Patent Application
20060115130
1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is security and biometric authentication for accessing data/information; more particularly, security and biometric authentication for accessing and viewing data/information on a miniaturized, “heads up” display screen embedded in eyeglasses lens of an eyewear display system.
2. Related Art
There appears to be no directly related art. In indirectly related art, some products use “heads up” displays in commercial and military vehicles and aircraft cockpits—e.g., a signal feed source projects displayable images onto windshield glass—allowing users (e.g., drivers, pilots, etc.) to easily view operational data. Other patents disclose eyewear systems used for monitoring systems (e.g., exercise monitoring systems, systems for monitoring eye movement, etc.), to wit:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,759 to Stubbs discloses an exercise monitoring system and display. This invention is ostensibly configurable to project data and other information onto headwear worn by a subject—e.g., swimming goggles, a visor, eyeglasses, or a display screen or other device positioned on a person's head—so that data/information displayed thereon is directly visible to the subject. Additionally, this patent cites and includes by reference, patent applications WO/9923524 and WO/9923525, which disclose devices which can be used as components for product configurations such as those suggested by the Stubbs patent. The Stubbs patent discusses “security” only tangentially (but does not discuss biometrics or data/information security controls), but only from the standpoint of monitoring user eye blinks for triggering of alarms in emergency situations. Notwithstanding the fact that the Stubbs patent and products it protects appear useful for exercise monitoring applications and other applications, and some eye blink applications, the Stubbs patent is silent on the topic of data/information security and biometrics for biometrically authenticating users to control, restrict, and limit user access to facility secured and/or sensitive data/information.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,542,081 to Torch discloses a system and method for monitoring eye movement. The system includes a frame worn on a person's head for directing light towards the person's eye, an array of sensors on the frame for detecting light from the array of emitters. Although the patent and the product it protects does in fact disclose a form of security alarm triggered by an eye blink pattern, the patent is silent on the topic of biometric authentication.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,483,483 to Kosugi, et al, discloses an eyeglasses-type image display apparatus that can be connected to a computer having a large amount of information so it can display information from the computer on a large screen and/or display information on eyeglasses, apparently. The apparatus is adapted for mounting on a head of a user to display an image in front of eyes of the user, and includes a connector capable of receiving information from a computer, a processor for processing the information, and a display unit for displaying an image based on the information processed. The connector includes a wire or a radio section for transmitting information. The display unit can display an image and has a see-through function for allowing the user to see the external world therethrough. Despite the apparent benefits of this patent and the product(s) it protects, the patent is silent on security for restricting, limiting, and controlling access to data/information accessible on the display apparatus of the Kosugi invention. There is no provision in the Kosugi patent for limiting user access, to data/information, unlike the eyewear display system of the present invention, which includes a biometric authentication module for receiving biometric identification credentials from users as prerequisite for granting access to the eyewear display system of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,734,845 to Nielsen, et al. discloses the detection of eye motion to see if an individual is watching a display screen. If the screen is not being watched, then the display can be shut down to conserve power. A motion detector activates a proximity detector and/or an IR detector to ensure that power is applied only when a user is actually present. This patent does not mention eyewear and does authenticate the individual nor does it turn off the display to control the viewing of sensitive information.
There's a well-known, widely-felt need, to control, restrict, and limit access to image data and/or audio data by information technology users. Security policies are mandatory in most all facilities that work with sensitive data/information, e.g., private sector facilities (commercial, financial, medical, high-tech, etc.); public sector facilities (military, government, police, etc.); and many private and standalone users as well.
Restrictions/limits on any user's access to privileged image data and/or audio data are typically determined, promulgated, and enforced by facility authorities (executive management, data owners, data administrators, security administrators, etc.).
A variety of different “security level” strategies and tactics may be assigned and implemented. For example, in government and military environments, data and information is often considered “sensitive”—i.e., subject to being “classified” even more specifically depending on its' secrecy—or conversely, data and information can sometimes be considered “unclassified”—i.e., suitable for distribution to the public, with no restrictions. More specifically, in the case of “classified” data and information, frequently the lowest level of security is considered “confidential”; the next level (higher security) assigned is “secret”; the next level is “top secret”; and the topmost level (highest security) is termed (e.g.) “special compartmented information”. Of course, depending on the facility, its location, and its specific security strategies and tactics, other classification schemes are used. If eyewear display devices that are not biometrically authenticated are used to display sensitive information, then anyone who picks up the eyewear can access information intended only for the person who previously used it. This emphasizes that there is a definite need in the art for display screen eyewear that requires an individual to biometrically authenticate their identity when the eyewear is placed on his or her head, before the device displays sensitive information.
Although the art of data/information security is large and growing larger—with many patents and products providing apparatuses, methods and systems to the expanding arsenal of security controls—prior to the present invention, there is no biometrically-secured “eyewear display system” extant in the art. Accordingly, it is observed, there's a need in the art for the present invention, a biometrically-secured eyewear display apparatus, method, and system for controlling, restricting, and limiting access to data/information.
Accordingly, it is one object of the invention, to provide biometrically-authenticating eyewear display system to control user access to restricted data and information which must be accessed only in accordance with any individual user's specific access privileges.
It is a related object, to provide an eyewear display system which is ergonomic, secure, mobile, lightweight, and essentially unobtrusive, which also provides delivery of (and access to) private, individually-accessible, personal, “for your eyes only” data, but only for a successfully biometrically authenticated user.
