Identification system and method for authenticating user transaction requests from end terminals

An identification system comprising:

• a plurality of end terminals respectively identified by user identifiers, each of the end terminals transmitting a transaction request message containing biometrics data of a user to a communications network;
• at least one electronic commerce service provider (ECSP) unit for receiving said transaction request message via said network and transmitting an authentication request message containing said biometrics data to said network;
• and
• an authentication server having a database for mapping a plurality of registered biometrics data to a plurality of corresponding registered user identifiers, the authentication server receiving the authentication request message via said network, comparing the received biometrics data to all of the registered biometrics data in said database, detecting the user identifier mapped to the biometrics data which coincides with the received biometrics data, and retuning a reply to said ECSP unit via said network indicating that a user identified by the detected user identifier is authenticated.

An identification method comprising the steps of:

• a) transmitting, from an end terminal a transaction request message containing biometrics data of a user to a communications network;
• b) receiving at an electronic commerce service provider, said transaction request message via said network;
• c) transmitting, from the electronic commerce service provider, an authentication request message containing said biometrics data to said network;
• d) receiving said authentication request message via said network at a user authenticator having a database for storing a plurality of registered biometrics data;
• e) determining whether the received biometrics data has corresponding biometrics data in said database;
• and
• f) returning a reply from said user authenticator to said electronic commerce service provider via said network indicating that said transaction request message is authenticated if the received biometrics data coincides with one of the registered biometrics data of the database.

An identification method comprising the steps of:

• a) transmitting, from an end terminal, a transaction request message containing biometrics data of a user and a user identifier of said user to a communications network;
• b) receiving, at an electronic commerce service provider, said transaction request message via said network;
• c) transmitting, from the electronic commerce service provider, an authentication request message containing said biometrics data and said user identifier to said network;
• d) receiving said authentication request message at a user authenticator via said network, the authenticator having a database in which a plurality of registered biometrics data are mapped to a plurality of corresponding registered user identifiers;
• e) comparing the received biometrics data to one of the registered biometrics data which is mapped in said database to the user identifier contained in said authentication request message;
• and
• f) returning, from the user authenticator, a reply to said electronic commerce service provider via said network indicating that said transaction request message is authenticated if the received biometrics data coincides with said mapped biometrics data.

An identification method comprising the steps of:

• a) transmitting, from an end terminal, a transaction request message containing biometrics data of a user to a communications network;
• b) receiving, at an electronic commerce service provider, said transaction request message via said network;
• c) transmitting from said service provider, an authentication request message containing said biometrics data to said network;
• d) receiving, at a user authenticator having a database in which a plurality of registered biometrics data are mapped to a plurality of corresponding registered user identifiers, said authentication request message via said network;
• e) comparing the received biometrics data to all of the registered biometrics data in said database to detect coincidence;
• f) detecting the user identifier mapped to the biometrics data which coincides with the received biometrics data;
• and
• g) returning a reply from the user authenticator to said service provider via said network indicating that said user having the detected user identifier is authenticated.

An identification system comprising:

• a plurality of end terminals, each of the end terminals transmitting to a communications network a registration request message and a transaction request message, each of said messages containing biometrics data of a user and a user identifier of said user;
• at least one electronic commerce service provider (ECSP) unit for receiving said registration request message via said network to retransmitting the registration request message to said network and receiving said transaction request message via said network and transmitting an authentication request message containing said biometrics data and said user identifier to said network;
• and
• an authentication server for receiving said registration request message from said ECSP unit via said network, mapping in a database a plurality of biometrics data contained in a plurality of said registration request messages to a plurality of corresponding user identifiers contained in said registration request messages, the authentication server further receiving the authentication request message via said network, comparing the received biometrics data to one of the biometrics data which is mapped in said database to the user identifier contained in said authentication request message and returning a reply to said ECSP unit via said network indicating that said transaction request message is authenticated if the received biometrics data coincides with said mapped biometrics data.

An identification system comprising:

• a plurality of end terminals, each of the end terminals transmitting a registration request message containing biometrics data of a user and a user identifier of the user to a communications network and transmitting a transaction request message containing said biometrics data to the communications network;
• at least one electronic commerce service provider (ECSP) unit for receiving said registration request message via said network and retransmitting the registration request message to said network and receiving said transaction request message and transmitting an authentication request message containing said biometrics data to said network;
• and
• an authentication server for receiving said registration request message from said ECSP unit via said network, mapping a plurality of biometrics data contained in a plurality of said registration request messages to a plurality of corresponding user identifiers contained in said registration request messages, the authentication server receiving the authentication request message via said network, comparing the received biometrics data to all of the biometrics data in said database, detecting the user identifier mapped to the biometrics data which coincides with the received biometrics data, and returning a reply to said ECSP unit via said network indicating that a user identified by the detected user identifier is authenticated.