Method of using fingerprints to authenticate wireless communications

A method for accessing a vehicle with a wireless security system, the method comprising:

• (a) determining that a request for access to the vehicle has been initiated from a wireless source;
• (b) determining whether source fingerprint data provided at said wireless source matches stored fingerprint data provided for the vehicle;
• and
• (c) if said source fingerprint data matches said stored fingerprint data, allowing access to the vehicle.

A method for authenticating a call to be made over a communication system, the method comprising:

• (a) sending a dialed number on said communication network;
• (b) receiving a challenge encrypted with stored fingerprint minutiae data and the stored fingerprint minutiae data itself from the communications system;
• (c) receiving a user's fingerprint;
• (d) generating source fingerprint minutiae data from said user's fingerprint;
• (e) comparing the stored fingerprint minutiae data with the source fingerprint minutiae data;
• and
• (f) if the stored and the source fingerprint minutiae data match, sending the source fingerprint minutiae data to the communications system.

A wireless communication device capable of rendering wireless communications secure by requiring biometric information from a user, the device comprising:

• (a) a wireless communications interface for sending and receiving wireless communications;
• (b) a device for capturing the user's fingerprint;
• and
• (c) a processing device capable of converting the user's fingerprint to source minutiae fingerprint data which can be transmitted, wherein the processing device is also capable of comparing the source fingerprint minutiae data with stored fingerprint minutiae data received via the wireless communications interface and determining whether the source and stored fingerprint minutiae data match, whereby when the source and stored fingerprint data are found to match, the device decrypts a challenge encrypted with the stored fingerprint minutiae data and received via the wireless communications interface and then transmits the source fingerprint minutiae data via the wireless communications interface.

A central authentication system connected to a communications network and capable of rendering wireless communications secure by processing biometric information from a user, the device comprising:

• (a) a communications interface for sending and receiving data communications over said communications network;
• (b) a database interface for accessing a database containing stored fingerprint minutiae data associated with users of wireless communications devices;
• and
• (c) a processor capable of determining whether a wireless communication from a wireless communications device should be permitted based upon a match between a user's fingerprint minutiae data taken from said wireless communications device and stored fingerprint minutiae data associated the wireless communications device, wherein the processor is capable of generating an encrypted challenge by encrypting a challenge with a token containing said stored fingerprint minutiae data.

A method for authenticating a call to be made over a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

• (a) determining that the call has been initiated from a wireless source;
• (b) encrypting a challenge with stored fingerprint minutiae data to produce an encrypted challenge;
• (c) sending the encrypted challenge to the source for the purpose of decrypting by the source with source fingerprint minutiae data from a user of the source;
• (d) receiving a decrypted challenge from said source, which decrypted challenge has been decrypted with the source fingerprint data;
• (e) comparing the challenge with the decrypted challenge from the source;
• and
• (f) determining whether source fingerprint minutiae data provided from said source matches said stored fingerprint minutiae data associated with said source;
• (g) determining whether the source fingerprint minutiae data is identical to one or more instances of sample fingerprint minutiae data previously received or is identical to the stored fingerprint minutiae data;
• and
• (h) if the challenge and the decrypted challenge match, and if the source fingerprint data matches the stored fingerprint data, and if the source fingerprint minutiae data and no instances of the sample fingerprint minutiae data or the stored fingerprint minutiae data are identical, allowing the call from being completed.

A method for authenticating a call to be made over a communication system, the method comprising:

• (a) sending a dialed number on said communication network;
• (b) receiving from the communications system, stored fingerprint minutiae data and a challenge encrypted with the stored fingerprint minutiae data;
• (c) receiving a user's fingerprint;
• (d) generating source fingerprint minutiae data from said user's fingerprint;
• (e) comparing the stored fingerprint minutiae data with the source fingerprint minutiae data;
• (f) if the stored and the source fingerprint minutiae data match, decrypting the encrypted challenge with the source fingerprint minutiae data to produce a decrypted challenge;
• and
• (g) transmitting said decrypted challenge and the source fingerprint minutiae data to the communications system.