Patent ID: 8271397

Claim:
A system for authenticating identities of a plurality of users, the system comprising: a first handheld device including: a biometric sensor programmed to receive a biometric input provided by a user of the first handheld device; a processor coupled to the biometric sensor, the processor programmed to authenticate the user of the first handheld device based on the biometric input; and a wireless transceiver coupled to the processor and programmed to transmit via a network a first wireless signal including a first portion of biometric information of the user of the first handheld device; and a second device including: a processor; a user interface coupled to the processor included in the second device and including a display, the user interface configured for operation by a user of the second device; and a wireless transceiver coupled to the processor included in the second device; and a memory coupled to the processor included in the second device and configured to store respective biometric information for a first plurality of users wherein the respective biometric information includes a second portion of biometric information of the first plurality of users, respectively, wherein the first plurality of users includes the user of the first handheld device; wherein the first wireless transceiver is programmed to transmit the first portion of biometric information of the user of the first handheld device to the second device via the network, wherein the processor included in the second device is configured to form a combined biometric for display on the display included in the second device by combining the first portion of biometric information of the user of the first handheld device with a second portion of biometric information of the user of the first handheld device which is included in the biometric information for the first plurality of users, and wherein the combined biometric is employed by the user of the second device to authenticate an identity of the user of the first handheld device.