Patent ID: 7177915

Claim:
A method for establishing preference settings for a computer terminal during a user session, the computer terminal being coupled to a smart card reader configured to detect and access a smart card located within a predetermined zone of the smart card reader, the smart card carrying at least wholly self-contained personalized preference settings, at least one checksum summarizing the contents of the smart card and unique identification information, the method comprising the steps of: the smart card reader detecting if a smart card is present within the predetermined zone; wirelessly retrieving the at least one checksum and the unique identification information from the smart card to access the computer terminal; validating the unique identification information retrieved from the smart card; if the unique identification information is validated, providing a user with access and functionality to the computer terminal; inspecting a preference cache within the computer terminal for a unique cache identifier and a cache checksum matching the unique identification information and the at least one checksum of the smart card, and assigning cached preference settings associated with the unique cache identifier and the cache checksum to the computer terminal to initiate the user session; wherein if no matching unique cache identifier and cache checksum are found, the method further comprises; conducting an information exchange to thereby initiate the user session, the information exchange including: receiving and storing, at the computer terminal, the self-contained personalized preference settings contained on the smart card; performing a preference establishment procedure to assign the self-contained personalized preference settings contained on the smart card to the computer terminal when the smart card is within the predetermined zone; and while the smart card is within the predetermined zone of the smart card reader, preventing the smart card reader from accessing additional smart cards within the predetermined zone of the smart card reader.