Method and apparatus for providing identification

Abstract

A method of providing identification of an entity includes maintaining a database of identification data specific to the appearance and condition of entities, providing a unique description for each entity enabling access to the entity's identification data in the database, providing identification means adapted for portage with the entity and containing the unique description and maintaining secondary databases containing the entity's identification data as acquired from prior encounters so that multiple comparisons can be made to assure that the entity bearing the identification means is the same entity to whom the identification means were issued.

1 . An identity checking method for verifying the identity of an individual including the steps of:
 a. capturing the individual's initial biometric data at an initial time and storing it on a first database;   b. associating said initial biometric data with a unique description stored in said first database and encoded in an electronic document issued to the individual;   c. capturing contemporary biometric data and said unique description by remote sensing means at a point of departure of said individual;   d. interrogating said first database for said initial biometric data corresponding to said captured unique description;   e. comparing said contemporary biometric data with said corresponding initial biometric data;   f. making a decision on the basis of the degree of correlation in step (e);   g. forwarding data including said captured contemporary biometric data and unique description to a local database at a point of arrival of said individual;   h. capturing biometric data and said unique description of said individual by remote sensing at said point of arrival;   i. comparing the data of step (h) with the forwarded data of step (g);   j. making a decision on the basis of identity between the unique descriptions of steps (g) and (h) and the degree of correlation between the biometric data of steps (g) and (h);   k. interrogating said first database for the initial biometric data corresponding to the unique description captured in step (h);   l. comparing said arrival biometric data with said corresponding initial biometric data; and   m. making a decision on the basis of the degree of correlation in step (l), whereby passage through said point of arrival is conditioned upon the decision made in step (m).   
     
     
         2 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said first database includes protected identification data specific to the appearance and/or condition of an individual. 
     
     
         3 . A freight checking method for use in transport including the steps of: a. capturing initial identification data specific to the appearance and/or condition of a freightable article at an initial time and storing it in a first database;
 b. associating said initial data with a unique description stored in said first database and encoded in an electronic tag issued to said article, said electronic tag being secured to said article and which must be damaged and rendered electronically inoperable by removal;   c. capturing contemporary identification data specific to said appearance and/or condition of said freightable article and said unique description by remote sensing means at a point of departure of said article;   d. interrogating said first database for initial data specific to said appearance and/or condition corresponding to and associated with said captured unique description;   e. comparing said contemporary data specific to said appearance and.backslash.or condition with said corresponding initial data specific to said appearance and/or condition;   f. making a decision on the basis of the degree of correlation in step (e);   g. forwarding data including said captured contemporary data specific to said appearance and/or condition and unique description to a local database at a point of arrival of said article;   h. capturing arrival data specific to said appearance and/or condition and said unique description of said article by remote sensing of said article's electronic tag at said point of arrival;   i. comparing the data of step (h) with the forwarded data of step (g);   j. making a decision on the basis of identity between the unique descriptions of steps (g) and (h) and the degree of correlation between the data specific to said appearance and/or condition of steps (g) and (h);   k. interrogating said first database for the initial data specific to said appearance and/or condition corresponding to the unique description captured in step (h);   l. comparing said arrival data specific to said appearance and/or condition with said corresponding initial data specific to said appearance and/or condition; and   m. making a decision on the basis of the degree of correlation in step (l) whereby further travel of said article is conditioned upon the decision reached in step (m).   
     
     
         4 . A method as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein said first database includes protected identification data specific to the appearance and/or condition of said freightable article. 
     
     
         5 . A freight checking method according to  claim 3 , wherein said electronic tag includes sealing means adapted to be secured to said article whereby said sealing means must be damaged and said tag rendered electronically inoperable by the opening of said article. 
     
     
         6 . An identity checking method including the steps of:
 a. capturing an individual's initial biometric data and medical information at an initial time and storing it in a first database;   b. associating said captured data and information with a unique description stored in said first database;   c. encoding said captured data and said unique description in an electronic document issued to said individual;   d. capturing contemporary biometric data and said unique description by remote sensing means at a point of treatment of said individual;   e. interrogating said first database for said initial biometric data and medical information corresponding to said captured unique description;   f. comparing said contemporary biometric data with said corresponding initial biometric data; and   g. making a decision in respect of said medical information on the basis of the degree of correlation in step (e),   
       whereby identity verification is conditioned upon the decision made in step (g). 
     
