Patent ID: 7549161
Filing Date: 2009-06-16
Classification: G06F,G06K,G07C,H04L

Abstract:
1. A unitary portable biometrics-based access control device which can be directly plugged into a universal serial bus (USB) socket communicatively coupled to a restricted resource, the device comprising: a housing; a microprocessor housed within the housing; a non-volatile memory coupled to the microprocessor and configured for storing user data and having a minimum of 8 MB of capacity; a USB plug integrated into the housing without an intervening cable and configured for coupling the unitary portable access control device directly to the USB socket; and a biometrics-based authentication module coupled to and controlled by the microprocessor, at least a portion of the biometrics-based authentication module being housed within the housing, wherein said biometrics-based authentication module is configured to grant access to the restricted resource provided that the biometrics-based authentication module authenticates the user's identity and wherein access to the restricted resource is denied to the user otherwise; and further wherein said biometrics-based authentication module is configured to grant access to the user data stored in the non-volatile memory provided that the biometrics-based authentication module authenticates the user's identity and wherein access to the user data stored in the non-volatile memory is denied to the user otherwise, wherein the microprocessor is configured to provide a bypass mechanism for authentication upon a determination of authentication failure by the biometrics-based authentication module.