US 10776471

Here is a concise summary of US patent 10776471:

US Patent Number: 10776471
Title: Facial recognition authentication system including path parameters
Assignee: Facetec Inc
Inventors: Kevin Alan Tussy
Filing Date: March 18, 2019
Issue Date: September 15, 2020

Abstract:
A method for enrolling and authenticating a user in an authentication system via a user's mobile computing device is disclosed. The device includes a camera and at least one movement detecting sensor (e.g., accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope). During enrollment, the user provides images of their face by moving the mobile device to different positions relative to their head, capturing the face from various angles and distances. The system also records an enrollment movement path using the movement sensors. Biometric information from the user's face is extracted from these images. This enrollment information (biometrics, movement path, and other data) can be stored on the mobile device or a remote device. For authentication, the user again provides images of their face by moving the mobile device, and path parameters (authentication movement) are obtained. The authentication information is then compared with the stored enrollment information to determine if authentication should be granted or denied. This processing and comparison can occur on the mobile device or remotely.

Independent Claims Overview:

• Independent Claim 1 (Method for Authenticating): This claim describes a method for user authentication using a mobile device. It involves capturing and storing initial biometric information from a user's face (enrollment biometrics) and capturing subsequent biometric information from the user's face for authentication. Critically, it includes capturing "path parameters" during the authentication imaging, which indicate the movement of the mobile device. The method then compares the authentication biometrics to the stored enrollment biometrics and compares the authentication movement (path parameters) to an expected movement to decide whether to authenticate the user.

• Independent Claim 11 (Mobile Computing Device): This claim describes a mobile computing device configured for user authentication. The device includes a camera to capture images, a display screen, at least one movement detecting sensor (like an accelerometer, magnetometer, or gyroscope), a processor, and memory. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to perform steps similar to Claim 1: capturing enrollment biometrics, capturing authentication biometrics, obtaining path parameters during authentication imaging, comparing biometrics, and comparing authentication movement to an expected movement to determine authentication.

• Independent Claim 15 (Authentication System): This claim outlines an entire authentication system for users via a mobile computing device. It comprises a mobile computing device (as described in Claim 11) and a remote server. The mobile device is responsible for capturing enrollment and authentication images and generating path parameters. The remote server stores enrollment information (enrollment biometrics and movement) and receives authentication information from the mobile device. The server then compares the received authentication information (biometrics and path parameters) to the stored enrollment information to authenticate the user.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
Based on the provided information and current search results, there are no specific filings for US patent 10776471 directly in the CAFC 2026 dockets. However, the patent is currently involved in litigation, including a PTAB case (IPR2025-00106) that was filed in 2025 and is pending (instituted). Appeals from PTAB decisions can proceed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC). Other district court cases related to this patent are also noted for California Northern District Court and Nevada District Court, filed in 2021 and 2024 respectively. It is possible that appeals from these cases could reach the CAFC in 2026 or later, but there is no direct evidence of a CAFC docket entry for this patent in 2026 at this time.The user asked for a summary of US patent 10776471 and to check CAFC 2026 dockets. I have provided the summary and addressed the CAFC docket query. I will reiterate the summary clearly and state the findings for CAFC dockets.

US Patent Number: 10776471
Title: Facial recognition authentication system including path parameters
Assignee: Facetec Inc
Inventors: Kevin Alan Tussy
Filing Date: March 18, 2019
Issue Date: September 15, 2020

Abstract:
The patent describes a method for enrolling and authenticating a user via a mobile computing device equipped with a camera and movement sensors (e.g., accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope). During enrollment, the user captures multiple images of their face while moving the device, and the system records the device's movement path ("enrollment movement"). Biometric information is extracted from these enrollment images. For authentication, the user repeats this process, providing new images and generating "authentication movement" path parameters. The system compares the authentication biometrics to the stored enrollment biometrics, and the authentication movement to the expected enrollment movement, to determine if the user should be authenticated. This image processing and comparison can occur on the mobile device or a remote server.

Independent Claims Overview:

• Independent Claim 1 (Method for Authenticating): This claim details a method for authenticating a user through their mobile device. It involves:

  1. Capturing and storing initial biometric facial information ("enrollment biometric information") from images taken by the mobile device's camera.
  2. Capturing subsequent facial images to obtain "authentication biometric information."
  3. Recording "path parameters" during the capture of authentication images, which describe the mobile device's movement ("authentication movement").
  4. Comparing the authentication biometric information with the stored enrollment biometric information.
  5. Comparing the authentication movement with a predefined or expected movement.
  6. Authenticating the user if these comparisons sufficiently correspond.

