Biometric verification for electronic transactions over the web

Abstract

A security system for electronic commerce for verifying the authenticity of a user including: a server authentication program installed in a web-server at a website of a web-service provider; a client software component downloaded and installed at a workstation of the user; the server authentication program being integrated with existing web-applications with the web-service provider and for receiving existing security parameters entered by the user; a biometric scanner activated for identifying characteristics of a biometrics image and for converting the biometrics image into digital data; a device for compressing and encrypting the digital data from the biometric scanner; a device for transmitting the compressed and encrypted data to the web-server; a device for comparing the encrypted data with data stored in a database; and a device for sending status codes of comparison, if comparison is successful, to the web-service provider.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A security system for electronic commerce for verifying the authenticity of a user comprising: 
 a server authentication program, said server authentication program being installed in a web-server at a website of a web-service provider;    a client software component, said client software component being downloaded and installed at a workstation of the user;    said server authentication program being integrated with existing web 8  applications with the web-service provider and for receiving existing security parameters entered by the user;    a biometric scanner, said biometric scanner being activated for identifying characteristics of a biometrics image and for converting the biometrics image into digital data;    a device for compressing and encrypting the digital data from said biometric scanner;    a device for transmitting the compressed and encrypted data to the web-server;    a device for comparing the encrypted data with data stored in a database; and    a device for sending status codes of comparison, if comparison is successful, to the web-service provider.    
     
     
         2 . A security system for electronic commerce for verifying the authenticity of a user as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the biometrics data is selected from one or more of the group consisting of a finger print of one or more fingers of the user, a palm print of the user, an iris scan of the user, a retina scan of the user and any other optically distinguishable parameter of the user.  
     
     
         3 . A security system for electronic commerce for verifying the authenticity of a user as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of sources of biometric data of a single user is used to authenticate the identify of the user.  
     
     
         4 . A method of verifying the authenticity of a user with a security system for electronic commerce, comprising the steps of: 
 installing a server authentication program in a web-server at a website of a web-service provider;    downloading and installing a client software component at a workstation of the user;    integrating said server authentication program with existing web-applications with the web-service provider;    receiving existing security parameters entered by the user;    activating a biometric scanner to identify characteristics of a biometrics image and to convert the biometrics image into digital data;    compressing and encrypting the digital data from said biometric scanner;    transmitting the compressed and encrypted data to the web-server;    comparing the encrypted data with data stored in a database; and    sending status codes of comparison, if comparison is successful, to the web-service provider.    
     
     
         5 . A method of verifying the authenticity of a user with a security system for electronic commerce as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising the step of selecting the biometrics data from one or more of the group consisting of a finger print of one or more fingers of the user, a palm print of the user, an iris scan of the user, a retina scan of the user and any other optically distinguishable parameter of the user.  
     
     
         6 . A method of verifying the authenticity of a user with a security system for electronic commerce as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising the step of using a plurality of sources of biometric data of a single user to authenticate the identify of the user.