Patent Document ID: 8590018
Application ID: 13228414
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. An authentication method, the method comprising: receiving from an initiating user, by a security tool, a request for a transaction, the security tool including a security information store that includes a personal profile information store, an application profile information store and an authentication layer information store, wherein the personal profile information store stores for each initiating user a respective initiating user personal ID key, a respective interacting user relationship ID and a respective authentication key, wherein the application profile information store stores for each initiating user a respective initiating user personal ID key, a respective application ID key and a respective authentication key, wherein the authentication layer information store stores the authentication keys of the personal profile information store and the application profile information store, and for each of the authentication keys stores a respective authentication name, a respective authentication method, a respective authentication type, and a respective application ID key; performing, by the security tool, a first authentication of the initiating user for the transaction, the first authentication employing a first authentication level, the security tool employing the authentication key of the initiating user in the personal profile information store to map to and access security attribute information in the authentication layer information store corresponding to the initiating user, thus specifying an authentication method and an authentication type to be used in performing the first authentication; authorizing the transaction to proceed, by the security tool, in response to the first authentication of the initiating user; and performing, by the security tool, a plurality of subsequent authentications of the initiating user after the first authentication of the initiating user and during the transaction; wherein at least one of the plurality of subsequent authentications employs a different authentication level than the first authentication level.