SAN DIEGO, Dec. 15, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ImageWare Systems, Inc. (Pink Sheets:IWSY), a leading developer of identity management solutions, today announced that it has been awarded two additional patents, numbers 7,596,246 and 7,606,396, by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), for its scalable, multimodal, biometric fusion and analysis technologies. These patents describe a system and method for fusing the matching results of multiple biometrics to improve the performance and accuracy over the use of a single biometric for identification and authentication.
The first new patent (# 7,596,246) details ImageWare's intellectual property as it relates to scalable, multimodal biometric data management by using multiple, disparate biometric matching technologies and a "router" by which this data can be created, managed and queried. This patented open architecture is the foundation by which ImageWare's Biometric Engine(R) enables the creation of high volume biometric solutions that use a multitude of biometric matching technologies leveraging different software and hardware architectures and accessed by multiple hardware and software clients.
The second new patent (# 7,606,396) defines the process by which multiple biometric modalities can be combined to accurately identify one or more individuals. This patent, combined with ImageWare's patent on Biometric Fusion (# 7,362,884) complement the existing portfolio of biometric analytical technologies and workflow processes for combining multiple and disparate biometric matching algorithms to effectively verify and identify individuals based on multiple biometric modalities.
"ImageWare is the pioneer in providing the market with a flexible, scalable and agnostic multimodal biometric platform and we are especially pleased to add these patents to our existing intellectual property portfolio. This brings our total patent coverage to four encompassing our Biometric Engine(R) product as well as the fusion of multiple biometric results into one score for enhanced identification," said Jim Miller, ImageWare's Chairman and CEO. "As the biometric marketplace moves increasingly toward the use of multimodal data, we believe that there is a significant value to these patents as well as the additional pending patent applications currently in process by the Company."
About ImageWare Systems, Inc.
ImageWare Systems, Inc. is a leading developer of identity management solutions, providing biometric, secure credential and law enforcement technologies. Scalable for worldwide deployment, the Company's biometric product line includes a multi-biometric engine that is hardware and algorithm independent, enabling the enrollment and management of unlimited population sizes. ImageWare's identification products are used to manage and issue secure credentials including national IDs, passports, driver licenses, smart cards and access control credentials. ImageWare's digital booking products provide law enforcement with integrated mug shot, fingerprint Livescan and investigative capabilities. ImageWare is headquartered in San Diego, CA with offices in Portland, OR, Washington DC, Canada and Mexico. For more information visit www.iwsinc.com.
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