     
         7 . A method as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said medical information is medical information selected from information in regard to health condition, blood type and other detectable parameters. 
     
     
         8 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said first database includes unique information in regard to medical condition, blood type and other detectable health parameters. 
     
     
         9 . A method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein confirmation of an individual's identity at said destination can be used by a medical practitioner to remotely prescribe drugs and other treatment. 
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said biometric data is selected from the group including image data, thermal data, fingerprint data, opthalmic data and voice print data. 
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said electronic document includes a radio frequency responsive identification device including distinguishing means by which a receiving station can distinguish said identification device from other radio frequency responsive devices. 
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 3 , wherein said electronic tag includes a radio frequency responsive identification device including distinguishing means by which a receiving station can distinguish said identification device from other radio frequency responsive devices. 
     
     
         13 . A method as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said distinguishing means includes a built-in time delay for delaying the transmission of the signal. 
     
     
         14 . A method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein said distinguishing means includes a built-in time delay for delaying the transmission of the signal. 
     
     
         15 . A method as claimed in any one of  claims 10  to  13  and further including a validation step for checking the validity of the information obtained. 
     
     
         16 . A method as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the validation step includes flagging for further investigation, any device in which tampering has been detected. 
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 1 , including a data protection step wherein at least some of the accessible data on said electronic document is protected by a method selected from encryption, encoding and associating said data with a secure access code. 
     
     
         18 . A method according to  claim 3 , including a data protection step wherein at least some of the accessible data on said electronic tag is protected by a method selected from encryption, encoding and associating said data with a secure access code. 
     
     
         19 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  including an encryption step wherein information transmitted to a receiving station may be understood only by a receiving station utilising corresponding decrypting apparatus. 
     
     
         20 . A method as claimed  claim 3 , including an encryption step wherein information transmitted to a receiving station may be understood only by a receiving station utilising corresponding decrypting apparatus. 
     
     
         21 . The identity checking method of  claim 1 , further including the steps of:
 (n) associating a watch list value according to the individual's known watch status with said initial biometric data to form a watch database;   (o) comparing said contemporary biometric data with the items of initial biometric data associated with the stored watch list value; and   (p) making a decision on the basis of the degree of correlation in step (o) to an entry in said watch list database,   
       whereby the individual's watch list status can be used to control further movement. 
     
     
         22 . The freight checking method of  claim 3 , further including the steps of:
 (n) associating a watch list value according to the article's known watch status with said initial identification data to form a watch database;   (o) capturing contemporary identification data specific to said appearance and/or condition of said freightable article while exercising steps (c) or (h) above;   (p) comparing said contemporary identification data with the items of initial identification data associated with a selected watch list value; and   (q) making a decision on the basis of the degree of correlation in step (p) to an entry in said watch list database,   
       whereby further treatment of said freightable article is conditioned upon the decision of step (q). 
     
     
         23 . A method according to  claim 1 , including the further steps of;
 (n) verifying the identity of operators with access to said first database using the method of steps (a) through (f), above; and   (o) issuing an operator access code based upon the decision of step (g).   
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 3 , including the further steps of;
 (n) verifying the identity of operators with access to said first database using the method of steps (a) through (f), of  claim 1 , above; and   (o) issuing an operator access code based upon the decision of step (g) of  claim 1 .   
     
     
         25 . A method for watching for freightable articles and including:
 a. capturing initial identification data specific to the appearance and/or condition of a freightable article at an initial time and storing it on a database;   b. associating a watch list value according to the article's known watch status with said initial identification data to form a watch database;   c. capturing contemporary identification data specific to said appearance and/or condition of said freightable article while exercising steps (c) or (h) of the method of  claim 2 ;   d. comparing each said contemporary identification data with the items of initial identification data associated with a selected watch list value; and   e. making a decision on the basis of the degree of correlation in step (d) to an entry in said watch list database.   
     
