Patent ID: 7174454

Claim:
A method for establishing trust across a plurality of log in sessions for one or more client devices according to historical usage of selected hardware, comprising the steps of: tracking information unique to each log in for at least a selected client device of said client devices; determining an identity unique to said selected client device associated with each said log in; comparing said identity of said client device to a stored use profile associated with a user, said stored use profile comprising a list of client devices used by said user; determining whether said identified client device matches one of client devices listed in said stored use profile; providing a usage history for said selected client device, wherein said usage history is changeable as a function of any of frequency and number of tracked log ins associated with said selected client device and said determined identity of said selected client device for each said log in; updating any of said usage history and said stored use profile as a result of each said log in; and extending an increase in trust to said user at a level at least partially based on any of said frequency and said number of tracked log ins associated with said selected client device for said user.