WO2000062474A1 - Method of and means for effecting secure communication - Google Patents

Method of and means for effecting secure communication Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2000062474A1
WO2000062474A1 PCT/GB2000/001339 GB0001339W WO0062474A1 WO 2000062474 A1 WO2000062474 A1 WO 2000062474A1 GB 0001339 W GB0001339 W GB 0001339W WO 0062474 A1 WO0062474 A1 WO 0062474A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
document
biometric template
recipient
intended recipient
template
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB2000/001339
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Andrew Drabble
Original Assignee
Identalink Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Identalink Limited filed Critical Identalink Limited
Priority to AU38300/00A priority Critical patent/AU3830000A/en
Priority to EP00917208A priority patent/EP1169808A1/en
Publication of WO2000062474A1 publication Critical patent/WO2000062474A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L9/00—Cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communications; Network security protocols
    • H04L9/08—Key distribution or management, e.g. generation, sharing or updating, of cryptographic keys or passwords
    • H04L9/0861—Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
    • H04L9/0866—Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a method of and means for effecting secure communication.
  • a method of effecting secure communication said method induding:- a) producing a document for transmission, b) encoding the document using a biometric template of the intended recipient, c) transmitting the document, d) decoding the document using a biometric template taken from a live image of the recipient, and e) displaying the decoded document.
  • the biometric template of the intended recipient is preferably a facial biometric template but, if higher levels of security are required, a fingerprint template of the intended recipient may also be included.
  • means for effecting secure communication comprising:- a) means for encoding a document using a biometric template of the intended recipient, b) means for decoding the document using a biometric template taken from a live image of the recipient, and c) means for displaying the decoded document.
  • the biometric template of the intended recipient is preferably a facial biometric template, but a fingerprint template of the intended recipient may also be included.
  • the means for encoding the document will preferably be a computer programmed to incorporate the relevant data in an encrypted data file, such as a two-dimensional barcode, with the biometric template acting as a 1528 encryption key.
  • the means for decoding the document will preferably include a suitably programmed computer linked to a camera so that the computer can capture a live facial image of the recipient and, if it matches the encoded template, allow the recipient to read the document.
  • the receiving computer will also include a connection to a fingerprint reader such that the receiving computer can compare the encoded facial biometric template and the fingerprint template with the live images which it is receiving and display or allow access to the document only when a complete match is obtained.
  • the single figure of the accompanying drawing is a flow diagram showing the encryption, transmission and reception of secure documents using facial biometric templates.
  • a sender wishing to transmit a secure email has access to a facial biometric template of the intended recipient, either by access from a certified server or by received email.
  • the facial biometric template can be produced using software supplied by the present applicants.
  • the sender produces the document which he or she wishes to transmit and, by means of a computer 10, encrypts that document using the facial biometric template of the recipient, which acts as a 1528 encryption key and is transported in an encrypted data file, for example, a two-dimensional barcode.
  • the receiver will save the incoming document on his or her hard disc or any other storage media, using a digital camera linked to the computer 11 , which will take his or her live image.
  • the software installed in the computer 11 will then create a facial biometric template of the recipient using the live image of the recipient taken with the digital camera.
  • the software will then open the received document and attempt to decode it using this live image-based facial biometric template. If this live image-based facial biometric template matches the encrypted facial biometric template, the transmitted document will then be decoded, so that it can either be displayed on the screen of the computer 11 or printed out. If, of course, the live image-based facial biometric template does not match the encrypted facial biometric template, the transmitted document will not be decoded and will thus not be made available to the recipient.
  • the arrangement will thus be such that the intended recipient must be in front of the camera linked to the computer 11 while the comparison with the encrypted facial biometric template is carried out to enable decoding of the document to be effected.
  • the floppy disc or CD will be inserted into the computer 11 and the procedure outlined above then carried out by the recipient.
  • the encrypted document is produced using not only a facial biometric template but also a fingerprint template such that decoding of the transmitted document will only be effected when the fingerprint of the intended recipient, as well as the facial image of the intended recipient, is made available to the computer 11.
  • the computer 11 will accordingly be provided with a fingerprint reader.
  • the system will normally be such that it can run on computers using any standard operating system such as “Linux”, “Win95”, Win98”, “Win NT 4.0", “Win2000” or “UNIX” with a modem link.
  • Software supplied by the applicants under the trade mark "FaceMail” will be installed on the computers of both the sender and the recipient.
  • the encrypted email can be received at any computer and decoded provided that the dedicated software is installed and that the intended recipient is physically present. If the intended recipient is not present, it will not be possible to decode the encrypted email.

Abstract

A document is produced for transmission and is encoded by a computer (10) using a facial biometric template of the intended recipient. The document is transmitted to a computer (11) linked to a digital camera for taking a live image of the recipient. The computer (11) produces a live image-based facial biometric template of the recipient and, if it matches the transmitted template, the transmitted document will be decoded.

