2360618 FINGERPRINT READER AND,YIETIIOD OF IDENI1FICA'11ON
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to fingerprint reader and method of identification, and more particularly, to an unique biological fingerprint identification to verify someone's status, so that misappropriating and breaking of an individual secret codelpassword. or an invasion of working scope of an authorized person are prevented.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Password or personal identification number (PIN) is popular used in cybemation environment, such as personal computer, electronic commerce, financial institution and banking business. However, it is pure number, but not human being, validates the verifying process. Moreover, the secret codelpassword will be broke and used by hacker during the verifying process. For example, a hacker can intercept a memory region where the secret code located and inserts a program (so called, bug) into this region and transforms original programs located at this region into checking or non-checking by the use of soft in circuit emulator (Soft ICE). Therefore, this hacker can login the computer and uses all of the resources in the computer. The hacker will be a verified user for the computer since his login process is successful. According to "computer crime and security investigation" published by CSI/FBI 1999, the crime rate of unauthorized access by internal unauthorized person is raised continuously. This shows that PIN and personal password do not provide sufficient security for the PIN and password holder. Therefore, a method of identification provides a computer to be restricted to legal 2 authorized users only, so as to prevent the usage of computer by unauthorized person. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a Fingerprint reader and a method of identification. Fingerprint is most stable, unduplicable, unchangeable, and unique character in the biological properties of human being.
In addition, keyboard is most popular input device for computer. Therefore, the real authorized user can be confirmed by the use of access protection of the keyboard, wherein the status verification of user is performed by identifying user's fingerprint rather than PIN or personal password that are obtainable by non-specific person. For this reason, computer access is secure against from the hackers than before by the use of Fingerprint.
SUNINIARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention includes that at least one fingerprint reader is placed in an "Enter" button or a "Return" button of keyboard for reading fingerprint- In addition, other buttons of the keyboard can also be equipped with fingerprint reader for reading fingerprint anytime; a keyboard controller for encryption, decryption, and comparison of fingerprint database; and a memory device for storing data of users fingerprint who is real authorized; while user presses the button having the fingerprint reader, the user's fingerprint is then read and transformed into a kind of signal and thereafter transmitted into the keyboard controller; the key in the keyboard controller receives the command transmitted from the CPU in order to encrypt the fingerprint data stored in the memory device and is then compared with the fingerprint signal transmitted from the keyboard controller so that the user's status is verified.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
3 The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of tile invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principtes of the invention. In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a block diagram ofthe keyboard frame of the present invention; FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of input and store of fingerprint of the present invention; FIG. 3 shows a plug of the present invention; and FIG. 4 shows a warning signal cause of the departing of the plug of FIG. 3.
io DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the keyboard frame of the present invention. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the keyboard device 10 includes:
At least a fingerprint reader 11 located in the "enter" or "return" button of the keyboard controller, for transforming the fingerprint data into a digital signal and transmitting the digital signal to the keyboard controller 12. The fingerprint reader 11 may locates in other buttons of the keyboard controller.
A keyboard controller 12 having an unique key 13 located therein for performing an encryption, decryption, and comparison steps of the fingerprint daw The key 13 is triggered by the CPU 31 of the computer system 30 for encryption of all inputted fingerprint data.
A memory device 14, for example, flash memory for storing a real authorized user's 4 fingerprint data that i's encrypted and protected within the keyboard controller As mention above, the real authorized useCs fingerphint data that is stored within the memory device is established while the keyboard device 10 is first used. A Fingerprint reader 11 located in the "enter" or other buttons of the keyboard device 10 is illustrated for explanation. Firstly, the computer system 30 will performs " input and store steps of fingerprint"; For example, when the "enter" button is pressed, the fingerprint reader 11 located in the "enter" button will read the users Fingerprint data and then transmit to the keyboard controller 12. At the same time, the CPU 31 will send a control command A to trigger the unique key 13, which is located in the keyboard controller 12, then encrypt the fingerpnint data, and thereafter store the encrypted fingerprint data B in the memory device 14 of the keyboard device 10.