It is another object, to provide an eyewear display system which only presents local image data and/or local audio data when on a user's head, and which requires the user to be authenticated each time the eyewear is placed on their head, to ensure data displayed thereupon is appropriate to display privileges authorized for the user.
It is another object, to provide both wired and wireless connectivity options for transmitting and receiving data, information, and image signal feeds to and from an eyewear display system.
It is another object, to provide a portable battery option for providing electrical power to an eyewear display system to facilitate mobility and portability.
The present invention provides apparatuses, methods, and a system for biometrically controlling eyewear-based access to presented image data and/or audio data. The invention can be specifically customized to reflect the security policies of any particular security system. Most security-oriented facilities using sensitive data have specific security policies for controlling, restricting, and limiting user access to data and information. The invention accomplishes this and other objects of the invention, by means of biometric authentication of pre-enrolled users. Once a pre-enrolled user has been biometrically authenticated by the biometric authentication module (integrally attached to the eyewear display system) the user is allowed to access image and/or audio data on the eyewear display system. This is accomplished by communicating an image and/or audio signal feed into one or more miniaturized display(s) and/or one or more audio speakers installed in the eyewear display system. Image display(s) can be mounted in front of or embedded within one or both lenses mounted in the eyeglasses frame. Audio data can be presented to speaker(s) disposed within the eyeglasses frame. The signal feed (and subsequent transmission and reception of data, information, images, etc.) is conducted either by a wired and/or a wireless communication interface. The source of the signal feed can be either external to the eyewear display system and/or can be internally supplied, depending on configurations implemented and ancillary devices (e.g., peripheral devices) deployed. Power for the eyewear display system is provided either by a wire-connected portable battery (which is carried by the user when in transit) that can be clipped onto the user's belt, or fastened onto the user or his belt by a fastener or other attaching means. Electrical power to the eyewear display system can be provided by a direct wire connection to the eyewear system from an external power source, and/or provided by a portable battery.
Alternatively, the present invention can be implemented with a projection based signal feed source which can project viewable data and information into one or both eyes of the user, but only after the user has been biometrically authenticated, in order to ensure that each user only views the data they are allowed to access.
The invention is useful for ergonomic, mobile, portable environments where secure and/or sensitive data and information are used by biometrically-authenticated users, and is particularly helpful where there is a risk that there are persons present (in the vicinity of the biometrically authenticated user using the eyewear display system) who have varied degrees of access permissions to the displayed information and/or a differing need to know the displayed information. If ordinary eyewear display devices are used to display the data, then anyone who picks up the device can access data intended for the person who previously used it. The present invention fills a current unfulfilled need in the marketplace for a secure, biometrically-authenticating eyewear display system. The system requires a pre-enrolled user to biometrically authenticate their identity at the time the invention is placed on his/her head, as a security prerequisite, before the device will display any sensitive data/information.
The present invention provides an eyewear display system, which provides effective means for biometrically authenticating pre-enrolled users thereto. The eyewear display system integrates a biometric sensor that can determine the identity of the wearer who seeks to access image and/or audio data that is secured, sensitive, or otherwise subject to security controls, restrictions, and limitations on usage and viewing. The present invention enables presentation of image data (and/or presentation of an audio feed) that's been predetermined by a security-oriented facility, to be suitable for display to any individual user the present invention, based on that user's privileges. All access to the eyewear display system is based on prospective user(s) having been first biometrically authenticated as well as having been explicitly allowed to access to facility data/information. Access to audio data is via an earphone or an earbud attached to the eyeglasses frame (not shown). One primary embodiment of the system includes a biometric authentication module with an embedded iris scanner subsystem as shown in
In the case of the embodiment of the present invention with the embedded fingerprint, iris or retinal sensor subsystem, the biometric authentication module 14 receives user-authenticating biometric data inputs from the embedded sensor 14 subsystem in order to perform immediate self-authentication. The reference biometric template and biometric authentication processing may take place within in the sensor device itself, or may take place in an interconnected (internal and/or external) control system connected by a wired connection or by a wireless connection to the eyewear display system.
The invention as shown in
Another security aspect of the present invention is the capability to detect the presence or absence of a user. More specifically, the eyewear display system can sense the appearance of a prospective user, so that user can be prompted by the system for authentication. Conversely, when the eyeglasses are removed from the user's head, the system can detect this event and terminate the transmission of sensitive images from the signal feed source to the display. The proximity sensor may be implemented in a number of ways. For example, the proximity sensor can be a mechanical switch 13, coupled to the body of the eyeglasses to sense the motion of a spring-hinged temple (ear-piece) when the frame is spread to place it on the user's head. This switch would have an operating position and a non-operating position, wherein the member is in the non-operating position in the absence of the user from the eyeglass frame and the switch is moved to the operating position when the user has placed the eyeglass frame on his or her head. Alternatively, the proximity detector may be electronic and may include a semiconductor device. The presence sensing mechanism may be optical, such as an infrared (IR) reflection detector, or acoustic, such as a high-frequency sonic range detector. Another example of a presence detection mechanism is the detection of the presence or absence of an iris image obtained from the silicon photodetector array 28 by the processor. Eye presence detectors are known to the art as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 6,734,845 to Nielsen, et al.