Description

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR EFFECTING SECURE
COMMUNICATION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of and means for effecting secure communication.
With the proliferation of the methods of communication and the increasing use of electronic mail (hereinafter referred to for convenience as "email"), there is a requirement for a method of and means for ensuring that secure information can only be read by the intended recipient.
It is an object of the present invention to meet that requirement.
Summary of the Invention
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of effecting secure communication, said method induding:- a) producing a document for transmission, b) encoding the document using a biometric template of the intended recipient, c) transmitting the document, d) decoding the document using a biometric template taken from a live image of the recipient, and e) displaying the decoded document.
The biometric template of the intended recipient is preferably a facial biometric template but, if higher levels of security are required, a fingerprint template of the intended recipient may also be included.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided means for effecting secure communication, said means comprising:- a) means for encoding a document using a biometric template of the intended recipient, b) means for decoding the document using a biometric template taken from a live image of the recipient, and c) means for displaying the decoded document.
As mentioned above, the biometric template of the intended recipient is preferably a facial biometric template, but a fingerprint template of the intended recipient may also be included.
The means for encoding the document will preferably be a computer programmed to incorporate the relevant data in an encrypted data file, such as a two-dimensional barcode, with the biometric template acting as a 1528 encryption key.
The means for decoding the document will preferably include a suitably programmed computer linked to a camera so that the computer can capture a live facial image of the recipient and, if it matches the encoded template, allow the recipient to read the document.
For the higher level of security, the receiving computer will also include a connection to a fingerprint reader such that the receiving computer can compare the encoded facial biometric template and the fingerprint template with the live images which it is receiving and display or allow access to the document only when a complete match is obtained.
Brief Description of the Drawing
The single figure of the accompanying drawing is a flow diagram showing the encryption, transmission and reception of secure documents using facial biometric templates.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
A sender wishing to transmit a secure email has access to a facial biometric template of the intended recipient, either by access from a certified server or by received email. The facial biometric template can be produced using software supplied by the present applicants. The sender produces the document which he or she wishes to transmit and, by means of a computer 10, encrypts that document using the facial biometric template of the recipient, which acts as a 1528 encryption key and is transported in an encrypted data file, for example, a two-dimensional barcode.
Having encrypted the document, it is transmitted to the intended recipient by email, FTP, or using any other electronic/digital carrier. If transmission is effected by email, the communication will be from the sender's computer 10 to the recipient's computer 11.
The receiver will save the incoming document on his or her hard disc or any other storage media, using a digital camera linked to the computer 11 , which will take his or her live image. The software installed in the computer 11 will then create a facial biometric template of the recipient using the live image of the recipient taken with the digital camera. The software will then open the received document and attempt to decode it using this live image-based facial biometric template. If this live image-based facial biometric template matches the encrypted facial biometric template, the transmitted document will then be decoded, so that it can either be displayed on the screen of the computer 11 or printed out. If, of course, the live image-based facial biometric template does not match the encrypted facial biometric template, the transmitted document will not be decoded and will thus not be made available to the recipient. The arrangement will thus be such that the intended recipient must be in front of the camera linked to the computer 11 while the comparison with the encrypted facial biometric template is carried out to enable decoding of the document to be effected.
If the communication is transmitted by floppy disc or CD, the floppy disc or CD will be inserted into the computer 11 and the procedure outlined above then carried out by the recipient.
For situations in which extremely high security is required, i.e. beyond that achieved by the use of a facial biometric template, the encrypted document is produced using not only a facial biometric template but also a fingerprint template such that decoding of the transmitted document will only be effected when the fingerprint of the intended recipient, as well as the facial image of the intended recipient, is made available to the computer 11. The computer 11 will accordingly be provided with a fingerprint reader.
The system will normally be such that it can run on computers using any standard operating system such as "Linux", "Win95", Win98", "Win NT 4.0", "Win2000" or "UNIX" with a modem link. Software supplied by the applicants under the trade mark "FaceMail" will be installed on the computers of both the sender and the recipient.
It will be appreciated that the encrypted email can be received at any computer and decoded provided that the dedicated software is installed and that the intended recipient is physically present. If the intended recipient is not present, it will not be possible to decode the encrypted email.

Claims

Claims:-
1. A method of effecting secure communication, said method including:- a) producing a document for transmission, b) encoding the document using a biometric template of the intended recipient, c) transmitting the document, d) decoding the document using a biometric template taken from a live image of the recipient, and e) displaying the decoded document.
2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 , in which the biometric template of the intended recipient is a facial biometric template.
3. A method as claimed in Claim 2, in which the biometric template of the intended recipient also includes a fingerprint template of the intended recipient.
4. Means for effecting secure communication, said means comprising:- a) means for encoding a document using a biometric template of the intended recipient, b) means for decoding the document using a biometric template taken from a live image of the recipient, and c) means for displaying the decoded document.
5. Means for effecting secure communication as claimed in Claim 4, in which the biometric template of the intended recipient is a facial biometric template.
6. Means for effecting secure communication as claimed in Claim 5, in which the biometric template of the intended recipient also includes a fingerprint template.
7. Means for effecting secure communication as claimed in Claim 4, in which the means for encoding the document is a computer programmed to encrypt the relevant data in an encrypted data file.
8. Means for effecting secure communication as claimed in Claim 5, in which the means for decoding the document includes a suitably programmed computer linked to a camera so that the camera can capture a live facial image of the recipient and, if it matches the encoded template, allow the recipient to read the document.
PCT/GB2000/001339 1999-04-09 2000-04-10 Method of and means for effecting secure communication WO2000062474A1 (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU38300/00A AU3830000A (en) 1999-04-09 2000-04-10 Method of and means for effecting secure communication
EP00917208A EP1169808A1 (en) 1999-04-09 2000-04-10 Method of and means for effecting secure communication

