Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2102~
METEIOD FOR VISUAL AUTHENTICATION BY IMAGES
TRANSMlTTED OVER A TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM
Back~round of the ~vention
This invention is generally directed to the process of verifying a
5 person's identity or authority for a particular purpose. This invention is particularly,
but not exclusively, suited for use in permitting a merchant to visually authenticate if
a person requesdng to charge a purchase to a credit card is authorized to utilize the
corresponding credit card account.
Various types of encrypdon keys and secret passwords have been
10 udlized to authenticate the authority of a person to obtain access to restricted
information or locations. Encrypted messages may be transmitted over the public
switched telephone network to a receiving party having a decrypting key allowingthe receiving party to recover a corresponding plain text message. The use of
encryption keys for authendcadon purposes require reladvely sophistdcated
15 communicadon devices and system control in order to rernain effecdve.
Authendcadon that a person is authorized to enter into a financial
transacdon in a business setdng normally relies upon convendonal pracdces. For
example, a merchant desiring to authendcate a person's authority to make a credit
card purchase may compare a signature on the back of a credit card to the signature
20 of the person requesdng such a purchase. Personal idendficatdon can be made by
comparing a photograph disposed on a credit card or other idendficadon such as adriver's license to the person seeking to make a credit card purchase. It is also
known to udlize a personal identificadon number (PIN) as a password which may berequired to be entered or given for a requested transacdon to be processed, such as
25 when udlizing an automadc teller machine.
The use of photographs for authendcadon is desirable for normal
business use. However, enclosing photographs in a credit card is reladvely
expensive for the company issuing the credit card. The proUem becomes even more
difficult when a prirnary credit card applicant desires to have other persons
30 authorized to utilize the same card. It is possible for a person seeking to defraud a
merchant to tamper with a credit card or other idendficatdon so as to replace anexisting photograph with ths photograph of the person seeking to commit the fraud.
Thus, there exists a need for an improved method by which visual authendcadon can
be made of persons seeking to gain access to restricted rights or accounts.
21~'~46~
Summary of the Inventioo
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved
authentication method wherein an inquirer is automatically provided a visual image
of the authorized user(s) associated with an identificadon data word such as a credit
5 card number.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a merchant
utilizes a point-of-sale terrninal to transmit a credit card number via a
cornmunication channel to an authorization database. The database contains the
validation status of each credit card number or account and a corresponding field(s)
10 of pictures of authorized users of each credit card number. Upon processing arequest for credit card validation and determining the credit card number to be valid,
the database transmits the digitally stored picture(s) to a visual display terminal of
the merchant preferably in combinadon with a confirmation number indicating
authorization to charge the account, thereby enabling the merchant to make a visual
15 comparison to authenticate the authority of the person presenting the credit card.
Brief Description of the Drawin~
FIG. 1 illustrates a pictorial representation of a telecommunicadons
system, which in accordance with the present invendon, can be utilized to provide
visual authentication.
20 Detailed Description
FIG. 1 illustrates a system which incorporates an embodiment of the
present invendon. In the exemplary embodiment, a merchant or inquirer at
locatdon 10 has access to a credit card reader 12, a point-of-sale tenninal 14 and a
visual display terminal 16 which may comprise an AT~T VideoPhone. The
25 magnedc card reader 12 reads the account number typically embedded on a magnetic
strip on the card as credit card 18 is passed through the reader. The account number
is transmitted by reader 12 over data channel 20 to point-of-sale terminal 14. The
video display terminal 16 is coupled by comrnunicadon channel 22 with
communicadon link 24 indirectly through point-of-sale terminal 14.
Communicadon channel 24 couples the point-of-sale terminal 14 and
video display terminal 16 to a telephone central office 26. The central of fice 26
which may comprise an AT&T 5ESSt9 switch, is coMected to a switched
network 28 by communication channel 30. The switch network 28 may comprise
part of the public switched telephone network or a private communications network.
35 A service circuit node 32 such as available from AT&T is coupled to switch
network 28 by communicadon channel 34. The service circuit node 32 comprises a
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computer controlled peripheral to a switching network and is utilized to provideauxiliary services. A database 36 is coupled to the service circuit node 32 by
communication channel 38. The database 36 in accordance with the preferred
embodiment of the present invention comprises an independent computer controlled5 database in which data is stored in a nonvolatile storage memory such a computer
disk drive.
In the illustrative embodiment, database 36 stores data in a format as
shown in table 40 in which data is stored in different fields for each credit card
number or account. The table consists of a matrix in which different credit card10 numbers are stored in colurnn 42. Each row of the table contains information related
to the corresponding credit card number. Column 44 is a validation field udlized to
determine if the corresponding credit card number is valid. Column 46 contains the
remaining credit reserve of the credit card account. Columns 44, 50, and 52 contain
visual data VDl, VD2, and VD(N), respectively, which represent visual information
15 for each credit card number. The visual data comprises digitized images such as
pictures of authorized users which may be stored in a compressed data format in the
table in order to conserve storage space. In the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, it is contemplated that a picture of each authorized user will be stored in
the visual data fields. However, other visual information such as images of the
20 signature of authorized users or fingerprints of authorized users could be utilized. As
used herein, visual information means a pictorial representation of a feature orattribute of a person which can aid in identifying the person. It will be apparent that
the information contained in table 40 must be collected for each credit card number
in database 36 in order to be utilized for validation purposes discussed below. It will
25 also be apparent that table 40 will need to be updated in order to maintain current
and accurate data relating to each credit card number or account.