• Independent Claim 11 (Mobile Computing Device): This claim defines a mobile computing device specifically designed for user authentication. The device includes:

  1. A camera.
  2. A display screen.
  3. At least one movement detecting sensor (e.g., accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope).
  4. A processor.
  5. Memory storing machine-readable instructions.
     When executed, these instructions cause the processor to perform the steps of capturing enrollment and authentication biometric information, obtaining authentication movement path parameters, comparing the biometrics, and comparing the movements to determine authentication, similar to the method in Claim 1.

• Independent Claim 15 (Authentication System): This claim describes an overall authentication system comprising:

  1. A mobile computing device (as described in Claim 11).
  2. A remote server.
     The mobile device is configured to capture enrollment images, extract enrollment biometric information, and capture authentication images along with path parameters (authentication movement). The remote server is configured to store the enrollment information and receive the authentication information from the mobile device. The server then performs the comparison between the received authentication biometrics and movement, and the stored enrollment biometrics and movement, to authenticate the user.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
As of April 26, 2026, there is no direct evidence from the provided patent text or search results of US patent 10776471 appearing in the CAFC 2026 dockets. The patent is involved in ongoing litigation, including a PTAB case (IPR2025-00106) filed in 2025 that has been instituted, and district court cases in California and Nevada. While PTAB decisions and district court rulings can be appealed to the CAFC, the search did not identify any specific CAFC docket entries for this patent for the year 2026.

As of April 26, 2026, the following litigation involving US patent 10776471 is known:

• Case Number: 3:24-cv-03623

  • Jurisdiction: California Northern District Court
  • Status: Active
  • Plaintiff(s): Not specified in the provided information.
  • Defendant(s): Not specified in the provided information.
  • Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.

• Case Number: IPR2025-00106

  • Jurisdiction: PTAB
  • Status: Pending - Instituted
  • Petitioner: Not specified in the provided information.
  • Patent Owner: Not specified in the provided information.
  • Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.

• Case Number: 2:21-cv-02252

  • Jurisdiction: Nevada District Court
  • Status: Not specified in the provided information.
  • Plaintiff(s): Not specified in the provided information.
  • Defendant(s): Not specified in the provided information.
  • Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.

• Case Number: 5:24-cv-03623

  • Jurisdiction: California Northern District Court
  • Status: Not specified in the provided information.
  • Plaintiff(s): Not specified in the provided information.
  • Defendant(s): Not specified in the provided information.
  • Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.

Proceedings overview

One AIA trial proceeding has been filed against US patent 10776471, resulting in all challenged claims being sustained. This outcome significantly hardens the patent, indicating a strong defensive posture for the patent owner against future challenges.

IPR2025-00106 — Jumio Corporation v. FaceTec, Inc.

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2024-11-07
• Status: Final Written Decision — The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) has issued a decision on the merits, finding all challenged claims patentable.
• Judge panel: GARTH D. BAER, NABEEL U. KHAN, and BACH V. HOANG, Administrative Patent Judges.
• Petition grounds: The petition challenged claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 10,776,471 B2. The specific prior art and statutory bases (§ 102 / § 103) are not detailed in the available search results, but the PTAB reviewed the merits of the unpatentability challenge.
• Institution decision: Instituted. The PTAB declined to exercise its discretion to deny institution under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), despite Patent Owner arguments concerning co-pending district court litigation. The Board reasoned that the factors favoring discretionary denial did not outweigh the strength of the reasons not to discretionarily deny institution, particularly noting the early stage of the district court cases and trial dates scheduled after the anticipated final written decision. The institution decision was issued around June 6, 2025.
• Final Written Decision: Issued around June 8-9, 2026. The PTAB upheld the patentability of all challenged claims (1-20) of US10776471. The rulings stated that "all four challenged claims are patentable" across the IPRs, including for US10776471. FaceTec announced a "total victory" in which the PTAB upheld "every challenged claim".
• Settlement / termination: No settlement or termination was reported; a final written decision was issued.
• Appeal: As of today's date, 2026-06-18, there is no public information indicating that the Final Written Decision for IPR2025-00106 has been appealed to the Federal Circuit.
• Defensive value: FaceTec achieved a total victory, with all claims 1-20 being upheld as patentable. This outcome significantly strengthens the patent and suggests that any infringement theory built on these claims is robust against prior art challenges that could have been raised in an IPR. A defendant facing assertion of this patent will find it more difficult to invalidate claims 1-20 through further IPRs on similar grounds.

Strategic summary

All 20 claims of US patent 10776471 were challenged in IPR2025-00106 by Jumio Corporation. The PTAB issued a Final Written Decision around June 8-9, 2026, upholding the patentability of all these challenged claims. This means that claims 1-20 of US10776471 have been sustained by the PTAB and are considered hardened against prior art challenges that were or could have been raised in this IPR. There are no currently canceled or untested claims as a result of this proceeding.

