Internet User Identity Verification

"Internet User Identity Verification" Patents

Claim 21 of the US Patent 6665797

Interpretation of Claim 21

"Internet User Identity Verification" Patents:

US and Australia Patents granted : US 6665797, AU 765841, and world-wide patents pending.

It is related to using a payment account information to verify the identity of a user, the payment account may be a credit account, before providing the user access to computer software/apparatus.

Probably you have use it before .

But different Companies call it with a different name.

iTunes of Apple, MusicMatch, RealNetworks and other Internet Music Shops call it computer registration, they allow a user to register up to 3 computers for enjoying music tracks purchased (infringing US Patent 6665797, claims 6, 18, 20, 21 etc), without requiring repeat payment. For details, please refer to our comparison charts.

eBay, uBID, Yahoo and other Internet Auction Websites do not give it a formal name, but if you desire to bid there, you have to register as a user by submitting a valid credit card information, for verifying your identity, address etc (infringing US Patent 6665797, claim 21). Of course, the credit card is not charged.

And, all USA PORN web businesses call it AVS (Adult verification System, also infringing US Patent 6665797, claim 21). AVS verifies a PORN website visitor as an adult basing on credit card information submitted, before allows the visitor to enjoy free PORN content.

The scope of the US Patent 6665797 is best illustrated with Claim 21 thereof, as follows

A method for verifying identity of a user of a data processing apparatus, comprising the steps of:

receiving, by said data processing apparatus, information specific to a user and necessary for accessing an account of said user;

verifying said account being valid, by an electronic transaction system by use of said information received by said data processing apparatus;

using by said data processing apparatus, a positive result of said verification as a precondition for providing user access to at least a part of the functionality of said data processing apparatus;

wherein said method is being performed without charging said account and said at least a part of functionality being not related to said validity status of said account.

Interpretation of Claim 21

As is its general uses found in daily life, the term "data processing apparatus" can mean any computer based system used to receive user account information, therefore it may be any Internet merchant website server which receives credit/debite card information from user visiting their website.

As is its general uses found in daily life, the term "information ..necessary for accessing an account of said user" may be credit/debite card information, but also may be a password given by the Internet merchant website server to the user, used as a substitution of the submitted credit/debite card information.

As is its general uses found in daily life, the term "electronic transaction system" can mean any existing transaction system including VISA, Mastercard etc.

Finally, the above merely intended to provide the most basis understanding about the scope of protection of US Patent 6665797, the actual scope is further extended by the other independent claims 1, 6, 9,11,14, 16, 18, 20, each of them being directed to a respective different embodiment of the invention.