In accordance with an exemplary method of the present invention, visual
information is provided by the telecommunications system to help a merchant or
inquirer validate that the person requesting to make a credit card purchase is
30 authorized. Although this example focuses on credit card usage and authentication
of persons authorized, it will be apparent that the method in accordance with the
present invendon can be udlized to validate or authendcate persons requiring access
to various benefits or locations in additdon to the illustrative example.
Upon a customer's request for a credit card purchase, the merchant
', 35 transmits an ;dendficadon data word such as the credit card number via a
telecommunicadons system to a database having credit card validadon capability.
210~
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Typically, the merchant may utilize the credit card reader 12 to automatically read
the credit card number from credit card 18 by passing the credit card through the
reader. The credit card number is transmitted to a point-of-sale terminal 14 located
at the merchant location 10. The point-of-sale terrninal utilizing conventional
5 modem technology transmits the request for validadon including credit card number
by channel 24 to a destination having validation capabilities. In the illustrative
example the request is processed and passes through central of fice 26, switchednetwork 28, and service circuit node 32 before reaching validadon database 36.
Upon receiving the request for validation, database 36 initiates a search
10 of column 42 of the data contained in table 40 to idendfy if a corresponding card
number exists. If such a number is located, the validation data field 44 for thecorresponding card is checked to determine if the card is valid. As an additional step
the database may check the credit reserve data in column 46 to deterrnine if
sufficient credit remains for the requested purchase where the amount of the
15 purchase has been transrnitted along with the credit card number. The database 36
also identifies corresponding visual data consisdng of digidzed pictures of
authorized users which may be utilized to authenticate the authority of the credit card
presenter.
Assurning that a corresponding card number was located by database 36
20 and determined to be valid, database 36 ~ansmits a confimladon number authorizing
the purchase through the same return path upon which the request was received. The
point-of-sale terrninal 14 accepts the received confirmation number as account
authorizadon. Database 36 preferably also utilizes the same path to transmit
corresponding visual data related to the credit card number as stored in table 40 to
25 video display terrninal 16. The video display terminal receives the visual data and
displays the corresponding image or images upon its visual display screen at themerchant location 10. Preferably, the image is frozen on the screen either by the
video display terrninal or by the database repeddvely sending the same visual data.
The merchant can then make a visual comparison to determine if the person
30 requesting the credit card purchase is an authorized user by comparing the presented
picture of authorized person(s) to the person requesdng credit card authorizadon. If
the merchant determines that the credit card user matches a displayed picture, the
merchant would then accept the requested credit card purchase with substandal
assurance that the person udlizing the credit card is an authorized user.
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210246~
Database 36 rnay either comprise part of the telecommunications system
or may be maintained as a private database utilized by different issuers of credit
cards. If a plurality of databases are udlized for different credit card issuers, the
above example would proceed the same with the only difference being that the
S request would be routed to the appropriate database by the telecommunications
system. In the illustrative embodiment the same database was utilized to perform the
traditional credit card account/number validation utilizing columns 44 and 46, and to
store the related visual data. However, a database that stores traditional account
validation data may contain identificadon of individual authorized users such as by
10 social security number or personal idendficadon number which can be utilized as
addresses for a separate database containing visual data corresponding to each user.
It will be apparent to those skilled in ~he art that the funcdons performed
by the equipment udlized at the merchant location 10 may be performed by a single
piece of equipment based on a personal computer in which comrnunications over
15 channel 24 are provided by a convendonal modem and the visual data received from
the database converted into pixel information displayed upon a connected monitor.
In accordance with the present invention a merchant or other inquirer
having responsibility to validate a person's requested access to certain benefits or
locations is provided with an improved means for making the authorizadon
20 judgement. Visual images such as pictures provide a substandally higher degree of
reliability for making the authorizadon determination than other means based upon
indicia present upon the card presented by the requesdng person. It is known that
cards can be modified to change the intended validadon indicia such as by
subsdtuting a different signature or inserdng a different photograph than was
25 originally present on the card. In accordance with the present invendon the received
image is outside of the control of a person who wrongfully acquires and attempts to
utilize a credit card. Thus, the present invendon provides a substantially improved
authendcation technique which should deter the stealing and attempted use of stolen
credit cards because of the higher risk associated with wr~ngful attempted use.
Although an embodiment of the present invendon has been illustrated
and descIibed herein, the scope of the invention is defined by the claims which
~ol~ow.
1, .
