VARIABLE-STRENGTH SECURITY BASED ON TIME AND/OR NUMBER OF PARTIAL PASSWORD UNLOCKS
First Claim
1. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, the program configured to control a processor to:
- determine a time that a user has been locked out of a computing device;
determine which of a plurality of time spans that the time falls within;
prompt the user for a required password comprising a full password or a subset of the full password depending on the determined time span that the time falls within; and
display a visual indicator corresponding to the determined time span or required password length on a visual display, whereina length of the required password for login is progressively longer for each of the plurality of time spans as a time period that a respective time span covers increases.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An authentication scheme for unlocking a computing system may require a shortened password in some cases. For example, the computing system may be configured to determine a time that a user has been locked out of a computing device and to determine which of a plurality of time spans that the time falls within. The computing system may also prompt the user for a required password including a full password or a subset of the full password depending on the determined time span. The computing system may be further configured to display a visual indicator corresponding to the determined time span or a required password length on a visual display. A length of the required password for login may be progressively longer for each of the plurality of time spans as a time period that a respective time span covers increases.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, the program configured to control a processor to:
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determine a time that a user has been locked out of a computing device; determine which of a plurality of time spans that the time falls within; prompt the user for a required password comprising a full password or a subset of the full password depending on the determined time span that the time falls within; and display a visual indicator corresponding to the determined time span or required password length on a visual display, wherein a length of the required password for login is progressively longer for each of the plurality of time spans as a time period that a respective time span covers increases. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A computer-implemented process, comprising:
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determining, by a computing system, a number of times that the computing system has been unlocked using at least one subset of a full password; when the number of times is less than a predetermined number, requiring, by the computing system, a subset of the full password to unlock the computing system; when the number of times is equal to the predetermined number, requiring, by the computing system, the full password to unlock the computing system; receiving, by the computing system, a password entered by a user; and authenticating the password, by the computing system, to unlock the computing system. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An apparatus, comprising:
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physical memory comprising computer program instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the computer program instructions, the at least one processor configured to; determine a time that the apparatus has been in a locked state, determine a requisite length of a required password to unlock the apparatus by dividing the time that the apparatus has been in the locked state by a first predetermined number, receive a password entered by a user, and authenticate the password to unlock the apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An apparatus, comprising:
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physical memory comprising computer program instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the computer program instructions, the at least one processor configured to; determine a number of times that the apparatus has been unlocked using a partial password since a last full password unlock, when the apparatus has been unlocked less than a predetermined number of times using the partial password, prompt the user for the partial password, when the apparatus has been unlocked the predetermined number of times using the partial password, prompt the user for the full password, receive a password entered by a user, and authenticate the password to unlock the apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification