Patent ID: 7562218

Claim:
A method of authenticating a user of a computer, the method comprising: providing a handheld electronic device comprising a token generator incorporated into the handheld electronic device, the token generator configured to generate a secure identification token as a first authentication code at the handheld electronic device using an algorithm and objective criterion, the handheld electronic device requiring a second authentication code for use thereof; receiving the second authentication code at the handheld electronic device; authenticating the second authentication code; automatically generating the secure identification token at the handheld electronic device as the first authentication code in response to successfully authenticating the second authentication code; and transmitting the first authentication code from the handheld electronic device to the computer over a communication link therebetween to authenticate the handheld electronic device to the computer, the first authentication code for comparison at the computer with a token generated locally on the computer, wherein the token generated locally on the computer is generated according to the algorithm and the objective criterion used to generate the secure identification token at the handheld electronic device.