Secure identification system
First Claim
1. A method of providing secure interactive communication of textual information and image data between a central server computer and one or more client computer terminals, located at remote sites, for the purpose of storing and retrieving files describing and identifying unique products, services or individuals, the steps of the method comprising:
- separately storing textual information and image data from one or more of the remote terminals at the location of the central server computer with the image data being in compressed form and the textual information being included in a relational database with identifiers associated with any related image data, associating for independent retrieval at the central computer the image data and the textual information, receiving and processing at the central computer single, multiple and simultaneous requests for identification confirmation received from at least one of the remote terminals, recalling and downloading textual information and/or image data requested from the at least one of the remote terminals to the requesting terminal for review, and comparing the textual information and image data downloaded at the requesting terminal with a product, service or individual to be identified.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus are described which provide secure interactive communication of text and image information between a central server computer and one or more client computers located at remote sites for the purpose of storing and retrieving files describing and identifying unique products, services, or individuals. Textual information and image data from one or more of the remote sites are stored separately at the location of the central server computer, with the image data being in compressed form, and with the textual information being included in a relational database with identifiers associated with any related image data. Means are provided at the central computer for management of all textural information and image data received to ensure that all information may be independently retrieved. Requests are entered from remote terminals specifying particular subject matter, and the system is capable of responding to multiple simultaneous requests. Textural information is recalled and downloaded for review, along with any subsequently requested image data, to be displayed at a remote site. Various modes of data and image formatting are also disclosed, including encryption techniques to fortify data integrity. The server computers may be interfaced with other computers to effect financial transactions, and images representing the subjects of transactions may be uploaded to the server computer to create temporary or permanent records of financial or legal transactions. A further feature of the system is the ability to associate an identification image with a plurality of accounts, transactions, or records.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A method of providing secure interactive communication of textual information and image data between a central server computer and one or more client computer terminals, located at remote sites, for the purpose of storing and retrieving files describing and identifying unique products, services or individuals, the steps of the method comprising:
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separately storing textual information and image data from one or more of the remote terminals at the location of the central server computer with the image data being in compressed form and the textual information being included in a relational database with identifiers associated with any related image data, associating for independent retrieval at the central computer the image data and the textual information, receiving and processing at the central computer single, multiple and simultaneous requests for identification confirmation received from at least one of the remote terminals, recalling and downloading textual information and/or image data requested from the at least one of the remote terminals to the requesting terminal for review, and comparing the textual information and image data downloaded at the requesting terminal with a product, service or individual to be identified. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 34, 35, 36)
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23. A method of providing secure interactive communication of text information between a central server computer and one or more client computer terminals, located at remote sites, for the purpose of storing and retrieving files describing and identifying an individual, the steps of the method comprising:
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separately storing into the central server computer textual data received from a data input terminal into the central server computer, receiving and processing at the central server computer single, multiple and simultaneous requests for identification received from the remote computer terminals, at least one request for identification being received from a user physically present at a remote terminal, recalling and downloading the textual data to the remote computer terminal that requested the textual data, and comparing at the remote requesting computer terminal the textual data downloaded thereto from the central server computer with the individual to be identified. - View Dependent Claims (24, 37, 38)
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25. A method of identifying a user not physically present at a transaction terminal, comprising the steps of:
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providing at least one centralized computer in operative communication with and remote to the transaction terminal, the centralized computer and transaction terminal each having a memory for storing graphical image files, capturing at the transaction terminal user identifying graphical images from many different approved users, each of the graphical images being selected by and personal to a respective approved user and having at least one distinctive feature that the approved user would be required to describe as a means of authenticating user identity and verifying that the user is authorized to complete a transaction, inputting the user identifying graphical images into the memory of the transaction terminal and of the centralized computer from said transaction terminal, receiving at said transaction terminal a telecommunication request from a requestor not physically present at the transaction terminal and requesting identification verification and approval to complete a transaction, displaying from the memory of one said remote terminal and centralized computer the user identifying graphical image corresponding to the requester, and receiving from the requestor a description of the distinctive feature associated with the graphical image downloaded and approving or rejecting the requester as an authorized user depending on the description given. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An apparatus for authenticating authorized users and approving transactions requested by requesters not physically present for visual identification, the apparatus comprising:
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a data terminal for capturing a graphical image of a confirmation symbol selected by a user, the confirmation symbol having at least one unique and describable feature, a centralized computer for storing the graphical image of the confirmation symbol, the computer being at a location remote to the data terminal, means for receiving an approval request at the data terminal from a requester using a telephone at a location remote to the data terminal, means for transferring the graphical image stored in the centralized computer to the data terminal, the means for transferring being activated in response to the request for approval, and means for displaying at the data terminal the graphical image downloaded from storage in the central computer and corresponding to the requestor, whereupon the requester describes the confirmation symbol to obtain approval of the transaction.
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31. A secure identification system, comprising
at least one centralized computer storing a database of compressed image files, each image file representing the image of an individual, a plurality of remote terminals in operative relation with the centralized computer, means located at the centralized computer for associating an image identifying number with the image file of a first individual and a second individual, and means located at the site of each remote terminal for downloading and displaying at least one of said image files stored in the database in response to one of said remote terminals communicating said image identifying number to said centralized computer.
Specification