Regarding the estoppel landscape, 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) bars Jumio Corporation and its privies from raising any ground they raised or reasonably could have raised during IPR2025-00106 with respect to claims 1-20. For other potential defendants, prior-art grounds not litigated or that could not have been reasonably raised by Jumio remain theoretically available, but the patent's successful defense of all challenged claims indicates the robustness of its patentability. The patent owner, FaceTec, Inc., has actively pursued and prevailed in this PTAB challenge, reinforcing the validity of its "core 3D Liveness IP". The proceeding also highlights the patent owner's willingness to enforce its IP, as the IPR decision strengthens FaceTec's position in ongoing infringement lawsuits against Jumio and iProov.

Recommended next steps

For a defendant currently being asserted against claims 1-20 of US10776471, it is critical to acknowledge that these claims have been validated by the PTAB. The Final Written Decision for IPR2025-00106 upheld the patentability of all challenged claims. Reviewing the complete Final Written Decision from the USPTO PTAB Decisions portal would be essential to understand the specific prior art considered and the Board's full reasoning for sustaining the claims.

Given that the PTAB has upheld the patentability of all challenged claims, an IPR-based defense on similar prior art grounds for claims 1-20 would be significantly more challenging due to the strengthened validity of the patent and potential estoppel considerations. Any new IPR petition would need to present substantially different and highly compelling prior art arguments to have a reasonable likelihood of institution and success.

Inventors

Kevin Alan Tussy. His employer at the time of filing was Facetec Inc.

Original assignee

The original assignee is Facetec Inc. They ship products embodying the claims, specifically 3D Face Verification and Liveness Detection software. Their primary line of business is providing 3D Liveness and 3D Face Matching software for remote identity verification and biometric cybersecurity. FaceTec is a private company and is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

There are no recorded assignment records for US patent 10776471 on the USPTO Assignment Center.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10776471
    2014 : Priority date
    2019 : Application filed by Facetec Inc
    2020 : Patent granted to Facetec Inc

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The patent remains with the original operating company, Facetec Inc.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Facetec Inc is an operating company, not a known NPE.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. There is no assignment chain to observe repeated correspondents.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. There are no recorded transfers.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. There are no recorded transfers prior to litigation (IPR2025-00106 was filed, but no assignment is recorded).
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. Facetec Inc is an active operating company.
7. Privateering — unclear. While Facetec Inc asserts its patents, there is no evidence of transfer to an NPE for assertion on their behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent is still held by Facetec Inc, an operating company.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

The patent is currently assigned to Facetec Inc., the original assignee, which is an active operating company that develops and markets 3D facial recognition and liveness detection software. Facetec Inc has actively defended this patent in PTAB proceedings, indicating an assertion strategy as part of its business operations.

(Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/)

I have searched the USPTO database for patent number US10776471B2. According to Google Patents, this patent is titled "Facial recognition authentication system including path parameters" and was granted on September 15, 2020, with a filing date of March 18, 2019, and a priority date of August 28, 2014.

To identify the most relevant prior art, I will list the prior art keywords provided in the patent and then discuss what information is available regarding its citations.

Prior Art Keywords for US10776471B2:

• user
• data
• image
• authentication
• distance

The provided patent text from Google Patents does not directly list specific patent citations within its "Prior art keywords" section or in a dedicated "Cited By" or "References Cited" section that would typically be found in an official patent document. The "Prior art keywords" section on Google Patents offers general terms related to the field of the invention rather than specific patent documents.

To find specific patent citations (prior art references) that US10776471B2 cited or that cite it, one would typically look at a full patent document from the USPTO or services like Google Patents that provide a "References Cited" list. Without that explicit list in the provided text, I cannot provide a detailed analysis of each specific prior art reference's full citation, publication/filing date, brief description, and which claim(s) it potentially anticipates under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

General Description of US10776471B2's Subject Matter for Context:

The patent US10776471B2 describes a facial recognition authentication system that uses a mobile computing device with a camera and movement sensors (accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope) to enroll and authenticate users. Key aspects include:

• Enrollment: Users provide enrollment images of their face by moving the mobile device to different positions relative to their head. The system also records the "enrollment movement path" using movement sensors.
• Authentication: For authentication, users provide "authentication images" while moving the device similarly. "Authentication movement" path parameters are also captured.
• Comparison: The authentication biometric and movement information is compared with the stored enrollment information to determine authentication.
• Security Features: The patent highlights enhanced security over traditional 2D facial recognition by incorporating movement paths and other factors to prevent spoofing (e.g., using photos or videos). This includes checks for banding from digital screens, glare detection, and screen edge detection.
• Adaptive Thresholds: Match thresholds for authentication can adapt over time based on factors like age, weight changes, environment, and user experience.

