Method of Determining a Pseudo-Identity on the Basis of Characteristics of Minutiae and Associated Device

A device for determining a pseudo-identity from characteristics of a set of minutiae corresponding to a fingerprint, the device comprising:

• a unit for estimating additional information on said fingerprint from the characteristics of said set of minutiae and with a given level of confidence;
• a unit for determining local descriptors around at least some of the minutiae of said set of minutiae, the local descriptors comprising, relative to zones containing additional information estimated with the given level of confidence, values calculated from said information and, relative to zones not containing additional information estimated with the given level of confidence, erasures;
• a unit for quantizing the determined local descriptors according to a given number of integer values, a value being reserved for the erasures;
• a unit for coding the quantized local descriptors using an error-tolerant coding algorithm associated with a decoding algorithm devised in order to take account of the errors and erasures within the coded quantized local descriptors;
• and
• a unit for determining a pseudo-identity based on at least some of the coded quantized local descriptors.

A computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon for determining a pseudo-identity from characteristics of a set of minutiae corresponding to a fingerprint, the computer program comprising code instructions for implementing the following steps when loaded and run on computer equipment:

• estimating additional information on said fingerprint from characteristics of said set of minutiae and with a given level of confidence;
• determining local descriptors around at least some of the minutiae of said set of minutiae, the local descriptors comprising, relative to zones containing additional information estimated with the given level of confidence, values calculated from said information and, relative to zones not containing additional information estimated with the given level of confidence, erasures;
• quantizing the determined local descriptors according to a given number of integer values, a value being reserved for the erasures;
• coding the quantized local descriptors using an error-tolerant coding algorithm associated with a decoding algorithm devised in order to take account of the errors and erasures within the coded quantized local descriptors;
• and
• determining a pseudo-identity based on at least some of the coded quantized local descriptors.

A cryptographic method implementing a cryptographic algorithm, wherein the cryptographic algorithm uses a pseudo-identity determined from characteristics of a set of minutiae corresponding to a fingerprint, wherein the determination of the pseudo-identity comprises:

• estimating additional information on said fingerprint from characteristics of said set of minutiae and with a given level of confidence;
• determining local descriptors around at least some of the minutiae of said set of minutiae, the local descriptors comprising, relative to zones containing additional information estimated with the given level of confidence, values calculated from said information and, relative to zones not containing additional information estimated with the given level of confidence, erasures;
• quantizing the determined local descriptors according to a given number of integer values, a value being reserved for the erasures;
• coding the quantized local descriptors using an error-tolerant coding algorithm associated with a decoding algorithm devised in order to take account of the errors and erasures within the coded quantized local descriptors;
• and
• determining a pseudo-identity based on at least some of the coded quantized local descriptors.