It has long been known that each person has a unique handwritten signature. The way a person signs their name or writes a letter can be used to prove a person's identity. As a replacement for a password or a PIN number, dynamic signature verification is a biometric technology that is used to positively identify a person from their handwritten signature. This form of identification captures the behavioral biometrics of a person rather than the physical biometrics such as fingerpint or iris recognition. The dynamic signature verification technology confirms the identity of the user by analyzing the shape, speed, stroke, pen pressure and timing information during the act of signing.

There is an important distinction between simple static signature comparison and dynamic signature verification. Both can be computerized, but a simple signature comparison only takes into account of the appearance of the signature. Dynamic signature verification takes into account of the process of how the signature was formed. With dynamic signature verification, it is not the shape or look of the signature that is meaningful, it is the changes in speed, pressure and timing that occur during the act of signing. Only the original signer can recreate the changes in timing and the three dimensional pressure points during the signing process. Not every technology captures signature information in the same way. Some systems have a static approach and will only record an image of a signature, therefore, do not record the unique behavioral elements associated with the execution of a signature.

A pasted bitmap, a copy machine or an expert forger may be able to duplicate what a signature looks like, but it is virtually impossible to duplicate the timing changes in X, Y and Z (pressure). The natural motion of the original signer would be required to repeat the patterns. Even though there will always be slight variations in a person’s handwritten signature, the consistency created by natural motion and practice over time generates a recognizable pattern that makes the handwritten signature suitable for biometric identification.

Signature verification is natural and intuitive. The technology is easy to be explained and trusted. The primary advantage of signature verification system over other types of biometric technologies is that signatures are already accepted as the common method of identity verification throughout our history. That history of trust means that people are very willing to accept a signature based verification system.

Advantages

• Natural and intuitive; the technology is easy to be explained and trusted.
• When combined with the pen speed, timing, and pressure, it is very difficult to imitate.
• Widely accepted form of identification throughout our history.

Disadvantages

• Requires more expensive digitizing tablet for capturing pen pressure.
• There are some inconsistencies to a person's signature.
  

At BioVeriCom, Inc., we only provide dynamic verification biometric technology for custom application development.