Isolated authentication device and associated methods

A method of using an authentication device, comprising the steps of:

• receiving a document in electronic form accompanied by an encrypted hash, said encrypted hash created by an authentication device based on the document and a private key;
• decrypting the encrypted hash using the public key corresponding to the private key;
• creating a confirmation hash based on the document using the same hash algorithm used by the authentication device;
• and
• comparing the confirmation hash with the decrypted hash.

A method of using an authentication device, comprising the steps of:

• receiving a signal from an authentication device by a lock to identify the authentication device;
• verifying that the authentication device or its user is authorized to open the lock;
• generating a random digital file and encrypting it using a public key associated with the authentication device;
• sending the encrypted digital file to the authentication device for decryption using a private key paired with the public key;
• receiving the decrypted digital file from the authentication device;
• and
• unlocking the lock if the decrypted digital file from the authentication device matches the random digital file initially generated.