Patent ID: 7415450

Claim:
A programmable apparatus comprising: a centralized personal data base in a memory connected to a server computer; a computer program in the memory, the computer program adapted to cause the computer to make the centralized personal database accessible by a consumer having a basic number and a primary number and accessible to a merchant having the primary number and a secondary number, the secondary number being associated with a consumer-defined level of access to the centralized personal data base; a network; a consumer computer and a merchant computer connected to the server computer by the network; wherein the consumer uses the consumer computer, the server computer, the basic number, and primary number to create an account in the centralized personal data base; wherein the consumer uses the consumer computer, the server computer, the basic number, and the primary number to access the account in the centralized personal data base and to modify an account data in the account; wherein the consumer uses the consumer computer and the server computer to create the secondary number and to provide the primary number and the secondary number to the merchant; wherein the merchant uses the merchant computer, the server computer, the primary number and the secondary number to access the account and the merchant is prohibited from modifying the account data in the account.