Password input method and device

• US 20140146054A1
• Filed: 07/12/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Shenzhen Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Shenzhen Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Luan, Lan
• Application Number:
  US14/117,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20140146054A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/467
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

The embodiment of the disclosure provides a password input method and a password input device, which are applied to products or systems including input of password. The method includes: when a password character is input, acquiring an input serial number of the current input character; determining whether the input serial number is one more than an integer multiple of a group length, if so, displaying the current input character, and displaying input characters before the current input character as hidden characters. Through the group display of the input password characters, users could check whether there is an error input character. Compared with the prior art, the disclosure greatly avoids the situation of having to clear all characters and input the password once again due to error input of characters, which realizes group-based password display mode during the password input process, thereby improving the usability of products or systems including input of password and improving user experience.

Claims

1. A password input method, comprising:

when a password character is input, acquiring an input serial number of the current input character;

determining whether the input serial number is one more than an integer multiple of a group length or not;

if so, displaying the current input character, and displaying input characters before the current input character as hidden characters, wherein the group length is a preset length of two or more characters; and

if not, displaying the current input character, and keeping a display mode of other input characters unchanged.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the displaying the input characters before the current input character as hidden characters comprises:

refreshing non-hidden characters before the current input character to display them as hidden characters.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

after a password character is deleted, acquiring an input serial number of a last input character, and determining whether the input serial number is an integer multiple of the group length or not;

if so, recovering a last string of input characters, of which the number is equal to the group length, to plaintext to display.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

after all password characters are input, displaying all input password characters when a password authentication fails.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the group length is of 3 or 4 or 5 characters.

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein the group length is of 3 or 4 or 5 characters.

13. The method according to claim 3, wherein the group length is of 3 or 4 or 5 characters.

14. The method according to claim 4, wherein the group length is of 3 or 4 or 5 characters.

6. A password input device, comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire, when a password character is input, an input serial number of the current input character;

a determining unit configured to determine whether the input serial number acquired by the acquisition unit is one more than an integer multiple of a group length or not, wherein the group length is a preset length of two or more characters; and

a displaying unit configured to;

display the current input character, and display input characters before the current input character as hidden characters when a result of the determining unit is Yes; and

display the current input character, and keep a display mode of other input characters unchanged when the result of the determining unit is No.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the displaying unit is configured to, when displaying the input characters before the current input character as hidden characters, refresh non-hidden characters before the current input character to display them as hidden characters.

8. The device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a deleting unit configured to;

after a password character is deleted, acquire an input serial number of a last input character, and determine whether the input serial number is an integer multiple of the group length;

if so, recover a last string of input characters, of which the number is equal to the group length, to plaintext to display.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein the displaying unit is further configured to, after all password characters are input and a password authentication is implemented, display all input password characters when the password authentication fails.

10. The device according to claim 6, wherein the group length is of 3 or 4 or 5 characters.

11. The device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a setting unit configured to set the group length, wherein the group length is of two or more characters.

15. The device according to claim 7, wherein the group length is of 3 or 4 or 5 characters.

16. The device according to claim 8, wherein the group length is of 3 or 4 or 5 characters.

17. The device according to claim 9, wherein the group length is of 3 or 4 or 5 characters.

18. The device according to claim 7, further comprising:

a setting unit configured to set the group length, wherein the group length is of two or more characters.

19. The device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a setting unit configured to set the group length, wherein the group length is of two or more characters.

20. The device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a setting unit configured to set the group length, wherein the group length is of two or more characters.