Method and apparatus for verifying a person's identity or entitlement using one-time transaction codes

A method for verifying an identity of a person, comprising a registration step of storing for the person in a verification device a personal pattern of a number of locations on a grid in association with personal identification data, and a subsequent verification step which comprises:

• (a) presenting to the person a challenge grid of locations occupied by a pseudo-random set of symbols, and challenging the person to:
• identify a response set of symbols occupying locations in the challenge grid having an identifier, corresponding to the stored personal pattern, and
• input to a user terminal the response set;
• (b) causing the user terminal to transmit to the verification device the response set of symbols and data enabling the verification device to recreate the challenge grid, wherein the data includes the identifier of the challenge grid;
• (c) receiving the response set and the data in the verification device and causing the verification device to recreate the challenge grid based in part on the data and then to generate from the recreated challenge grid a verification set of symbols occupying locations in the recreated challenge grid corresponding to the stored personal pattern;
• (d) comparing, at the verification device, the response set of symbols with the verification set of symbols;
• and
• (e) verifying, at the verification device, the identity of the person by determining whether the response set is the same as the verification set.

A method for verifying an identity of a person, comprising a registration step of storing for the person in a verification device a personal pattern of a number of locations on a grid in association with personal identification data, and a subsequent verification step which comprises:

• (a) presenting to the person, via a user terminal, a challenge grid of locations occupied by a pseudo-random set of symbols, wherein the challenge grid does not include transaction specific information, and challenging the person to:
• identify a response set of symbols occupying locations in the challenge grid corresponding to the stored personal pattern, and
• input to the user terminal the response set;
• (b) causing the user terminal to transmit to the verification device the response set of symbols and identifying data enabling the verification device to identify the challenge grid, wherein the identifying data include an identifier of the challenge grid;
• (c) receiving, at the verification device, the response set and the identifying data and causing the verification device to identify the challenge grid based on the identifying data and to generate a verification set of symbols by applying the stored personal pattern to the identified challenge grid, the verification set of symbols being those symbols occupying locations in the identified challenge grid corresponding to the stored personal pattern;
• (d) comparing the response set of symbols with the verification set of symbols;
• and
• (e) verifying the identity of the person by determining whether the response set is the same as the verification set.

An apparatus for use in verifying an identity of a person, comprising a verification device for receiving and storing identification data for the person and a linked pattern of locations on a grid, and for causing a user terminal at a location of the person to present to the person a challenge grid and an invitation for the person to identify in response thereto a response set of symbols occupying locations in the challenge grid corresponding to the stored personal pattern in the verification device,

• wherein the challenge grid comprises locations occupied only by a pseudo-random set of symbols, and the challenge grid does not include transaction specific information;
• and
• wherein the verification device is arranged to;
• receive the response set and data enabling the verification device to recreate the challenge grid from the user terminal, wherein the data includes the identifier of the challenge grid,
• recreate the challenge grid from the received data;
• generate from the recreated challenge grid and the stored personal pattern a verification set of symbols occupying locations in the received challenge grid corresponding to the stored personal pattern;
• and
• compare the response set of symbols with the verification set of symbols to verify the identity of the person by determining whether the response set is the same as the verification set.

An apparatus for use in verifying an identity of a person, comprising:

• a verification device for receiving and storing identification data for the person and a personal pattern of locations on a grid, and
• a user terminal at a location of the person for presenting to the person a challenge grid and an invitation to the person to identify in response thereto a response set of symbols occupying locations in the challenge grid corresponding to the stored personal pattern in the verification device,
• wherein the challenge grid presented to the person, via the user terminal, comprises locations occupied only by a pseudo-random set of symbols, and the challenge grid includes an identifier;
• and
• wherein the verification device is arranged to:
• receive from the user terminal the response set of symbols and data enabling the verification device to identify the challenge grid, the data including the identifier of the challenge grid;
• identify the challenge grid based in part on the received data;
• generate a verification set of symbols by applying the stored personal pattern to the identified challenge grid, the verification set of symbols being those symbols occupying locations in the identified challenge grid corresponding to the stored personal pattern;
• compare the response set of symbols with the verification set of symbols, and
• verify the identity of the person by determining whether the response set is the same as the verification set.

A method for verifying an identity of a person, comprising a registration step of storing for the person in a verification device a personal pattern of a number of locations on a grid in association with personal identification data, and a subsequent verification step which comprises:

• (a) presenting to the person, via a user terminal, a challenge grid of locations occupied by a pseudo-random set of symbols, wherein the challenge grid does not include transaction specific information, and challenging the person to:
• identify a response set of symbols occupying locations in the challenge grid corresponding to the stored personal pattern, and
• input to the user terminal the response set;
• (b) causing the user terminal to transmit to the verification device the response set of symbols, the challenge grid, and an identifier for identifying the user;
• (c) receiving in the verification device the response set, the challenge grid, and the identifier from the user terminal and causing the verification device to generate, upon receipt of the response set and the challenge grid, a verification set of symbols by applying the stored personal pattern to the received challenge grid, the verification set of symbols being those symbols occupying locations in the received challenge grid corresponding to the stored personal pattern;
• (d) comparing the response set of symbols with the verification set of symbols;
• and
• (e) verifying the identity of the person by determining whether the response set of symbols is the same as the verification set of symbols.