Methods and Apparatus for Enabling Secure Network-Based Transactions

Abstract

A system for enabling secure transacting over a network has a network sever application for storing client information and activating clients for secure transacting, a software driver for performing authentication, the software driver accessible to the network server, a software applet for creating a secure data record and for managing transmission and update of the contents of the record, and a sound source in the form of a file or a sound generating device, the sound source being part of or having access to the secure data record.

1 . A system for enabling secure transacting over a network comprising: 
 a network sever application for storing client information and activating clients for secure transacting;    a software driver for performing authentication, the software driver accessible to the network server;    a software applet for creating a secure data record and for managing transmission and update of the contents of the record; and    a sound source in the form of a file or a sound generating device, the sound source being part of or having access to the secure data record.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the network is a data-packet-network.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the secure data record is unique to a client and includes an identification number, a password or personal identification code, a session key, and a secrete data seed.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the software driver resides in the same machine as the network server application.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the software driver resides in a machine remote to but accessible from the machine hosting the network server application.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the software applet is a Java applet and the secure data record is a Java archive.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sound source is a semiconductor chip supporting a modem.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the semiconductor chip is external to a client system used to secure authentication.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the semiconductor chip derives power from a sound card of the system used to secure authentication.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sound source is a sound file stored on a machine peripheral to the machine used to secure authentication.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the peripheral machine is one of a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, or a hand held music player.  
   
   
       12 . In a system for enabling secure transacting over a network, a sound-producing device for generating a network transmittable sound frame having embedded therein an identification number and a session key used to authenticate a client, the device comprising: 
 a semiconductor chip supporting a modem;    an electrical plug-in interface for enabling coupling with a host machine; and    a housing of a size and shape to support hand-held operation.    
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the network is a data-packet-network.  
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the modem is a frequency-shift keying modem.  
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the electrical plug-in interface is a tip/ring/sleeve interface for plugging into a microphone jack on a host machine used to secure authentication.  
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the sound-producing device derives power from a soundcard residing on a host machine used to secure authentication.  
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 12  further including a switch for activating the modem to generate the sound.  
   
   
       18 . A method for sending a secure modulated sound pass from a sound-producing device having a semiconductor chip supporting a modem, an electrical plug-in interface for enabling coupling with a host machine, and a housing of a size and shape to support hand-held operation to a software applet for demodulating the sound pass to glean the secure data embedded therein comprising the acts: 
 (a) plugging the device into an audio line-in of a host machine used to secure authentication; and    (b) activating the device to generate and input the sound pass.    
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein in act (a), the audio line-in is one of a microphone input, universal serial bus, or a telephone line port of the host machine.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein in act (b), activation is caused by manipulating a switch on the device.