Secure entry of a user-identifier in a publicly positioned device

• US 6,959,389 B1
• Filed: 08/16/2000
• Issued: 10/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stern, Edith H., Willner, Barry E., Dunn, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parthasarathy, Pramila
• Application Number:
  US09/640,122
• Time in Patent Office: 1,896 Days
• Field of Search: 713/183, 345/7
• US Class Current: 713/183
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/403 the images being monoscopic

Abstract

A method for secure entry of a user-identifier in a publicly positioned device can include establishing a private communications link between a user and the publicly positioned device; dividing the user-identifier into at least two portions; separately prompting the user for each portion of the user-identifier; prompting the user for a combination of random data and the user-identifier; and, discarding the random data from the combination. In the preferred embodiments, the publicly positioned device can have a visual interface through which the user can be visually prompted for the random data and the user-identifier. Alternatively, the publicly positioned device can have a telephone interface through which the user can be audibly prompted for the random data and the user-identifier. In the case of a visual display, the private communications link can be established by linking the publicly positioned device to active glasses having a shuttered display. The opening and closing of the shuttered display can be synchronized with the display of the prompts in the visual interface such that only the wearer of the active glasses can view the prompts. In the case of a telephone interface, an telephone operator system, for example an Interactive Voice Response system or a human operator, can provide the prompts audibly through the telephone interface.

Claims

1. A method for secure entry of authorizing data in a publicly positioned device comprising the steps of:

establishing a private communications link between a user and the publicly positioned device, wherein the establishing step comprises;

(i) linking the publicly positioned device having a visual interface through an encoder application to active glasses having a shuttered display, said shuttered display opening and closing responsive to synchronization pulses;

(ii) synchronizing display of prompts in said visual interface with said opening and closing of said shuttered display in said active glasses;

(iii) displaying masking data in said visual interface between said display of said prompts;

the publicly positioned device presenting device generated data over the private communications link, wherein said user can be visually prompted for said device generated data and authorization data through said visual interface;

prompting said user for a combination of the device generated data and authorizing data, where the prompted combination intersperses the device generated data and the authorizing data in a manner determined by the publicly positioned device, wherein prompting step further comprises the step of;

separately prompting said user for a subset of the digits of the authorizing data followed by at least some of the digits of the device generated data, followed by additional digits of the authorizing data;

receiving a user input through a public input means of the publicly positioned device;

extracting user-provided authorizing data from the user input, wherein the user input also contains the device generated data; and

authorizing the user to utilize the publicly positioned device based upon whether the extracted authorizing data is equivalent to the authorizing data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said prompting step comprises the steps of:

dividing the authorizing data into at least two portions;

separately prompting said user for each portion of the authorizing data; and

,

prompting said user for device generated data in between said separate prompts for said at least two portions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the publicly positioned device has a telephone interface through which said user can be audibly prompted for said device generated data and the authorizing data.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said synchronizing step comprises the steps of:

generating a sequencing pattern containing synchronization pulses;

generating a data signal, said data signal comprising private data and masking data frames interspersed according to said sequencing pattern, said private data comprising said prompts;

providing said data signal to said visual interface; and

,

opening and closing said shuttered display in said active glasses in accordance with said sequencing pattern,

whereby said user viewing said visual interface with said active glasses can view said prompts and unauthorized viewers without said active glasses can view only said prompts obscured by said masking data.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said sequencing pattern is encoded.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein said step of generating a data signal comprises the steps of:

inserting masking data in said data signal; and

,

inserting said private data in said data signal when indicated by said synchronization pulses in said sequencing pattern.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein said step of generating a data signal comprises the steps of:

inserting masking data in said data signal; and

,

for private data forming a complete character or image, repeatedly inserting portions of said complete character or image when indicated by said synchronization pulses in said sequencing pattern until all portions of said complete character or image are inserted in said data signal,

whereby display of said data signal, as viewed by said active glasses synchronized with said interface according to said sequencing pattern is a strobed display of said complete character or image.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein said step of opening and closing said shuttered display comprises the step of, responsive to synchronization pulses in said sequencing pattern, opening and closing said shuttered display.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein said step of opening and closing said shuttered display comprises the steps of:

decoding said encoded sequencing pattern; and

,

responsive to said synchronization pulses in said sequencing pattern, opening and closing said shuttered display.

