Patent ID: 7567940

Claim:
A scalable on-line system for printing value bearing items (VBI) comprising: a client system; and a scalable server system communicating with the client system over a communication network comprising: a database remote from the client system and including information about a plurality of users; a plurality of transaction data records stored in the database to ensure authenticity of the plurality of users; and a plurality of stateless cryptographic devices remote from the client system and capable of authenticating and processing VBI printing requests from any of the plurality of users using a respective transaction data records stored in the database, wherein when a VBI printing request from a current user is received by the server system, an available cryptographic device from the plurality of cryptographic devices and the database cross-verify a copy of a last transaction data record stored in the database and stored in the available cryptographic device, before processing the VBI printing request from the current user, and wherein the server system sends a print authorization to the client system to print a VBI when the copy of the last transaction data record is cross-verified.