Multilevel security apparatus and method with personal key

Abstract

A method and apparatus for electronic financial transaction processing systems used by customers of certain credit or electronic banking card-issuing institutions. The present invention involves two levels of secure interaction between the customer and the card-issuing institution. The first level of interaction involves the enrollment of a customer in the institution's electronic financial transaction processing system. The customer either selects or is issued a personal identification number and a card encoded with a personal key. The personal key and peronal identification number are used to generate a PIN transmission number and personal vertification number, which is stored in bank records. The second level of interaction involves the authorization of a customer's use of the electronic financial transaction processing system for executing an electronic transaction. The customer enters his personal identification number and the system reads his encoded card, both of which are used generate a candidate PIN transmission number. The system, at the remote processing center, generates a candidate personal verification number using the transmitted candidate PIN transmission number and compares the candidate PIN transmission number for parity with a PIN transmission number stored in the institution's records.