Patent Publication Number: US-6987442-B2

Title: Motor-kinetic identification apparatus and method

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to personal identification apparatus and methods and more particularly to motor-kinetic identification apparatus and methods. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
     Personal identification apparatus and methods are known for providing security such as fingerprint and retina scanners. Known apparatus and method have both advantages and limitations that determine their respective applications, costs and level of security provided. 
     For example, a commercial office complex may require only a low level of security to ensure that only authorized personnel, employees and escorted guest, are on the premises. Such security may be provided by employee issued cards that function both as an ID card and also as a smart card or other type of card detectable by a sensor. Sensors may be placed at doorways and other ingress and egress points, such as elevators and parking lot gates such that the sensor need detect a valid card before door locks and other equipment becomes operable to permit passage. 
     A disadvantage and limitation of such cards and sensors is that an employee may forget, misplace or lose a card. A forgotten or misplaced card may only prevent a minor or temporary inconvenience to the employee. More seriously, a card found by an unauthorized individual may be used to gain access to the premises. 
     To prevent loss of cards, fingerprint and retina scanners may be utilized. Although fingerprint and retina scanners may provide exceptionally high levels of security, they are relatively expensive for many applications. In environments where high level of security, and the high cost associated therewith, is not warranted, such as the commercial office complex, other apparatus and methods are needed. 
     Accordingly, there exists a need to provide a security apparatus and method that overcomes one or more of the disadvantages and limitations discussed above. In particular, a need exists to provide a security apparatus and method that provides a low level of security but obviates the need for smart and sensor type ID cards. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention, a motor-kinetic identification apparatus includes a pliant material, a source of a magnetic field embedded in the pliant material and a magneto metric element embedded in the material. The pliant is adapted to be gripped by a user. The pliant material has a normally biased rest shape and the shape becomes deformed upon the material being gripped. The magnetic field has a field contour dependent on said shape of said material. The magneto metric element is disposed within the field and has a detectable state commensurate with the magnetic field contour. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, a motor-kinetic identification method includes developing a magnetic field contour within a pliant material, continuously detecting the field contour as the material is being gripped to develop a user stereotype, and comparing the user stereotype to stored user stereotypes. 
     A feature of the present invention is that the pliant material, when shaped to form a handle or knob that is gripped by the user, relies on the fact that the motor-kinetic behavior of the human hand is unique enough for each individual that it may be relied upon to identify such individual. A sensor, as described in detail below, embedded in the pliant material thus senses the relative contact location and temporal pattern of the user&#39;s grip when grasping the pliant material. 
     Advantages of the present invention is that the pliant material may be shaped to provide any type of knob or handle for building doors, car doors, guns, joysticks and the like. Accordingly, the present invention provides a relatively low cost apparatus and method for providing security. 
     These and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a study of the following Description of the Exemplary Preferred Embodiments when read in conjunction with the attached Drawing and appended Claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an identification apparatus constructed according to the principles of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart useful to describe the method of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a motor-kinetic identification apparatus  10  including a pliant material  12 , a source  14  of a magnetic field embedded in the material  12  and a magneto metric element  16  embedded in the material  12 . The material  12  is adapted to be gripped by a user and has a normally biased rest shape. The shape of the material  12  is deformed upon the material  12  being gripped by a user. The magnetic field has a field contour dependent on the shape of the material  12 . The magneto metric element  16  is disposed within the field and has a detectable state commensurate with the contour of the field. 
     As the material  12  is being gripped, the material  12  deforms as a function of time. Accordingly, the contour of the field becomes time variant resulting in the detectable state of the magneto metric element also being time variant. The time variant detectable state defines a unique stereotype for each user. 
     The identification apparatus  10  may further include a database  18  in which the unique stereotype for each user is stored. To identify a particular user, the identification apparatus may also include a comparator  20  to which the currently developed time variant detectable state is applied and to which each stored stereotype is sequentially applied. 
     In one particular embodiment of the present invention, the material  12  may be a non-magnetic foam material. In another particular embodiment of the present invention, the source  14  may include strips  22  of magnetic material. 
     The user stereotype available from the magneto metric element may be applied to a processor  24 , which does the comparing of the current user stereotype to the stored user stereotypes in the database. The user stereotype available from the magneto metric element may be time sampling of the time variable out put state. In one embodiment of the present invention, processor  24  is operative to time sample the time variant output state of the magneto metric element. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a motor-kinetic identification method includes developing a magnetic field contour within the pliant material  12 , as indicated at step  30 , continuously detecting the field contour as the pliant material  12  is being gripped to develop a user stereotype, as indicated at step  32 , and comparing the user stereotype to stored user stereotypes, as indicated at step  34 . The developing step  30  may include embedding the magnetic field source  14  in the material  12 , as indicated at step  36 . The embedding step may include embedding strips  22  of the magnetic material into the pliant material  12 . 
     The detecting step  32  may include embedding the magneto metric element  16  in the pliant material  12  and disposed within the field contour, as indicated at step  38 , and continuously detecting an output state of the magneto metric element  16 , as indicated at step  40 . The output state detecting step  40  may include time sampling the output state, as indicated at step  42 . 
     The method may further include developing for each of a plurality of users a respective one of the user stereotypes from the time sampled output state, and storing the user stereotypes in a database. 
     There has been described above preferred exemplary embodiments of a novel identification apparatus and method. Those skilled in the art may now make numerous use of and departures from the above described exemplary preferred embodiments without departing from the novel principles of the present invention described herein. Accordingly, the present invention is to be described solely by the scope of the appended Claims.