Patent ID: 7418255

Claim:
A system for enabling use of a computer terminal in a network to access or otherwise participate in at least one network-related function and a separate voice communication function over the network, comprising: a telephone handset including a microphone and a speaker coupled to provide signals to and receive signals from the computer terminal for the voice communication function; a finger-image sensor coupled at least to provide signals to the computer terminal relating to a finger-image sensed by the finger-image sensor; means for electronically authenticating a finger-image sensed by a finger-image sensor based on the finger-image-related signals provided to that computer terminal; means responsive to the authenticating means for enabling the computer terminal in the network to participate in the voice communication function over the network at least from each computer terminal for which a sensed finger-image was authenticated and access over the network at least one function that is not related to and does not depend upon participation by the computer terminal in the voice communication function.