An Oxford firm developing technology to harness a person’s voice and facial features for secure mobile and online purchases and payments has won a provisional U.S. patent for its latest invention.
NXT-ID Inc., a tech startup formerly based in Shelton, announced Monday the issuance of provisional patent No. 62114357 for its so-called “distributed voice director payment method and system.’’
NXT-ID tech chief David Tunnell said the technology introduces the concept of “voice cards,’’ or alias names that users set to describe specific private information such as credit and debit cards, further enhancing security as well as convenience.
Its technology, Tunnell said, works with current retail point-of-sale equipment and technology, such as magnetic-stripe cards and readers, and reprogrammable smart cards like NXT-ID’s WocketCard.
“Convenience to access your private data is just as important as securing your private data”, Tunnell said in a statement. “We’ve all been there, waiting in line as we fumble through our wallets to find the right card or information. With this invention, we not only secure your data by recognizing you are who you say you are from your voice, but we also provide an extremely convenient way for you to select how you wish to pay.”
Last August, NXT-ID said its subsidiary was working with the Palm Bay, Fla., police department to evaluate its FaceMatch biometric facial recognition identification systems to enroll inmates in local detention centers.
