Patent ID: 7861091

Claim:
A process for controlling access to a host computer, said process comprising: detecting that a transportable memory device is in communication with said host computer; accessing a first password and a username from said transportable memory device; accessing a second password entered by a user; if said first password matches said second password, then: (i) searching for said username on a stored list of valid users, (ii) retrieving access time intervals associated with said username, and (iii) granting host computer access to said user by unlocking said host computer if the current time is within any of said access time intervals associated with said username; after said granting, logging said user into a session and permitting data to be transferred from said transportable memory device, wherein said data is encrypted using an encryption key that is resident on said transportable memory device and wherein said data comprises information used to configure said host computer system according to preferences specific to said user; locking said host computer from user access if said transportable memory device is removed from said host computer; detecting that said transportable memory device is again in communication with said host computer; and with said transportable memory device again in communication with said host computer, restoring said session at the point at which said transportable memory device was previously removed and granting host computer access to said user by unlocking said host computer if the current time is within any of said access time intervals associated with said username.