Method and system for efficient password input

• US 10,075,430 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2015
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced New Technologies Company Limited (Ant Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Guo, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehedi, Morshed
• Assistant Examiner(s): McCoy, Richard A
• Application Number:
  US14/837,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20160065562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application disclose a method for receiving password input from a user. During operation, the system receives, by a computing device, user input indicating that a user is entering a password. The system displays a plurality of shortcut keyboards of a keyboard sequence in successive order based on an arrangement of characters in the password. The system displays a first shortcut keyboard with a first key labeled with at least a first character of the password prior to displaying a second shortcut keyboard with a second key labeled with one or more characters positioned subsequent to the first character in the password. The system then receives input from the user selecting at least one key of each shortcut keyboard from the plurality of shortcut keyboards, and determines the password entered by the user based on the characters entered by the user through the key selections.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for receiving password input from a user, comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, user input indicating that the user is entering a password using an ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards for comparing to a stored password consisting of a series of characters;

wherein each of the shortcut keyboards corresponds to an ordinal position in the ordered plurality;

wherein each of the shortcut keyboards include one randomly located key labeled as one or more characters, and further includes a plurality of other keys which are each randomly labeled with other characters not included in the password, and

wherein the one or more characters is determined using the ordinal position of the shortcut keyboard to locate the one or more characters from within the series;

displaying a first shortcut keyboard of the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards,

receiving a first user input to the first shortcut keyboard indicating that the user has selected a first key labeled as a first one or more characters;

determining a count of the first one or more characters;

determining a first password characters corresponding to the count and located within the series at the ordinal position of the first shortcut keyboard;

comparing the determined first password characters and the first one or more characters;

in response to determining that the comparison is a match,

displaying a second shortcut keyboard of the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards;

wherein the second shortcut keyboard corresponds to a next ordinal position in the ordered plurality subsequent to the ordinal position of the first shortcut keyboard;

receiving a second user input to the displayed second shortcut keyboard indicating that the user has selected a second key labeled as a second one or more characters;

determining a second count of the second one or more characters;

determining a second password characters corresponding to the second count and located within the series at the ordinal position of the second shortcut keyboard;

comparing the determined second password characters and the second one or more characters; and

determining, based on the first user input and the second user input, whether the password entered by the user matches the stored password.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards based on the password, wherein the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards comprises at least two shortcut keyboards.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards comprises generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards in a memory of the computing device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards comprises:

generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards with at least one shortcut keyboard with zero characters from the password.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving user input setting a security level for generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards, wherein generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards comprises;

based on the security level, setting parameters for the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards that include at least one of a number of the shortcut keyboards, a number of shortcut keyboards with zero password characters, and a number of random characters that are not password characters on each shortcut keyboard.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards comprises:

generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards to include at least one shortcut keyboard with a key used for inputting at least two password characters simultaneously.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first shortcut keyboard further comprises:

detecting a password input scenario associated with the user inputting the password;

retrieving data indicating a corresponding relationship between the password input scenario and a particular ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards; and

displaying the first shortcut keyboard from the particular ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting the password input scenario comprises determining that the user is inputting the password as part of a login scenario or a payment scenario or that the password is for a specific application;

and further comprising storing data associating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards with one of the login scenario, the payment scenario, or the specific application.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving keyboard configuration information to configure the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards; and

configuring the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards according to the keyboard configuration information.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving additional user input to enable or disable generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards, or to delete or select the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards; and

, based on the additional user input, performing one of;

enabling generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards,

disabling generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards,

deleting the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards, and

selecting the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more no-password-character keyboards which include no keys labeled with a character from the password are displayed between the successive displays of shortcut keyboards.

