Identity, Security, Payments, Biometrics, Smart Cards and Authentication News

Probaris wins Patent Office PIV contract

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Probaris was awarded a contract to assist the United States Patent and Trademark Office comply with HSPD-12. The Patent and Trademark Office is a federal agency under the Department of Commerce. Probaris will install its Probaris ID, an end-to-end secure identity solution, to produce smart identity credentials for the office’s personnel. The Patent and Trademark Office will use the credentials for physical and logical access control within their enterprise architecture.

Under the terms of the contract, Probaris will deliver:

• Identity proofing and vetting, and document authentication;


  • Secure workflow software;
  • Software to provide multi-biometric identification enrollment and management of facial images, live scan fingerprints, and fingerprint minutia;
  • Card management system software and integration components for interfaces to public key infrastructure to manage the credentials; and,
  • Professional services to analyze business rules and integration of logical and physical security system components.

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Apple has filed a new patent outlining how iPhone users can “gift” iTunes purchases and playlists to other users via NFC or email.

According to Patently Apple, the gifting feature works by the gift giver first authorizing the purchase of his gift on his account associated with the online digital media provider. The user then transmits the gift to the recipient using a close range communication protocol, such as NFC.

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In an effort to sell and/or license part of its patent portfolio, Massachusetts-based Aware Inc. has signed an agreement to sell some of its patents and patent applications to Intel Corporation for $75 million.

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Massachusetts-based Aware Inc. has announced it’s won three contracts to provide biometrics software and services for three large-scale border management systems in Europe, the Middle East and North America.

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Apple has filed a new patent for an “iWallet” mobile payments application powered by an embedded NFC chip, according to Patently Apple.

The patent reveals where the embedded NFC-chip would be positioned in the iPhone, outlines credit transaction rules and details how credit card companies can send statements directly to the user’s iTunes account.

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The U.S. government’s Advanced Analytic Capabilities Subgroup of the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG) has awarded a research and development contract to voice biometrics technology provider Agnitio Corp. to speed up development and deliver an improved capabilities for voice biometrics-based mobile phone security.

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Microsoft Corp. has received a patent for a biometric-reading, pressure sensitive surface that can be used on a video game controller to enable user login by touch.

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