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9908068A GB9908068D0 (en) 1999-04-09 1999-04-09 Method of and means for effecting secure communication
GB9908068.1 1999-04-09

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2000062474A1 true WO2000062474A1 (en) 2000-10-19

Family

ID=10851186

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB2000/001339 WO2000062474A1 (en) 1999-04-09 2000-04-10 Method of and means for effecting secure communication

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1169808A1 (en)
AU (1) AU3830000A (en)
GB (1) GB9908068D0 (en)
WO (1) WO2000062474A1 (en)

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE4243908A1 (en) * 1992-12-23 1994-06-30 Gao Ges Automation Org Digital signature signal generation
WO1998052317A1 (en) * 1997-05-16 1998-11-19 Veridicom, Inc. Identification and security using biometric measurements
WO1999033219A1 (en) * 1997-12-19 1999-07-01 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Administration and utilization of private keys in a networked environment

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE4243908A1 (en) * 1992-12-23 1994-06-30 Gao Ges Automation Org Digital signature signal generation
WO1998052317A1 (en) * 1997-05-16 1998-11-19 Veridicom, Inc. Identification and security using biometric measurements
WO1999033219A1 (en) * 1997-12-19 1999-07-01 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Administration and utilization of private keys in a networked environment

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU3830000A (en) 2000-11-14
EP1169808A1 (en) 2002-01-09
GB9908068D0 (en) 1999-06-02

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
CA2130531C (en) Method and apparatus for verification of classes of documents
JP3754297B2 (en) Safety system that uses continuously changing features of the body part as a key
CA2109554C (en) Secure document and method and apparatus for producing and authenticating same
US6081610A (en) System and method for verifying signatures on documents
EP1238321B1 (en) Method and system for generating a secure electronic signature
US6769061B1 (en) Invisible encoding of meta-information
US7475251B2 (en) Multimedia output device having embedded encryption functionality
US8571212B2 (en) Image encrypting device, image decrypting device and method
US5801856A (en) Secure photographic systems
US6434561B1 (en) Method and system for accessing electronic resources via machine-readable data on intelligent documents
US20050097335A1 (en) Secure document access method and apparatus
US20050268089A1 (en) Printing system and method that support security function
AU2003276864B2 (en) Cryptographically secure person identification
JP2002519911A (en) Secure storage device for digital camera data transfer
IL137099A (en) Method for carrying out secure digital signature and a system therefor
US20060021066A1 (en) Data encryption system and method
CA2302200A1 (en) Digital signature generating server and digital signature generating method
JP2003514490A (en) Encryption key management system using multiple smart cards
US20160037347A1 (en) Method for granting a plurality of electronic communication devices access to a local area network
EP1280098A1 (en) Electronic signing of documents
US20020077983A1 (en) Ticket management system, ticket issuance apparatus, ticket input apparatus, its control method, and computer readable storage medium storing programs for realizing functions of such method
JP2006048651A (en) Network print system and facsimile communication system
EP0984615A2 (en) Document management method and apparatus, and recording medium therefor
WO2000062474A1 (en) Method of and means for effecting secure communication
US20040143740A1 (en) Method of using hardware-type electronic signature in e-mail handling system

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AK Designated states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AE AG AL AM AT AU AZ BA BB BG BR BY CA CH CN CR CU CZ DE DK DM DZ EE ES FI GB GD GE GH GM HR HU ID IL IN IS JP KE KG KP KR KZ LC LK LR LS LT LU LV MA MD MG MK MN MW MX NO NZ PL PT RO RU SD SE SG SI SK SL TJ TM TR TT TZ UA UG US UZ VN YU ZA ZW

AL Designated countries for regional patents

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): GH GM KE LS MW SD SL SZ TZ UG ZW AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU TJ TM AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN GW ML MR NE SN TD TG

121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application
DFPE Request for preliminary examination filed prior to expiration of 19th month from priority date (pct application filed before 20040101)
WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 2000917208

Country of ref document: EP

WWP Wipo information: published in national office

Ref document number: 2000917208

Country of ref document: EP

REG Reference to national code

Ref country code: DE

Ref legal event code: 8642

WWW Wipo information: withdrawn in national office

Ref document number: 2000917208

Country of ref document: EP

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: JP