     
         26 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said first database is a national database of the citizens of that nation. 
     
     
         27 . A method according to  claim 26 , wherein said first database further includes data of past visitors to said nation. 
     
     
         28 . A method according to  claim 26 , wherein said electronic document is a national identification card. 
     
     
         29 . A method according to  claim 26 , wherein said national database forms part of an international database and can be networked with the corresponding database of at least one other nation. 
     
     
         30 . A method according to  claim 3 , wherein said first database is a national database of the shipping containers of that nation. 
     
     
         31 . A method according to  claim 30 , wherein said first database further includes data of past arrivals of a container to said nation. 
     
     
         32 . A method according to  claim 30 , wherein said national database forms part of an international database and can be networked with the corresponding database of at least one other nation. 
     
     
         33 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein said electronic document includes an add-on file of ticketing, seat allocation, and itinerary data. 
     
     
         34 . A method according to  claim 3  wherein said electronic document includes an add-on file of shipping data. 
     
     
         35 . A method according to  claim 33 , wherein said itinerary data includes a link to other records in said first database to establish membership of a travel group. 
     
     
         36 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said electronic document contains data enabling said document to function as a passport and a visa. 
     
     
         37 . A method according to  claim 33 , wherein said add-on file data includes data accessible for the purpose of printing an unofficial receipt. 
     
     
         38 . A method according to  claim 33 , wherein said add-on file data includes data accessible for the purpose of printing a ticket. 
     
     
         39 . Apparatus for verifying identity of an entity comprising:
 a. an originating data base:   b. initial scanning means for obtaining biometric data and unique identifying data and for storing such data in said originating database;   c. document generating means connected to said originating database for creating, for each entity, a portable, remotely readable document with at least unique identifying data from the data stored in said originating database corresponding to the entity for whom the document was created;   d. comparison means at a travel point for comparing directly observed biometric and unique data with data retrieved from said document and with data from at least one other source selected from a group comprising said originating database, a “last seen” database, a watch list database and a travel authorization database; and   e. passage control means connected to said comparison means for determining future movement of the entity as a result of the comparison.   
     
     
         40 . The apparatus of  claim 39  further including:
 f. departure scanning means at a departure point for collecting current biometric data; and 
 g. a departure database coupled to said departure scanning means for functioning as a “last seen” database, 
 
       whereby said departure database can supply, after an entity has exited the departure point and prior to reaching an arrival point, “last seen” data. 
     
     
         41 . Apparatus as in  claim 40 , further including:
 h. list generating means for creating and transmitting a transit list to an arrival destination, said transit list including biometric and unique identifying data for each entity in transit to the arrival destination.   
     
     
         42 . Apparatus as in  claim 39 , wherein the travel point is a departure point and further including transit list generating means for creating and transmitting to an arrival destination a transit list including biometric and unique identifying data for each entity whose travel destination is said arrival destination, and wherein said group of sources further includes transit lists from other travel points from which the travel point of  claim 39  is a destination. 
     
     
         43 . A method of verifying identity of an entity comprising the steps of:
 a. initially scanning the entity to obtain biometric data and unique identifying data for storage in an originating database;   c. creating, for each entity, a portable, remotely readable document with at least unique identifying data from the data stored in said originating database corresponding to the entity for whom the document was created;   d. comparing, at a travel point, directly observed biometric and unique data with data retrieved from said document and with data from at least one other source selected from a group comprising said originating database, a “last seen” database, a watch list database and a travel authorization database; and   e. determining future movement of the entity as a result of the comparison.   
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , further including the steps of: a. collecting current biometric data from an entity at a departure point;
 b. storing said current biometric data in a departure database, said data functioning as “last seen” data; and   c. supplying to other databases said “last seen” data after the entity has exited the departure point.   
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 43 , further including the steps of: a. creating a transit list including biometric and unique identifying data for each entity in transit from said travel point to an arrival destination; and b. transmitting to said arrival destination said transit list. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 45  wherein said group of sources includes transit lists from other travel points from which the travel point of  claim 45  is a destination.