Abstract: Computer-implemented system and methods for authenticating the identity of a person, for example a customer (1) of an E-Commerce web site (15). The web site or other verification “client” (110) contacts a verification engine (10, 100) (“Authentex”), which may be implemented as a web server (604). The verification engine (10), in turn, has limited access to a plurality of independent, third-party secure databases (21, 112) which are maintained by Trusted Validators (3, 610, 620, etc), which are entities such as banks that have a pre-existing relationship with customer (FIG. 4), and due to that relationship, acquire and maintain “out-of-wallet” data (4) that may be useful to authenticate the identity of the customer. That confidential customer data—held by the third-party “Trusted Validators”—is not disclosed.

Abstract: Methods of organizing a series of sibling data entities in a digital computer are provided for preserving sibling ranking information associated with the sibling data entities and for attaching the sibling ranking information to a joint parent of the sibling data entities to facilitate on-demand generation of ranked parent candidates. A rollup function of the present invention builds a rollup matrix (126) that embodies information about the sibling entities and the sibling ranking information and provides a method for reading out the ranked parent candidates from the rollup matrix in order of their parent confidences (141). Parent confidences are based on the sibling ranking information, either alone or in combination with n-gram dictionary ranking or other ranking information.

Abstract: Improvements are disclosed for automatically routing items, such as mail-piece items (FIG. 2), in support of efficiently and correctly delivering them to an intended destination. A destination address is read by a recognizer (12) but it may be too ambiguous (14,18) initially for routing the piece. The addressee name is also read (24), and the recognizer data is provided to a directory (26) that accesses a name+address database (28). The addressee name is used to disambiguate the recognizer address data (26,30) and thereby properly route the piece (32). In addition, the name+address directory (42,44) can detect incorrect address data (42,50), and notwithstanding the incorrect address, correctly routing the item (52,46) to the intended addressee based on the recognized addressee name (40).

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention encompass systems and methods for use in identity authentication. One illustrative application is in the context of authenticating the identity of a subject by verifying items of identifying information stored by, or accessible through, a plurality of data sources. In particular, a multi-item query can be presented to multiple data sources and the results of the query can be combined into an overall composite result that can be used to authenticate the subject's identity.

Abstract: Methods of organizing a series of sibling data entities in a digital computer are provided for preserving sibling ranking information associated with the sibling data entities and for attaching the sibling ranking information to a joint parent of the sibling data entities to facilitate on-demand generation of ranked parent candidates. A rollup function of the present invention builds a rollup matrix (126) that embodies information about the sibling entities and the sibling ranking information and provides a method for reading out the ranked parent candidates from the rollup matrix in order of their parent confidences (141). Parent confidences are based on the sibling ranking information, either alone or in combination with n-gram dictionary ranking or other ranking information.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention encompass systems and methods for use in identity authentication. One illustrative application is in the context of authenticating the identity of a subject by verifying items of identifying information stored by, or accessible through, a plurality of data sources. In particular, a multi-item query can be presented to multiple data sources and the results of the query can be combined into an overall composite result that can be used to authenticate the subject's identity.

Abstract: A controlled database system is designed for rapid access of data records with reduced memory storage requirements. The database system employs a set of obfuscated data records stored in data crystals that can only be accessed and read by an iterator, which is not directly accessible by the users of the database. The iterator accesses information responsive to a predefined query sent from a customer application. Rather than providing general tools to customers for constructing any possible queries, such as is done in structured query language database systems, database systems embodying the present invention allow only predefined types of queries to be used by customer applications. By restricting the types of queries customer applications can call, valuable data records remain secure from unauthorized reconstruction or duplication while still allowing limited access for specific purposes.

Abstract: Improvements are disclosed for automatically routing items, such as mail-piece items (FIG. 2), in support of efficiently and correctly delivering them to an intended destination. A destination address is read by a recognizer (12) but it may be too ambiguous (14,18) initially for routing the piece. The addressee name is also read (24), and the recognizer data is provided to a directory (26) that accesses a name+address database (28). The addressee name is used to disambiguate the recognizer address data (26,30) and thereby properly route the piece (32). In addition, the name+address directory (42,44) can detect incorrect address data (42,50), and notwithstanding the incorrect address, correctly routing the item (52,46) to the intended addressee based on the recognized addressee name (40).

Abstract: A controlled database system is designed for rapid access of data records with reduced memory storage requirements. The database system employs a set of obfuscated data records stored in data crystals that can only be accessed and read by an iterator, which is not directly accessible by the users of the database. The iterator accesses information responsive to a predefined query sent from a customer application. Rather than providing general tools to customers for constructing any possible queries, such as is done in structured query language database systems, database systems embodying the present invention allow only predefined types of queries to be used by customer applications. By restricting the types of queries customer applications can call, valuable data records remain secure from unauthorized reconstruction or duplication while still allowing limited access for specific purposes.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention encompass systems and methods for use in identity authentication. One illustrative application is in the context of authenticating the identity of a subject by verifying items of identifying information stored by, or accessible through, a plurality of data sources. In particular, a multi-item query can be presented to multiple data sources and the results of the query can be combined into an overall composite result that can be used to authenticate the subject's identity.

Abstract: A limited-access database system is designed for rapid access of data records with reduced memory storage requirements. The database system employs a set of obfuscated data records stored in data crystals that can only be accessed and read by an iterator, which is not directly accessible by the users of the database. The iterator accesses information responsive to a predefined query sent from a customer application. Rather than providing general tools to customers for constructing any possible queries, such as is done in structured query language database systems, database systems embodying the present invention allow only predefined types of queries to be used by customer applications. By restricting the types of queries customer applications can call, valuable data records remain secure from unauthorized reconstruction or duplication while still allowing limited access for specific purposes.

Abstract: Methods of organizing a series of sibling data entities in a digital computer are provided for preserving sibling ranking information associated with the sibling data entities and for attaching the sibling ranking information to a joint parent of the sibling data entities to facilitate on-demand generation of ranked parent candidates. A rollup function of the present invention builds a rollup matrix (126) that embodies information about the sibling entities and the sibling ranking information and provides a method for reading out the ranked parent candidates from the rollup matrix in order of their parent confidences (141). Parent confidences are based on the sibling ranking information, either alone or in combination with n-gram dictionary ranking or other ranking information.

Abstract: Methods of organizing a series of sibling data entities in a digital computer are provided for preserving sibling ranking information associated with the sibling data entities and for attaching the sibling ranking information to a joint parent of the sibling data entities to facilitate on-demand generation of ranked parent candidates. A rollup function of the present invention builds a rollup matrix (126) that embodies information about the sibling entities and the sibling ranking information and provides a method for reading out the ranked parent candidates from the rollup matrix in order of their parent confidences (141). Parent confidences are based on the sibling ranking information, either alone or in combination with n-gram dictionary ranking or other ranking information.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention is embodied in a system for remote user authentication. An entity that wishes to authenticate a user can contact a verification engine, which, in turn, has limited access to a plurality of databases containing personal information about the user. The personal information in the databases is collected and stored by the individual operators of the databases in the ordinary course of their business with the user. The databases allow the verification engine to access the user's personal information only through predefined queries. The verification engine presents the user with the queries and the user's responses are presented to each corresponding database operator for validation. The database operators then return a confidence indication for the verification step and the verification engine combines the confidence indication from each database operator into a combined confidence indication used in authentication of the remote user.