Patent ID: 7229013

Claim:
An electronic payroll system for processing a payroll, comprising: a data processor, a memory for storing the names of a plurality of employees, the pay rate for each of the plurality of employees, a unique identifying account number for each of the plurality of employees, a personal identification number associated with each account number, biometric data that uniquely identifies each of the plurality of employees, and for storing the check-in and checkout times for each of the plurality of employee, a card coded with one of the unique identifying account numbers assigned to each of the plurality of employees, a personal identification number assigned to each of the plurality of employees and associated with each unique identifying account number, and an electronic terminal having a card reader for reading the coded unique identifying account number on the card, having a plurality of entry keys for entering the personal identification number, having biometric means for receiving unique biometric data for each of the plurality of employees, and having means for communicating the unique identifying account number and the personal identification number or the unique biometric data to the data processor, said data processor in communication with said electronic terminal to receive the unique identifying account number and personal identification number, to compare said account number and personal identification number as received from said electronic terminal and said memory to determine if said account number and personal identification number correspond to a set of numbers stored in the memory for one of the plurality of employees, or to compare biometric data received from said biometric determining means with biometric data previously stored in said memory and, if a correspondence is determined for said sets of numbers or for said stored biometric data, to authenticate the identified employee and to use the current time as a payroll check-in or checkout time for the identified employee.