A
system and method for secure biometric identification. The inventive
system includes a mobile unit and a
server. The mobile unit is adapted to receive biometric input and provide a first
signal in response thereto. In the illustrative implementation, the mobile unit is a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and the biometric input is provided by a
fingerprint sensor mounted thereon. A first
transceiver is mounted on the PDA for transmitting the first
signal and receiving a second
signal in response thereto. The PDA is adapted to encrypt the first signal and decrypt the second signal. A secure device is mounted at the PDA. The secure device has two
modes of operation: a first locked mode by which access thereto is prohibited and a second unlocked mode by which access thereto is enabled on
receipt of the second signal. In the illustrative implementation, the secure device is an encrypted
database for which the second signal is a decryption key. The
server unit includes a second
transceiver for receiving the first signal transmitted via the
wireless link. The first and second transceivers are adapted to operate in accordance with the
Bluetooth specification. The
server is equipped with a
system for authenticating the
biometric data and providing the second signal in response thereto. The second signal is then communicated to the mobile unit where it is utilized to access the secure device, e.g., encrypted
database.