The first legal authorized user can input his/her fingerprint to determine other legal authorized users, and request the other legal authonized users input desired fingerprint data. In other words, the first user act as administrator and determine whether other users are legally authorized to use the keyboard or not. The users can also be divided into several user group with different authorization. The first user can also input his/her fingerprint and assign a new user to succeed his/her power by assigning the new user as super user. The new user then become the administrator later on.
FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of input and store of fingerprint of the present invention.
After the fingerprint database is established, fingerprint detected by the fingerprint reader 11 (step 20) in the "enter" or other buttons of the keyboard device 10 will be transformed into a digital signal and transmitted to the keyboard controller 12. At the same time, the CPU will send a command C to decrypt the fingerprint data stored in the memory device 14 (step 2 1) by the key 13 of the keyboard controller 12. Thereafter, the keyboard controller 12 will compare the fingerprint data and the legal authorized user's fingerprint data, which is decrypted (step 22). If the compan'son result shows that these two data do not match, the computer system 30 will send a warning message D, then all function of the keyboard device 10 will be locked (step 23), therefore any access request from the unauthorized user will be denied. If the comparison result shows that these two data match each other, then any access request E from the user will be allowed (step 24) Notice that the key 13 in each keyboard controller is difTerent, therefore, the stored fingerprint data in memory device 14 will be different in each keyboard even with the same user. The fingerprint comparison (step 22) is built in the keyboard controller and can not be controlled by other devices including the CPU.
In addition, the present keyboard device 10 is connected to the computer system by way of wire or wireless, and the user can change the keyboard device if he wants. Therefore, it is desired to prevent the unauthorized user from replacing the original keyboard device with another keyboard device having the unauthorized user's fingerpn'nt data and evading the verifying step ofthe computer system. As shown in FIG. 3, the present invention provides a set of hidden plug 41 and real plug 42 in the plug 40 of the keyboard device 10 which is connected to the peripheral interface of the computer system 30. The hidden plug 41 and the real plug 42 are located in each keyboard device of the present invention is unique.
The hidden plug 41 mentioned above is a thin film located between the real plug 42 and the computer system 30. There are two metal connection points 411 and 431 located on the hidden plug 41 and the real plug 42, respectively.
The hidden plug 41 will be fixed on the peripheral interface of the computer system 30 after the plug of the keyboard device 10 is inserted into the peripheral interface of the computer system 30 while the keyboard device 10 is first-time used. The hidden plug 41 is therefore become a part of the computer system 30 and is not separable. A circuit connection is formed while the two metal connection points 411 are connected to the two metal connection points 43 1. The commands from the keyboard device 10 can be 6 transmitted to the computer system 30 by the use of the circuit connection. While the keyboard device 10 is separated from the peripheral interface, the real plug 42 will also he disassembled from the hidden plug 4 1, which disconnect the circuit connection and can be detected by the system As shown in FIG. 4, the hidden plug 41 and the real plug 42 can also be made unique.
Namely, only one hidden plug 41 is matched With the real plug 42 so that the metal connection points 411 and 431 can be connected to each other. Therefore, the non connection of the keyboard device 10 or the non-matching of the metal connection points 411, 43 1 will also destroy the circuit connection.
Whenever a circuit disconnection is detected, a warning voice can be then sent by the computer system 30 followed by the lockup of the whole function of the keyboard device 10. Therefore, the unauthorized user can not replace the keyboard to login the computer system 30.
Additionally, batteries can be used in the keyboard device 10 as a power supply to provide the continuation of the circuit connection and to send out a warning voice while the sys tern's power is off.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a fingerprint reader and method of identification by the use of an unique biological fingerprint identification to verify someone's status, so that misappropriating and breaking of an individual secret code/password, or an invasion of working scope of an authorized person are prevented.
Therefore, the shortcoming of the prior art is overcome by the present invention.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
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