

The European patent No. 20723528.4 describes a series of protocols that enable a small, tamper-resistant device to be used as a biometric identity document, which can be scanned by authorized terminals. In a proof of concept, Global ID implemented the protocols on JavaCard using finger vein recognition.

“Unlike biometric passports, GLOBAL ID’s protocols do not disclose any digital evidence and are essentially deniable,” the company says. “Additionally, accessing identity information from the device requires passing through an access control. This access control can follow either a strong path based on a public key infrastructure (PKI) or a weak path based on a password, offering different functionalities.

Global ID received two patents for finger-vein authentication systems and methods for enterprise access control last year. It also announced that its VenoScanner device for capturing biometric data was in production.

The company is betting on finger vein biometrics for authentication to support Zero Trust architecture in access control applications, transaction validation and data encryption.

New paper delves into finger vein recognition illumination

One obstacle that finger vein recognition faces is the impact of illumination and imaging processes on image quality. Images may end up blurred or have different contrast and intensity areas. New research from the Dutch University of Twente presents a model for improving fingerprint vein acquisition devices which can lead to improved image quality and recognition.

The researcher analyzes the impact of finger bones, blood, soft tissues and blood vessels on the imaging process. Based on these models, the paper suggests improvements to the illumination settings of finger vein scanning devices that will lead to better recognition performance.

“We recommend designing finger vein sensors using narrow bundles and more compact with side illumination,” writes the study’s author Pesigrihastamadya Normakristagaluh.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  biometrics research  |  finger vein  |  Global ID  |  patents  |  vein biometrics  |  vein recognition