ENCODING A VALIDITY PERIOD IN A PASSWORD

• US 20140136057A1
• Filed: 01/21/2014
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gordon Howard Associates Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Gordon Howard Associates Incorporated
• Inventors: DUNNING, Ted E.
• Granted Patent: US 10,118,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/10 actuating a signalling device
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2018 Central base unlocks or authorises unlocking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0846 using time-dependent-passwords, e.g. periodically changing passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3297 involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps

Abstract

A password authentication mechanism is capable of determining whether a password has expired without referring to a database or other information repository. Additional information can be encoded in the password without unduly lengthening the password, so that the additional information can be extracted from the password when the user provides the password for authentication purposes. Thus, the password serves as an information-carrying data item as well as acting as an authentication mechanism. Such a password can be used, for example, to provide time-limited access to a vehicle in response to receipt of timely payment, and to disable the vehicle if payment is not made.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

authenticating a user-entered vehicle access password including an encoded validity period, the authenticating by;

receiving the vehicle access password, the vehicle access password comprising an encoded representation of a validity period;

extracting a data packet from the vehicle access password, the vehicle access password not being identical to the data packet;

parsing the data packet to obtain the representation of the validity period for the vehicle access password;

responsive to the validity period indicating that the vehicle access password is valid, configuring vehicle circuitry to enable use of the vehicle; and

responsive to the validity period indicating that the vehicle access password is not valid, configuring vehicle circuitry to disable the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation of a validity period for the vehicle access password comprises an expiry date, the method further comprising:

determining whether the expiry date has passed.

3. The method claim 2, further comprising:

responsive to the expiry date having passed, configuring vehicle circuitry to disable the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation of a validity period for the vehicle access password comprises an amount of time, the method further comprising:

determining whether the amount of time has expired.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

responsive to the amount of time having expired, configuring vehicle circuitry to disable the vehicle.

6. A computer program product for authenticating a user-entered vehicle access password including an encoded validity period, comprising;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for;

receiving the password for vehicle access, the password comprising an encoded representation of a validity period;

extracting a data packet from the password, the password not being identical to the data packet;

parsing the data packet to obtain the representation of the validity period for the password;

responsive to the validity period indicating that the password is valid, configuring vehicle circuitry to enable use of the vehicle; and

responsive to the validity period indicating that the password is not valid, configuring vehicle circuitry to disable the vehicle.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the representation of a validity period for the password comprises an expiry date, the computer program product further comprising computer program code for:

determining whether the expiry date has passed.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising computer program code for:

responsive to the expiry date having passed, configuring vehicle circuitry to disable the vehicle.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the representation of a validity period for the password comprises an amount of time, the computer program product further comprising computer program code for:

determining whether the amount of time has expired.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer program code for:

responsive to the amount of time having expired, configuring vehicle circuitry to disable the vehicle.

11. A system for authenticating a user-entered vehicle access password including an encoded validity period, comprising:

a password input device, configured to receive the vehicle access password, the vehicle access password comprising an encoded representation of a validity period;

an extraction module, coupled to the password input device, configured to extract a data packet from the vehicle access password, the vehicle access password not being identical to the data packet;

a parser, coupled to the extraction module, configured to parse the data packet to obtain the representation of the validity period for the vehicle access password; and

a vehicle access controller, coupled to the parser, configured to;

responsive to the validity period indicating that the vehicle access password is valid, configure vehicle circuitry to enable use of the vehicle; and

responsive to the validity period indicating that the vehicle access password is not valid, configure vehicle circuitry to disable the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the representation of a validity period for the vehicle access password comprises an expiry date, the system further comprising:

an expiry date comparator, coupled to the vehicle access controller, for determining whether the expiry date has passed.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the representation of a validity period for the password comprises an amount of time, the system further comprising:

an expiry comparator, coupled to the vehicle access controller, configured to determine whether the amount of time has expired.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle access controller, responsive to the time period having expired, configures vehicle circuitry to disable the vehicle.