Patent ID: 7908644

Claim:
A method for authenticating a user through an access device comprising the steps of: in association with a first authentication attempt by a user from a device to a server, requiring the user to provide additional authentication information beyond a lesser set of authentication information; authenticating the user based on the lesser set of authentication information and the additional authentication information; based at least on authenticating the user, storing on the server, in an inter-session user/usage profile for determining a trust level for a current authentication attempt, a distinct aspect of the device from which the user has authenticated and said user's access history, said access history comprising a user's standard list of computers used; in association with a second authentication attempt by the user from the device to the server, matching the distinct aspect of the device with the distinct aspect and access history stored on the server in association with the user; and based at least on the matching, authenticating the user based only on the lesser set of authentication information.