Obviousness

The independent claims of US Patent 11157606 would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) by the patent's priority date of August 28, 2014. The core inventive concept, involving the combination of facial recognition with device movement parameters for authentication, was well-established in the prior art, particularly through earlier publications by the same assignee.

Independent Claims of US11157606:

The independent claims (1, 11, and 12) of US11157606 generally cover:

1. Receiving multiple enrollment images of a user's face captured while a computing device (e.g., mobile phone) is moved relative to the user's head.
2. Receiving enrollment movement data (path parameters) from the computing device's movement sensors (e.g., accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope) during image capture.
3. Storing this combined enrollment information.
4. Later, receiving multiple authentication images and authentication movement data similarly captured.
5. Comparing both the authentication images (for facial biometrics) and the authentication movement data with the stored enrollment information.
6. Authenticating the user if the comparison meets a predetermined correspondence level.
7. (Specific to Claim 1) Transmitting an email to the user's associated email address if authentication fails.

Obviousness Analysis:

A highly pertinent prior art reference is US10776471B2, titled "Facial recognition authentication system including path parameters". This patent, published on January 24, 2013, before the priority date of US11157606, discloses nearly every element of the independent claims. Specifically, it teaches:

• Enrolling a user by providing enrollment images of the user's face, taken by a camera of a mobile device as the user moves the device to different positions relative to their head.
• Utilizing one or more movement sensors (such as an accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope) of a mobile device to determine an enrollment movement path that the phone takes during the imaging.
• Storing enrollment biometric information and movement information.
• Authenticating a user by providing authentication images via the camera of the mobile device while the user moves the device to different positions relative to their head.
• Obtaining path parameters (authentication movement) during the imaging of the authentication images.
• Comparing the authentication biometric information to the stored enrollment biometric information, and comparing the authentication movement of the mobile device to an expected movement (enrollment movement) to determine whether the authentication movement sufficiently corresponds to the expected movement.

Given the striking similarity in title, abstract, and detailed description, US10776471B2 effectively renders the core aspects of claims 1, 11, and 12 of US11157606 obvious (and potentially anticipatory, though the request is for obviousness). A PHOSITA would recognize that the system described in US10776471B2 directly implements the steps and system features of US11157606.

Furthermore, US9813907B2, titled "Sensor-assisted user authentication" and also having a priority date of January 24, 2013, corroborates the general concept. It describes:

• A portable electronic device including an imaging sensor and a motion sensor.
• Acquiring multiple images of a user's face.
• Obtaining motion information using a motion sensor (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer).
• Determining a first motion vector from the multiple images and a second motion vector from the motion information.
• Using this for "sensor-assisted facial authentication" to enhance security and defend against 2D media attacks.

This further demonstrates that the combination of facial imaging, multiple images, and device motion sensor data for authentication and liveness detection on mobile devices was well-known and disclosed prior to the priority date of US11157606.

Motivation for Combination:

Even if one were to combine these references rather than rely on the near-complete disclosure of US10776471B2 alone, the motivation for a PHOSITA would be evident:

• Addressing Spoofing: The problem of spoofing facial recognition systems with 2D photographs or videos was a known challenge in the art. Prior art like US20140016837A1 (published January 16, 2014) addressed this by capturing multiple facial images and analyzing "liveness gestures" based on inferred movement (yaw and pitch angles) between images.
• Utilizing Device Sensors: The use of motion sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes) on mobile devices for authentication was also known. For example, US20120235790A1 (published September 20, 2012) taught capturing images in response to detecting device movement using a motion sensor for facial recognition.
• Enhanced Security and Liveness Detection: A PHOSITA would be motivated to combine the explicit measurement of device movement using onboard sensors (as taught by,,) with the capture of multiple facial images (as taught by,,). This combination provides a more robust and direct method of liveness detection and authentication. By verifying that the actual device moved in an expected path (via sensor data) concurrently with capturing facial images, the system could effectively counter spoofing attempts that rely on static images or videos displayed on another screen, which would not replicate the authentic device movement. The patent itself highlights this anti-fraud aspect, noting that if a static image or video were used, the "accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope data would not detect any motion" matching the enrollment movement.

Email Notification (Claim 1 Specific):

The element of transmitting an email to an associated email address upon authentication failure (Claim 1) is a standard and obvious security feature. Security systems across various domains commonly employ email notifications to alert users of suspicious activity, including failed login attempts. Although no specific prior art patent was found that precisely combines facial recognition with email notification on failure before the priority date, the general concept of sending security alerts via email for any authentication system was a widespread and conventional practice in IT security by 2014. A PHOSITA would have readily integrated such a common security enhancement into any authentication system to improve user awareness and fraud prevention.

In summary, the detailed disclosures in US10776471B2 and US9813907B2 alone, or in combination with other known techniques for liveness detection and using device motion sensors for authentication, would make the independent claims of US11157606 obvious to a PHOSITA at the time of the invention.