Patent ID: 7690563
Filing Date: 2010-04-06
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for protecting an identity of a user having a transaction medium issued from an institution, the method comprising: establishing the identity of the user, thereby obtaining identity information of the user; providing the identity information of the user to a database that is remotely located from the institution and that is not accessible by the institution; providing a recorded government-issued identification number (GIN) of the user to the database; providing a recorded personal identification number (PIN) of the user to the database; conducting a transaction with the transaction medium at a transaction location that is remote from the database, wherein the transaction is conducted after the identity information of the user, the recorded GIN of the user, and the recorded PIN of the user are provided to the database; entering a GIN of the user and a PIN of the user into an input component at the transaction location; providing the entered GIN of the user and the entered PIN of the user to the database, wherein the database returns verification information based on whether the entered GIN and the entered PIN provided to the database correspond to the recorded GIN of the user stored in the database and the recorded PIN of the user stored in the database; providing transaction information to the institution while conducting the transaction, wherein the entered PIN of the user that is provided to the database is not provided to the institution, and wherein transaction information that is provided to the institution is not provided to the database so that neither the database nor the institution contain both (a) the GIN and PIN of the user and (b) the transaction information; and allowing the institution to authorize the transaction based on the returned verification information.