ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 17 -- United States Patent no. 12,314,458, issued on May 27, was assigned to IMPRIVATA INC. (Waltham, Mass.).
"Unobtrusive authentication system" was invented by Jeremiah Mason (Lynn, Mass.), Paul Oramasionwu (Somerville, Mass.) and Pieter-Jan Boone (Bedford, Mass.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "User authentication is performed using a camera to capture the user's identifying information (such as facial features) but the camera remains concealed until needed, thereby eliminating (or at least reducing) anxiety and privacy concerns. For example, the camera, when unneeded for authentication, may be hidden behind a retractable shutter or "smart" barrier that can change its s...