Account authority digital signature (AADS) accounts
View Patent ↗A method of managing accounts by an account authority for the same account holder includes associating identity information for each account with the same public key. A method for establishing a new account for the same account holder with each one of a plurality of account authorities includes associating respective identity information for each account with the same public key of the account holder. A method of setting up an account with account authorities for the later process of validating the identity of a sender of electronic communications representing requests for performance of actions regarding the accounts, each electronic communication including a digital signature and respective sender identity information, includes associating a public key with the account such that the public key later is retrievable following receipt of a communication based on the respective sender identity information in the communication, the public key being the same for each account authority.
1. A method of managing a plurality of different accounts by an account authority for a single account holder, comprising the steps of:
(a) associating respective identity information with each one of the plurality of different accounts, each account comprising transactional account information, and
(b) associating by the account authority the same public key of a public-private key pair with each one of the plurality of different accounts of step (a) by associating in a computer database the same public key with the respective identity information for the respective account, whereby the same public key is retrievable based on any said associated, respective identity information of any one of the plurality of different accounts.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective identity information for each account comprises a unique account number.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective identity information for each account comprises other than an account number.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the account authority is a financial institution and the transactional account information for each said associated account in step (a) comprises financial information.
5. A method for establishing a plurality of new accounts for an account holder, each of the plurality of new accounts being opened with a respective one of a plurality of account authorities, comprising the steps of:
(a) associating respective identity information with each new account, each new account comprising transactional account information, and
(b) associating by each of the respective account authorities the same public key of a public-private key pair with the new account for that respective account authority by associating in a computer database of the respective account authority the public key with the identity information for the respective new account,
whereby the same public key is retrievable from the computer database of the respective account authority based on the associated identity information for the respective new account of that respective account authority.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the public key is provided to each of the respective account authorities by the account holder.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the public key is provided by one of the account authorities to the account holder, and the public key then is provided to each one of the other account authorities by the account holder.
8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the identity information for the respective new account comprises an account number.
9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the identity information for the respective new account comprises other than an account number.
10. The method of claim 5 , wherein each account authority is a financial institution and the transactional account information for each said associated account in step (a) comprises financial information.
11. The method of claim 5 , wherein the identity information associated with each respective account in step (a) is the same.
12. The method of claim 5 , wherein the identity information associated with each respective account in step (a) is different for each account.
13. A method of setting up an account of an account holder with each one of a plurality of different account authorities for the later process of validating an identity of a sender of electronic communications representing requests for performance of actions regarding the accounts, wherein each electronic communication has a digital signature and sender identity information, the method for each different account authority of setting up the account comprising the steps of:
(a) associating sender identity information with the respective account of the account authority in a computer database, the account comprising transactional account information; and
(b) associating by the account authority a public key of a public-private key pair with the respective account of the account authority in the computer database such that the public key later is retrievable from the computer database based on said associated sender identity information in step (a)
wherein the same public key is associated by each of the different account authorities with each of the respective accounts.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the public key is provided to each account authority by the account holder.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the public key is provided by one of the account authorities to the account holder, and the public key then is provided to each one of the other account authorities by the account holder.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein sender identity information that is associated with a respective account by an account authority comprises an account number.
17. The method of claim 13 , wherein sender identity information that is associated with a respective account by an account authority comprises other than an account number.
18. The method of claim 13 , wherein each account authority is a financial institution and the transactional account information for each said associated account comprises financial information.
19. The method of claim 13 , wherein each account authority is a financial institution and the action on the account comprises a financial transaction on the account.
20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the action regarding the account is financial.
21. The method of claim 13 , wherein an action regarding the account is not financial.
22. The method of claim 13 , wherein following said steps (a) and (b), the identity of the sender of an electronic communication representing a request for performance of an action regarding the account is validated without validating a certificate of a public key.
23. The method of claims 1 , 5 , or 13 , wherein the identity information is not associated with a certificate of public key in accomplishing either said step (a) or step (b).
24. The method of claims 1 , 5 , or 13 , wherein the public key is unique to the account holder.
25. The method of claims 1 , 5 , or 13 , wherein the public key is a public key of a public key pair of the account holder.
26. The method of claims 1 , 5 , or 13 , wherein the public key is not of an account authority.
27. The method of claims 5 or 13 , wherein said step (a) is performed by the respective account authority for the account that is associated.
28. The method of claims 1 or 13 , wherein the identity information is the same for each account.
29. The method of claims 1 , 5 , or 13 , wherein transactional account information comprises information required to process the action.
30. The method of claims 1 , 5 , or 13 , wherein transactional account information comprises a personal identification number (PIN).
31. The method of claims 1 , 5 , or 13 , wherein transactional account information comprises an account balance representing funds in the account.
32. The method of claims 1 , 5 , or 13 , wherein transactional account information comprises information validated when the account was established.
33. The method of claims 1 or 13 , wherein transactional account information comprises information that was validated in a face-to-face acknowledgement between the account holder and the account authority.
34. The method of claims 1 , 5 , or 13 , wherein an account comprises a checking account.
35. The method of claims 1 , 5 , or 13 , wherein transactional account information comprises a history of ledger transactions in the account.
36. The method of claim 13 , wherein transactional account information comprises the social security number of the sender.
37. The method of claim 13 , wherein transactional account information comprises the address of the sender.
38. The method of claim 13 , wherein transactional account information comprises the mother's maiden name of the sender.
39. The method of claim 13 , wherein transactional account information comprises entity information of the sender.
40. The method of claim 13 , wherein transactional account information only includes entity information of the sender.
41. The method of claims 1 , 5 , or 13 , wherein transactional account information comprises business process information.
42. The method of claims 1 , 5 , or 13 , wherein transactional account information is stored in fields in records in the computer database.
43. The method of claim 42 , wherein the records comprise an account file.
44. The method of claim 43 , wherein the records further comprise a transactions file.