Patent ID: 7363492

Claim:
An authentication method having a selectable confidence level, comprising the steps of: (a) iteratively interacting between a prover and a verifier, wherein the prover and verifier are electronic devices that perform calculations and pass values between themselves that result from the calculations; (b) determining from at least one of the values whether each iteration yields one of a pass and fail result, wherein each iteration that yields a pass result establishes an authentication confidence level that is greater than an authentication level from a previous iteration, and wherein a fail result stops the iterations; (c) continuing to perform iterations, so long as each iteration achieves a pass result, until a count of iterations reaches a number sufficient to achieve a first authentication confidence level desired by the verifier; (d) allowing performance of a first task by the verifier in reliance on the first authentication confidence level; (e) continuing to perform iterations, so long as each iteration achieves a pass result, until a count of iterations reaches a number sufficient to achieve a second authentication confidence level desired by the verifier; (f) allowing performance of a second task by the verifier in reliance on the second authentication confidence level desired by the verifier; and (g) disallowing performance of the at least one task by the verifier when an iteration achieves a fail result before the second authentication confidence level is met.