11. A password input apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more processors storing instructions stored that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform a method for receiving password input from a user, comprising;

receiving, by a computing device, user input indicating that the user is entering a password using an ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards for comparing to a stored password consisting of a series of characters;

wherein each of the shortcut keyboards corresponds to an ordinal position in the ordered plurality;

wherein each of the shortcut keyboards include one randomly located key labeled as one or more characters, and further includes a plurality of other keys which are each randomly labeled with other characters not included in the password, and

wherein the one or more characters is determined using the ordinal position of the shortcut keyboard to locate the one or more characters from within the series;

displaying a first shortcut keyboard of the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards,

receiving a first user input to the first shortcut keyboard indicating that the user has selected a first key labeled as a first one or more characters;

determining a count of the first one or more characters;

determining a first password characters corresponding to the count and located within the series at the ordinal position of the first shortcut keyboard;

comparing the determined first password characters and the first one or more characters;

in response to determining that the comparison is a match, displaying a second shortcut keyboard of the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards;

wherein the second shortcut keyboard corresponds to a next ordinal position in the ordered plurality subsequent to the ordinal position of the first shortcut keyboard;

receiving a second user input to the displayed second shortcut keyboard indicating that the user has selected a second key labeled as a second one or more characters;

determining a second count of the second one or more characters;

determining a second password characters corresponding to the second count and located within the series at the ordinal position of the second shortcut keyboard;

comparing the determined second password characters and the second one or more characters; and

determining, based on the first user input and the second user input, whether the password entered by the user matches the stored password.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards based on the password, wherein the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards comprises at least two shortcut keyboards.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards comprises generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards with at least one shortcut keyboard with zero characters from the password.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving user input setting a security level for generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards, wherein generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards comprises;

based on the security level, setting parameters for the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards that include at least one of a number of the shortcut keyboards, a number of shortcut keyboards with zero password characters, and a number of random characters that are not password characters on each shortcut keyboard.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards corresponding to the password comprises:

generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards to include at least one shortcut keyboard with a key used for inputting at least two password characters simultaneously.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein displaying the first shortcut keyboard further comprises:

detecting a password input scenario associated with the user inputting the password;

retrieving data indicating a corresponding relationship between the password input scenario and a particular ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards; and

displaying the first shortcut keyboard from the particular ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein detecting the password input scenario comprises determining that the user is inputting the password as part of a login scenario or a payment scenario or that the password is for a specific application;

and

the method further comprises storing data associating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards with one of the login scenario, the payment scenario, or the specific application.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving additional user input to enable or disable generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards, or to delete or select the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards; and

, based on the additional user input, performing one of;

enabling generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards,

disabling generating the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards,

deleting the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards, and

selecting the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for receiving password input from a user, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, user input indicating that the user is entering a password using an ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards for comparing to a stored password consisting of a series of characters;

wherein each of the shortcut keyboards corresponds to an ordinal position in the ordered plurality;

wherein each of the shortcut keyboards include one randomly located key labeled as one or more characters, and further includes a plurality of other keys which are each randomly labeled with other characters not included in the password, and

wherein the one or more characters is determined using the ordinal position of the shortcut keyboard to locate the one or more characters from within the series;

displaying a first shortcut keyboard of the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards,

receiving a first user input to the first shortcut keyboard indicating that the user has selected a first key labeled as a first one or more characters;

determining a count of the first one or more characters;

determining a first password characters corresponding to the count and located within the series at the ordinal position of the first shortcut keyboard;

comparing the determined first password characters and the first one or more characters;

in response to determining that the comparison is a match, displaying a second shortcut keyboard of the ordered plurality of shortcut keyboards;

wherein the second shortcut keyboard corresponds to a next ordinal position in the ordered plurality subsequent to the ordinal position of the first shortcut keyboard;

receiving a second user input to the displayed second shortcut keyboard indicating that the user has selected a second key labeled as a second one or more characters;

determining a second count of the second one or more characters;

determining a second password characters corresponding to the second count and located within the series at the ordinal position of the second shortcut keyboard;

comparing the determined second password characters and the second one or more characters; and

determining, based on the first user input and the second user input, whether the password entered by the user matches the stored password.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein one or more no-password-character keyboards which include no keys labeled with a character from the password are displayed between the successive displays of shortcut keyboards.