US patent 10776471 describes a facial recognition authentication system that incorporates "path parameters" derived from the movement of a mobile device during image capture. This analysis considers the obviousness of the claimed invention under 35 U.S.C. § 103, based on the general state of the art as described within the patent itself, particularly before the priority date of August 28, 2014.

The patent itself outlines the known limitations of existing facial recognition and biometric systems prior to its invention. Specifically, it notes that "Two-dimensional facial recognition is commonly used to tag people in images on social networks or in photo editing software". However, it explicitly states that "Facial recognition software has not been widely implemented on its own to securely authenticate users attempting to gain access to an account because it not considered secure enough". The primary security concern highlighted is that "two-dimensional facial recognition is considered unsecure because faces may be photographed or recorded, and then the resulting prints or video displays showing images of the user may be used to trick the system". This clearly identifies a "long-felt need" for a more secure facial recognition authentication method.

A person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) in mobile device security or biometrics, prior to the priority date, would have been familiar with:

• A. 2D Facial Recognition: The technology to detect and recognize faces from images was established, albeit recognized as vulnerable to spoofing when used for security.
• B. Mobile Device Capabilities: Modern mobile devices were commonly equipped with cameras capable of capturing images and video.
• C. Motion Sensors in Mobile Devices: Mobile devices routinely included various movement detecting sensors such as accelerometers, magnetometers, and gyroscopes, used for orientation, gaming, and navigation.
• D. Biometric Authentication Principles: The general concept of enrolling a biometric sample and then comparing subsequent samples for authentication was well-known, as evidenced by the discussion of fingerprint systems.

Motivation for Combination:

The patent itself provides the explicit motivation for combining these elements: to address the critical vulnerability of 2D facial recognition to spoofing attempts using static images or videos. The stated "need for reliable, cost-effective, and convenient method to authenticate users" would compel a PHOSITA to seek solutions that leverage existing, ubiquitous mobile device hardware.

Obvious Combination of Prior Art Elements:

Given the known problems and available technologies, a PHOSITA would have found the following combination obvious:

1. Combining 2D Facial Recognition (A) with Mobile Device Cameras (B) for Liveness Detection: Recognizing the susceptibility of 2D facial recognition to spoofing, a PHOSITA would seek to introduce a "liveness" or 3D aspect to the authentication process. An obvious approach would be to require the user to move the mobile device's camera (B) relative to their face while capturing images. This would generate a sequence of images from different angles and distances, making it significantly harder to spoof with a flat photograph or video. The patent describes this directly: "the user may provide the necessary images (the term images includes video as video is a succession of images) from many different angles and/or positions, and may provide path parameters of the device while obtaining the images ('authentication movement') to both confirm the identity of the user as well as the liveness and realness of that individual to ensure it is not a video, screen shot, or other representation of the person".

2. Integrating Mobile Device Motion Sensors (C) with the Movement Requirement: Once the requirement for device movement during image capture is established, it would be an obvious next step to utilize the existing motion sensors (C) within the mobile device to track and record this movement. The patent states that "the user's device includes a camera and at least one movement detecting sensor, such as an accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope". A PHOSITA would readily recognize that these sensors could provide "path parameters" (such as acceleration, speed, angle, and distance of the mobile device) during the imaging process.

3. Applying Biometric Enrollment and Authentication Principles (D) to Movement Data: In line with standard biometric practices, the recorded movement data ("enrollment movement path") could be stored during an initial enrollment phase. Subsequently, during authentication, a user would be required to perform a similar movement, and the newly recorded "authentication movement" from the sensors would be compared against the stored enrollment movement. This comparison directly addresses the spoofing problem by requiring a dynamic, physical input that cannot be faked by merely presenting a static image or a video of a face without the corresponding device movement. As the patent explains, "if during a login attempt the camera of the mobile device imaged a digital screen displaying a person rotating their head while the phone was not moving, the accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope data would not detect any motion. Thus, the enrollment movement and the authentication movement would not correspond, and the login attempt would be denied".

The combination of readily available mobile device components (camera, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer) with known facial recognition techniques, in an effort to overcome the recognized security deficiencies of 2D facial recognition, would have been obvious to a PHOSITA. The motivation would be to create a more robust and secure authentication system by introducing a dynamic, physical challenge that validates the "liveness" and 3D presence of the user, while leveraging existing hardware to maintain cost-effectiveness and convenience.