US 5,867,802 A · Biometrically secured control system for preventing the unauthorized use of a vehicle

Abstract

A method and system are provided for restricting the use of a vehicle such as an automobile to a person or persons whose fingerprints match biometric data stored within a memory in the vehicle's control system. A user's digitized fingerprints are stored in a non-volatile permanent ROM in the BIOS of a microcontroller on in a ROM accessed by a microprocessor. The microprocessor's primary task is that of executing instructions related to the operation of the vehicle, such as regulating the fuel flow rate, and performing other such tasks. Before the microprocessor can execute its instructions related to its primary task it, must complete and exit a conditional loop of instructions that relate to validating a user's "real-input" biometric data. Real scanned fingerprints must be compared with fingerprint(s) stored in ROM. If the result of the compare is a true, i.e. is a match, then the conditional loop is satisfied and the microprocessor can execute its instructions relating to operating the vehicle.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A user programmable biometrically secured control system for preventing an unauthorized use of a vehicle comprising:

a user programmable processor for controlling functions normally associated with the operation of a device within a vehicle;
memory for storing biometrically related data and for storing parameters and instructions related to controlling at least some normal operations of the device;
user programmable means for programming biometrically related data stored in the memory and parameters associated with stored biometrically related data, the parameters for limiting execution of functions normally associated with the operation of the vehicle stored in the memory;
biometric data input sensor for providing "real-input" biometrically related data to one of the memory and the user programmable processor;
and,
means for preventing the processor from, and allowing the process to, execute instructions in accordance with the stored parameters associated with the biometric data input related to controlling at least the functions normally associated with the operation of the vehicle in dependence upon the result of a compare operation, after a comparison has been performed between "real" and previously stored biometrically related data.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Biometrically secured control system for preventing the unauthorized use of a vehicle

Life of this patent

Biometrically secured control system for preventing the unauthorized use of a vehicle

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20