Secure keyboard input terminal
First Claim
1. A secure keyboard input device for inputting secret data sequences formed from a set of characters, said terminal comprising:
- a keyboard comprising a plurality of data keys, and means for generating upon the actuation of any of said keys a first signal representing which particular key was actuated;
scramble means for apparently randomly assigning individual ones of said characters to individual ones of said data keys;
a plurality of individual character displays adapted for displaying individual ones of said characters, each of said character displays being associated with a respective one of said data keys;
means for causing each of said displays to display the character then assigned by said scramble means to the data key associated with that particular display;
unscramble means for translating said first signal representing which particular key was actuated to a second signal representing the particular character then assigned to said particular key by said scramble means; and
means for restricting the view of the character displays from other than the individual operating the keyboard.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A secure keyboard input terminal is disclosed in which a secret user identification code number or other confidential data sequence formed from a set of alpha-numeric characters (for example, the ten numerical digits 0 through 9) may be input secretly by a user, the terminal itself comprising (a) a plurality of input keys (in the case of the illustrated apparatus, 10 separate keys), (b) a corresponding plurality of character displays adapted for displaying said characters and (c) electronic circuitry for (1) apparently randomly associating selected ones of said character set to respective individual keys, (2) displaying to the user the character thus associated with each key and (3) translating a signal representing the actuation of a particular key by the user into a signal representing the particular character then associated with that key. In the illustrated presently preferred embodiment the individual keys are buttons provided with opaque walls surrounding a transparent central bore through which a seven segment numerical display character may be viewed, but only by a person located directly above the keyboard. An alternative embodiment is also illustrated in which the individual key areas have a central bore portion and a push button key adjacent to the central bore portion. One embodiment reassociates the displayed digits prior to the input of a data sequence in response to the manual actuation of a START key and retains the same scrambled association of digits to keys during the successive actuation of keys thus associated with the data sequence to the input. Other embodiments permit the user to manually initiate an automatic random (or apparently random) reassociation between the displayed digits (or other characters) and the individual keys at any time during the inputting of a data sequence or automatically reassociate characters and keys each time an individual data character (or predetermined number of characters) is input. Different types of random or apparently random sequence generating techniques may be employed.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A secure keyboard input device for inputting secret data sequences formed from a set of characters, said terminal comprising:
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a keyboard comprising a plurality of data keys, and means for generating upon the actuation of any of said keys a first signal representing which particular key was actuated; scramble means for apparently randomly assigning individual ones of said characters to individual ones of said data keys; a plurality of individual character displays adapted for displaying individual ones of said characters, each of said character displays being associated with a respective one of said data keys; means for causing each of said displays to display the character then assigned by said scramble means to the data key associated with that particular display; unscramble means for translating said first signal representing which particular key was actuated to a second signal representing the particular character then assigned to said particular key by said scramble means; and means for restricting the view of the character displays from other than the individual operating the keyboard. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A secure keyboard input terminal comprising:
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a keyboard having a plurality of individual keys; first means for generating an apparently random sequence of addresses corresponding to the key locations of said keyboard; second means for generating a regular sequence of digital representations of a selected number of decimal digits; third means for establishing correspondence between the individual addresses generated by said first means with the individual digits generated by said second means; fourth means for displaying each digit generated by said second means in association with the corresponding keyboard key location generated by said first means; and fifth means for translating the actuation of a particular keyboard key into a signal representing the particular digit then displayed in association with said key. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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Specification