Electronic apparatuses capable of scrambling confidential data for display

• US 6,172,664 B1
• Filed: 12/06/1994
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kawai, Shoichi, Nishioka, Youko, Saitou, Junichi, Kihara, Yoshiro, Nakasuji, Masataka
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CHANH DUY
• Application Number:
  US08/354,158
• Time in Patent Office: 2,226 Days
• Field of Search: 345/185, 345/112, 345/203, 345/514, 345/901, 380/3, 380/4, 380/23, 380/25, 340/825.31, 340/825.34, 340/825.35, 340/825.32, 340/825.33
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/901 Electronic book with display

Abstract

In response to a read instruction, the confidentiality of a data entry to be read from memory is determined by referencing the state of a confidentiality flag corresponding to that data entry. If the data entry is determined to be confidential, then specified codes of the data stored in the RAM are converted into different codes, i.e., the data entry is scrambled. The data entry is then displayed using the converted codes.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus for maintaining confidentiality of data, comprising:

a display for displaying data;

means for optionally setting a confidential mode and indicating whether the electronic apparatus is currently in a confidential mode;

processing circuitry for determining whether data to be displayed is confidential, and displaying confidential data on said display after converting the confidential data into different data using a code converter if said electronic apparatus is set in a confidential mode.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said code converter performs code-conversion using time data of a clock which measures real time.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said code converter converts the data into specified codes which are sorted by type depending on a number of times the electronic apparatus is powered-on.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said different data includes pictorial elements.

5. A method for operating an electronic apparatus, comprising:

inputting data;

storing the input data in specified codes;

setting one or more flags to indicate the confidentiality of the stored data;

receiving an instruction to read stored data;

checking a status of the one or more flags corresponding to the data to be read to determine whether or not the data instructed to be read is confidential;

converting stored codes of the confidential data to be read into different specified codes and

displaying said converted data.

6. The method according to claim 5,

wherein said converting step includes using real time clock data to implement the code-conversion.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein

said converting step includes sorting by type depending on the number of times of power-on.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein

said converted data include pictorial elements.

9. An electronic apparatus for permitting an operator to designate certain stored data as confidential and other stored data as non-confidential, comprising:

a memory for storing plural data entries with one of those data entries being confidential and another of those data entries being non-confidential, said memory storing a confidentiality indicator for each data entry to indicate whether a corresponding data entry is confidential or non-confidential;

a keyboard including a plurality of keys which when depressed by an operator permit entry of data for storage in the memory and retrieval of data from the memory, said keys including a confidentiality key which when depressed designates a data entry as confidential;

a display for displaying a data entry retrieved from the memory;

a data processor connected to the memory, keyboard, and display for performing the following tasks;

detecting when the confidentiality key is depressed in conjunction with a particular data entry and setting the confidentiality indicator corresponding to the particular data entry in the memory to confidential,

retrieving a data entry stored in the memory for display,

determining if the confidentiality indicator corresponding to the retrieved data entry is set to confidential or non-confidential,

scrambling the retrieved data entry if the confidentiality indicator corresponding to the retrieved data entry is set to confidential, and

displaying the scrambled data entry on the display.

10. The electronic apparatus in claim 9, wherein the electronic apparatus operates in both confidential and non-confidential modes with the keyboard including a confidential mode key which may be used by the operator to set the electronic apparatus in the confidential mode, and wherein the data processor checks the confidentiality indicator corresponding to the retrieved data entry only when the electronic apparatus is set to the confidential mode.

11. The electronic apparatus in claim 10, wherein when the electronic apparatus is in the non-confidential mode, the data processor displays the retrieved data entry in an unscrambled format.

12. The electronic apparatus in claim 9, wherein the electronic apparatus operates in both confidential and non-confidential modes and wherein the data processor displays both confidential and non-confidential retrieved data entries in an unscrambled format when the electronic apparatus is in the non-confidential mode.

13. The electronic apparatus in claim 9, wherein when the electronic apparatus is in the confidential mode, the operator inputs a password using the keyboard to request display of confidential data entries in an unscrambled format.

14. The electronic apparatus in claim 13, wherein the data processor compares the input password with a password previously stored, and if the input and previously stored passwords match, sets the electronic apparatus in the non-confidential mode.

15. The electronic apparatus in claim 9, wherein the data processor scrambles data entries based on a number of times the electronic apparatus has been activated for operation.

16. The electronic apparatus in claim 9, further comprising a real time clock, wherein the data processor scrambles data entries using a seconds value generated by the real time clock.

17. A method for permitting an operator to designate certain data stored in an electronic apparatus as confidential and other stored data as non-confidential, comprising the steps of:

storing plural data entries as confidential and other data entries as non-confidential;

storing a confidentiality flag for each data entry to indicate whether the data entry is confidential or non-confidential;

in response to a data retrieval command, retrieving a data entry stored memory of the electronic apparatus;

determining if the confidentiality indicator corresponding to the retrieved data entry is set to confidential or non-confidential;

scrambling the retrieved data entry if the confidentiality indicator corresponding to the retrieved data entry is set to confidential; and

displaying the scrambled data entry.

18. The method as in claim 17, further comprising:

detecting a mode of the electronic apparatus, and

checking the confidentiality indicator corresponding to the retrieved data entry only when the electronic apparatus is set to a confidential mode.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein when the electronic apparatus is in a non-confidential mode, displaying the retrieved data entry in an unscrambled format.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

when the electronic apparatus is in the confidential mode, detecting a password input to the electronic apparatus,

comparing the input password with a predetermined password, and

setting the electronic apparatus in a non-confidential mode if the input and predetermined passwords match.

21. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

displaying both confidential and non-confidential retrieved data entries in an unscrambled format when the electronic apparatus is in a non-confidential mode.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein the scrambling step is based on a number of times the electronic apparatus has been activated for operation.

23. The method according to claim 17, wherein the scrambling step is based on a seconds value generated by a real time clock included in the electronic apparatus.