Systems and methods for authentication program enrollment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9548979-B1
Application number	US-201414491740-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 19, 2014
Priority date	Sep 19, 2014
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

Methods and systems for enrolling a user in an authentication program. In some embodiments, voice interaction that includes a request or command is received from a user. The user may be requested to provide authentication information to fulfill the request or command made during the voice interaction. The user may be authenticated using a first authentication method. The user may be passively enrolled into an authentication program that uses a second authentication method. Enrolling may include deriving characteristics of the user's voice from the voice interaction. After the user is enrolled in the authentication program, the second authentication method may be used to authenticate the user prior to fulfilling requests or commands made during voice navigation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, via a network, a voice interaction from a user, wherein the voice interaction includes a request or a command identifiable from a voice of the user, wherein the request or the command requests information or commands an action;
requesting non-voice biometric authentication information from the user to fulfill the request or the command made during the voice interaction, wherein the authentication information is used to authenticate the user;
after the user is authenticated to or above an authentication threshold using the non-voice biometric authentication information:
fulfilling the request or the command;
passively enrolling the user into an authentication program that uses a voice biometric authentication method, wherein passively enrolling the user includes deriving characteristics of the voice of the user received during the request or the command and associating the voice characteristics with an account of the user; and

after enrollment into the authentication program, authenticating the user via the voice biometric authentication method prior to fulfilling requests or commands made during a voice navigation.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the voice biometric authentication method comprises:
receiving a voice interaction after the enrollment into the authentication program;
deriving characteristics of a voice from the voice interaction after the enrollment into the authentication program;
comparing the characteristics of the voice in the voice interaction after the enrollment into the authentication program with characteristics previously derived from one or more previously received voice interactions from the user; and
authenticating the user when a match of the characteristics of the voice in the voice interaction after the enrollment into the authentication program and the characteristics previously derived from the one or more previously received voice interactions meet or exceed a threshold.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: converting speech from the voice interaction into text, and wherein the voice biometric authentication method uses text-dependent speech recognition to authenticate the user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a series of voice interactions; and
creating a voice profile by analyzing the series of the voice interactions, wherein the user is passively enrolled after the voice profile is created.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the series of the voice interactions includes at least two similar voice commands.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising collecting samples of the user's voice during a series of voice interactions, wherein determining voice characteristics of the user's voice further includes determining the voice characteristics of the user's voice captured during the series of voice interactions.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein voice interactions in the series of voice interactions include a conversation with a representative.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: determining a number and a quality of voice interactions, wherein the user is passively enrolled into the voice biometric authentication method when the number and the quality of the voice interactions exceed an enrollment threshold.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the user is passively enrolled when the user speaks a spoken command during at least two different voice navigations.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising notifying the user that the user is enrolled into the authentication program.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a second request or command;
determining an activity authentication level to fulfill the request or the command;
analyzing the characteristics of the second request or the command, the characteristics including at least one of: pitch, intonation, speed, attenuation, accent, cadence, and volume;
authenticating the user via the voice biometric authentication method to an authentication level based on the characteristics of the second request or command compared to characteristics of the voice interaction; and
fulfilling the second request or the command when the authentication level meets or exceeds the activity authentication level.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein passively enrolling the user includes enrolling the user for specific requests using the voice navigation.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving a spoken command from a user, wherein the spoken command commands an action;
requesting authentication information from the user to fulfill the spoken command;
authenticating the user via a first authentication method using the authentication information, wherein the first authentication method uses non-voice biometric credentials to authenticate the user; and
after authenticating the user via the first authentication method:
fulfilling the spoken command, and
enrolling, without requesting enrollment information, the user into an authentication program for the spoken command, wherein the authentication program uses a second authentication method, wherein enrolling the user into the authentication program comprises determining voice characteristics from the spoken command,
wherein the second authentication method includes authenticating the user by comparing characteristics of a voice of the user speaking the spoken command during subsequent requests with the determined characteristics of the voice of the user speaking the spoken command.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , further comprising after enrollment in the authentication program, fulfilling the subsequent requests made by voice navigation using the second authentication method.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14 , wherein the user is enrolled in the authentication program for specific spoken commands, wherein the method further comprises determining whether the user is enrolled in the authentication program for the spoken command.

16. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a machine to:
receive a spoken request and authentication information from a user, wherein the spoken request includes biometric information about the user, wherein the biometric information includes voice, wherein the spoken request requests information or commands an action;
authenticate the user via a first authentication method using the authentication information, wherein the first authentication method uses non-voice biometric credentials to authenticate the user;
after authenticating the user via the first authentication method:
fulfilling the spoken command, and;
determine a number and a quality of voice samples; and

enroll, without requesting enrollment information, the request into a biometric authentication program that uses a second authentication method when the number and the quality of the voice samples exceed a threshold, and wherein enrolling the user into the biometric authentication program comprises creating a biometric profile of the user from the biometric information included in the request.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprises instructions that, when ex

Assignees

• United Services Automobile Ass (Usaa)

Inventors

• Johnson Zakery Layne
• Mortensen Maland Keith
• Fernandez Gabriel Carlos
• Casillas Debra Randall
• Rangarajan Sudarshan
• Buckingham Thomas Bret

Classifications

• H04L63/0861 Primary

  using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231) · CPC title

• G10L15/22

  Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue · CPC title

• G10L17/22 Primary

  Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces · CPC title

• G10L25/60

  for measuring the quality of voice signals · CPC title

• G10L17/04

  Training, enrolment or model building · CPC title