Patent ID: 8316050

Claim:
A system for identifying individuals and authorizing individuals to carry out transactions said system comprising: a plurality of credentials, each of said credentials being provided to one of a plurality of individuals; a biometric scanner and a credential reader at a transaction location, said biometric scanner transforming the results of a biometric scan into a biometric code, said credential reader gathering and transmitting information related to said credentials, including a unique individual ID number; a link between said biometric scanner and said credential reader; a national ID database containing correlations between said unique individual ID numbers and individual biometric codes; and at least one application-specific database related to a specific transaction type, said application-specific database containing ID numbers of individuals authorized to participate in said specific transaction type; wherein said national ID database is separate from and lacks direct communication with said at least one application-specific database; and wherein authorization to carry out a transaction is provided by verification from the national ID database and the application-specific database following transmission of said biometric code and said credential information to said national ID database and transmission of said unique ID number to said application-specific database.