Patent ID: 7647324

Claim:
A method of controlling access to at least one computing device, the method comprising: in response to a user seeking access to the at least one computing device by presenting a passive proximity badge comprising identifying information, determining whether the passive proximity badge was previously associated with a user who, within a grace period of time, accessed the at least one computing device as a result of the user having provided credential information to the at least one computing device to authenticate the user's identity and who presented the passive proximity badge to the at least one computing device to demonstrate that the user was in possession of the passive proximity badge when the credential information was provided; when it is determined that the passive proximity badge was not previously associated with a user who, within the grace period of time, accessed the at least one computing device as a result of the user having provided the credential information to the at least one computing device to authenticate the user's identity and who presented the passive proximity badge to the at least one computing device to demonstrate that the user was in possession of the passive proximity badge when the credential information was provided, requiring that to gain access to the at least one computing device the user provide the credential information to the at least one computing device to authenticate the user's identity; and when it is determined that the passive proximity badge was previously associated with a user who, within the grace period of time, accessed the at least one computing device as a result of the user having provided the credential information to the at least one computing device to authenticate the user's identity and who presented the passive proximity badge to the at least one computing device to demonstrate that the user was in possession of the passive proximity badge when the credential information was provided, enabling the user to gain access to the at least one computing device by presenting the passive proximity badge to the at least one computing device without requiring the user to provide the credential information to the at least one computing device to authenticate the user's identity.