Computer system, on-screen keyboard generation method, power-on-password checking method and memory

• US 20020054120A1
• Filed: 06/01/2001
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Akai, Takayuki, Kawano, Seiichi, Mori, Hidetoshi, Ohmori, Yuhko
• Granted Patent: US 6,832,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• 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

Abstract

A computer system requiring input of a password on startup has an on-screen keyboard generation division 20 for displaying an on-screen keyboard 210 having a predetermined key layout on a touch panel 200, a keyboard type determination division 10 for determining the key layout of the on-screen keyboard 210 displayed on this touch panel 200, and a password checking division 40 for processing a password inputted by pointing to the on-screen keyboard 210 displayed on this touch panel 200.

Claims

1. A computer system requiring input of a password on startup, comprising:

an on-screen keyboard display division for displaying an on-screen keyboard having a predetermined key layout on a display screen;

a keyboard type determination division for determining the key layout of said on-screen keyboard displayed on said on-screen keyboard display division; and

a password checking division for processing a password inputted by pointing to said on-screen keyboard displayed on said on-screen keyboard display division.

2. The computer system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said keyboard type determination division determines a type of the key layout of the keyboard mounted on the system, and

renders said key layout as the key layout of said on-screen keyboard displayed on said on-screen keyboard display division.

3. The computer system as set forth in claim 2,

wherein said keyboard type determination division prompts a user to press a predetermined key placed in a position unique to the key layout of the keyboard mounted on the system, and

determines the type of the key layout of said keyboard based on the position of the pressed key.

4. A computer system, comprising:

a display device having a touch panel function and displaying an on-screen keyboard used for input of a password;

memory storing data of said on-screen keyboard; and

a CPU for processing a password inputted by using said on-screen keyboard,

wherein said touch panel, displays said on-screen keyboard based on the data read from said memory at the time of starting up a system.

5. The computer system as set forth in claim 4 further comprising a mechanical keyboard apart from the on-screen keyboard displayed on said display device,

wherein said on-screen keyboard displayed on said touch panel has a key layout of the same type as said keyboard.

6. The computer as system set forth in claim 4, wherein said CPU makes an input signal from the on-screen keyboard displayed on said touch panel emulate an input signal by key entry so as to process an inputted password.

7. The computer system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said memory is a read only memory storing data of said on-screen keyboard as well as a program initially read on startup.

8. A computer system having as input devices a display device having a touch panel function and a mechanical keyboard,

wherein said keyboard is concealable while not in use, and

at the time of starting up the system, inputs a password by using the touch panel function of said display device without showing said keyboard.

9. The computer system as set forth in claim 8,

wherein said display device is a flat panel display device capable of, as a concealer of said keyboard, covering the keyboard by positioning it on the keyboard with its back face facing said keyboard, and

at the time of starting up the system, inputs a password by using the touch panel function of said display device without moving said display device from its position on said keyboard.

10. A method of generating an on-screen keyboard displayed on the display device as an input device for a computer system, comprising the steps of:

prompting a user to press a predetermined key placed in a position unique to the key layout of the keyboard of the keys of the keyboard provided for said computer system;

identifying the type of the key layout of said keyboard based on the position of the pressed key; and

generating an on-screen keyboard having a key layout of the same type as said keyboard according to the results of identifying the type of said key layout.

11. The method of generating an on-screen keyboard as set forth in claim 10,

wherein said step of prompting a user to press a key comprises a step of presenting to the user a message prompting to press a Z key on said keyboard, and

said step of identifying the type of the key layout comprises a step of identifying the type of the key layout of the keyboard based on the position of the pressed Z key.

12. The method of generating an on-screen keyboard as set forth in claim 10, wherein said step of identifying the type of the key layout of the keyboard comprises a step of determining the position of the pressed key based on scan code associated with the position of the pressed key.

14. The method of checking a power-on-password as set forth in claim 13,

wherein said step of displaying the on-screen keyboard, comprising the steps of:

reading data of the on-screen keyboard together with a program initially read on startup from a read only memory; and

generating the on-screen keyboard based on the read data to display the on-screen keyboard on said touch panel.

16. The memory as set forth in claim 15, wherein said memory is a read only memory storing a program initially read at the time of starting up said computer.

18. The memory as set forth in claim 17, comprising a read only memory storing a program initially read at the time of starting up said computer.

13. A method of checking a power-on-password on computer system startup, comprising the steps of:

displaying an on-screen keyboard on a touch panel doubling as a display device; and

checking the password inputted by pointing to said on-screen keyboard against a predetermined proper password.

15. A memory storing a program for controlling computer processing,

wherein said program stored in said memory makes said computer execute the processes of:

prompting a user to press a predetermined key placed in a position unique to the key layout of the keyboard of the keys of the keyboard provided for said computer;

identifying the type of the key layout of said keyboard based on the position of the pressed key; and

generating an on-screen keyboard having a key layout of the same type as said keyboard according to the results of identifying the type of said key layout.

17. A memory storing a program for controlling computer processing, wherein said program stored in said memory makes said computer execute the processes of:

displaying an on-screen keyboard on a touch panel doubling as a display device; and

checking a password inputted by pointing to said on-screen keyboard against a predetermined proper password.