Patent ID: 7941664

Claim:
In an account-based digital signature system in which an account holder maintains an account with an account authority, the account being identified by a unique identifier, the account holder having a device that stores securely therein a private key of a public-private key pair and that is adapted to generate digital signatures using the private key, the account authority maintaining a database in which the public key is associated with the account of the account holder, wherein the public key is obtainable from the database based on the unique identifier, a method of authenticating a message that is purportedly sent from the account holder, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving an electronic communication that includes the message, the unique identifier, and a digital signature of the message, wherein the message includes a verification status, wherein the verification status is generated by the device based on a comparison of biometric verification data provided to the device with biometric verification data of the account holder prestored within the device, the verification status not disclosing (i) personally-identifying information about the account holder, (ii) the biometric verification data input into the device, or (iii) the prestored biometric verification data; (b) based on the unique identifier from the message, obtaining the associated public key from the database; (c) decrypting the digital signature using the public key obtained from the database to verify that the message was digitally signed using the private key and that the message received is the same message that was digitally signed; and (d) if the digital signature successfully decrypts, acting upon the message as a function of the verification status included in the message.