# US 2021/0241407 A1 · System and method of identity verification

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- Number: US 2021/0241407 A1
- Document ID: US20210241407A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/239,386
- Filed: 2021-04-23
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2013-03-15
- Assignees: United States Postal Service
- Applicants: United States Postal Service
- Inventors: Donald E. Irwin; Nan K. McKenzie; William A. Tartal; Victoria K. Stephen; Michael J. Amato; William G. Ackerman; Robert E. Dixon; Daniel W. Smith; Gregory Crabb; Paul Anthony Bernicchi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210241407A1

## CPC

- G06Q 50/265: {Personal security, identity or safety}
- G06Q 20/4014: {Identity check for transactions}
- G06Q 20/405: {Establishing or using transaction specific rules}
- G06Q 30/0185: {Product, service or business identity fraud}
- G06V 30/418: Document matching, e.g. of document images
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING

## Abstract

A system and method of verifying the identity of a user or registrant. The user or registrant provides identification information and registration information. The identification information may be a visual representation of an identifying item associated with location information. In some embodiments, the identification information may be a visual representation of a government issued identity. An identification module verifies the identification information and compares the verified identification information to the registration information.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of verifying an identity of a registrant comprising:
delivering, by a distribution network to an address associated with the registrant, an item purchased from a seller;
receiving, at an identification verification module of the distribution network, registration information of the registrant from an application executing on a mobile device, the registration information including at least the address associated with the registrant, the identification verification module in communication with a database storing sales information corresponding to items purchased from the seller;
receiving, at the identification verification module, identification information from the application, the identification information comprising a digital image of the item purchased from the seller and metadata attached to the digital image including location coordinates of the registrant at the time the digital image is generated;
obtaining, by the identification verification module, item information by processing the digital image of the mail piece;
verifying that the location coordinates attached to the digital image of the item correspond to the address associated with the registrant;
verifying that the item in the digital image was sent to the registrant based on the sales information stored in the database; and
generating and transmitting, to the mobile device, a digital activation token corresponding to an account associated with the registrant based on the verification of the location coordinates and on the verification of the identification information.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the digital image shows a label on the item.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the label includes a computer readable code, and wherein obtaining item information comprises reading the computer readable code in the digital image.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the item information comprises an address obtained by reading the computer readable code in the digital.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the sales information comprises an address to which the seller sent the item, and wherein verifying that the item in the digital image was sent to the registrant comprises comparing the address obtained from the digital image of the item to the address to which the seller sent the item.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the item information comprises a date or timestamp attached to the digital image.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the sales information comprises a date or timestamp associated with purchase of the item, and wherein verifying that the item in the digital image was sent to the registrant comprises comparing the date or timestamp attached to the digital image to the date or timestamp associated with purchase of the item.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the item information comprises identifying information appearing on the item in the digital image.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the sales information comprises identifying information of the item purchased from the seller, and wherein verifying that the item in the digital image was sent to the registrant comprises comparing the identifying information appearing on the item in the digital image to the identifying information of the item purchased from the seller.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying that an identifier corresponding to the mobile device is associated with the registrant.

### Claim 11

A method of verifying an identity of a registrant comprising:
obtaining, by a distribution network, an image of a structure located at an address associated with the registrant;
receiving, at an identification verification module of the distribution network, registration information of the registrant from an application executing on a mobile device, the registration information including at least the address associated with the registrant, the identification verification module in communication with a database storing building identification information corresponding to addresses serviced by the distribution network;
receiving, at the identification verification module, identification information from the application, the identification information comprising a digital image of the building and metadata attached to the digital image including location coordinates of the registrant at the time the digital image is generated;
extracting, by the identification verification module, structure appearance information by processing the digital image of the mail piece;
verifying that the location coordinates attached to the digital image of the building correspond to the address associated with the registrant;
verifying that the building in the digital image corresponds to the structure at the address associated with the registrant based on the building identification information stored in the database; and
generating and transmitting, to the mobile device, a digital activation token corresponding to an account associated with the registrant based on the verification of the location coordinates and on the verification of the identification information.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the structure appearance information comprises an address or portion thereof appearing on the structure in the digital image.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the structure identification information comprises a known address of the structure, and wherein verifying that the structure in the digital image corresponds to the structure at the address associated with the registrant comprises comparing the address or portion thereof appearing on the structure to the known address of the structure.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the structure appearance information comprises image data extracted from the digital image.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the structure identification information comprises an identifier of an image of the structure in a collection of images of structures.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein verifying that the structure in the digital image corresponds to the structure at the address associated with the registrant comprises obtaining the image of the structure from the collection of images of structures and comparing the image data to image data of the obtained image.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the collection of images of structures comprises a publicly accessible web mapping product.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising verifying that an identifier corresponding to the mobile device is associated with the registrant.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the registration information and identification information are provided for registration of an account.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein the creation of the account is based on the verification of the identification information.