Patent ID: 7953670

Claim:
A method for using an intelligent docking station for SAFE Cards and magnetic swipe cards, (i.e. credit cards, ATM cards) for biometric authentication of an authorized user of a smart card issued with an identification number unique to said authorized user, and secure access to computer and/or electronic data, services or resources via a single sign-on sequence, the intelligent docking station comprising a housing defining an end-wise card insertion port, a magnetic card strip reader head positioned inside said housing, a smart card sensor head positioned inside said housing, a infrared receiver/transmitter positioned inside said housing, a capacitive array panel-mounted fingerprint scanner for capturing a portion of a user's fingerprint minutia when a user swipes their finger, an LCD display screen, a programmable microprocessor and PROM memory, a USB Port for communicating with a host computer, and red and green LED indicator lights for indicating positive or negative local authentication, respectively, of a user's biometric identity; the method comprising the steps of; issuing an unactivated intelligent docking station to a user, said intelligent docking station having a device ID number prestored in said PROM memory; pre-registering said user by assigning a user ID, and recording said user ID and device ID number in a separate database hosted by a web-enabled sponsor network; initiating a real time fingerprint scan by activating said intelligent docking station by said user placing a finger on said fingerprint scanner, enrolling said user with said intelligent docking station by storing a digitalized subset of scan minutia of said registered user's scanned fingerprint data in said PROM memory; connecting said intelligent docking station by said USB port to a network device having online access; receiving a smart card in said intelligent docking station; obtaining a real time fingerprint scan by placing a finger on said fingerprint scanner and initiating and controlling a scanning operation at said intelligent docking station; determining that a match exist by comparing by said programmable microprocessor a subset of the minutia of the real time fingerprint scan to the enrolled scan minutia; based on said determination by said programmable microprocessor illuminating said green LED indicator light, and automatically transmitting an encrypted packet of information comprising said assigned user ID and device ID number through the network device USB port to said web-enabled sponsor network; authenticating said user by receiving said encrypted user ID and device ID number, and decrypting the user ID and the device ID number at the sponsor network and comparing to the user ID and the device ID number stored in the separate database of said web-enabled sponsor network during said preregistration step; based on said comparing, providing access via said network device to a network resource.