10. The method according to claim 4, wherein said sequencing pattern corresponds to alternating displays of said private data and said masking data.

11. The method according to claim 4, wherein said sequencing pattern corresponds to combined left eye/right eye images of said private data.

12. The method according to claim 4, wherein said masking data is a fill pattern.

13. The method according to claim 2, wherein said establishing step comprises the step of:

connecting said user to a telephone operator system through said telephone interface,

said prompts audibly provided by said telephone operator system to said user through said telephone interface.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said telephone operator system is an interactive voice response (“

IVR”

) system.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein said telephone operator system is a human telephone operator.

31. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

before the authorizing step, the publicly positioned device discarding said device generated data from said user input.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the device generated data consists of randomly generated digits.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of:

encoding the authorizing data before conveying the authorizing data from the publicly positioned device.

16. A machine readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program for secure entry of a user-identifier in a publicly positioned device, said computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

establishing a private communications link between a user and the publicly positioned device, wherein the establishing step comprises;

(i) linking the publicly positioned device having a visual interface through an encoder application to active glasses having a shuttered display, said shuttered display opening and closing responsive to synchronization pulses;

(ii) synchronizing display of prompts in said visual interface with said opening and closing of said shuttered display in said active glasses;

(iii) displaying masking data in said visual interface between said display of said prompts;

the publicly positioned device presenting device generated data over the private communications link, wherein said user can be visually prompted for said device generated data and authorization data through said visual interface;

prompting said user for a combination of the device generated data and authorizing data, where the prompted combination intersperses the device generated data and the authorizing data in a manner determined by the publicly positioned devices, wherein prompting step further comprises the step of;

separately prompting said user for a subset of the digits of the authorizing data followed by at least some of the digits of the device generated data, followed by additional digits of the authorizing data;

receiving a user input through a public input means of the publicly positioned device;

extracting user-provided authorizing data from the user input, wherein the user input also contains the device generated data; and

authorizing the user to utilize the publicly positioned device based upon whether the extracted authorizing data is equivalent to the authorizing data.

17. The machine readable storage of claim 16, wherein said prompting step comprises the steps of:

dividing the authorizing data into at least two portions;

separately prompting said user for each portion of the authorizing data; and

,

prompting said user for device generated data in between said separate prompts for said at least two portions.

18. The machine readable storage of claim 16, wherein the publicly positioned device has a telephone interface through which said user can be audibly prompted for said device generated data and the authorizing data.

19. The machine readable storage of claim 16, wherein said synchronizing step comprises the steps of:

generating a sequencing pattern containing synchronization pulses;

generating a data signal, said data signal comprising private data and masking data frames interspersed according to said sequencing pattern, said private data comprising said prompts;

providing said data signal to said visual interface; and

,

opening and closing said shuttered display in said active glasses in accordance with said sequencing pattern,

whereby said user viewing said visual interface with said active glasses can view said prompts and unauthorized viewers without said active glasses can view only said prompts obscured by said masking data.

20. The machine readable storage of claim 19, wherein said sequencing pattern is encoded.

21. The machine readable storage of claim 19, wherein said step of generating a data signal comprises the steps of:

inserting masking data in said data signal; and

,

inserting said private data in said data signal when indicated by said synchronization pulses in said sequencing pattern.

22. The machine readable storage of claim 19, wherein said step of generating a data signal comprises the steps of:

inserting masking data in said data signal; and

,

for private data forming a complete character or image, repeatedly inserting portions of said complete character or image when indicated by said synchronization pulses in said sequencing pattern until all portions of said complete character or image are inserted in said data signal,

whereby display of said data signal, as viewed by said active glasses synchronized with said interface according to said sequencing pattern is a strobed display of said complete character or image.

23. The machine readable storage of claim 19, wherein said step of opening and closing said shuttered display comprises the step of, responsive to synchronization pulses in said sequencing pattern, opening and closing said shuttered display.

24. The machine readable storage of claim 20, wherein said step of opening and closing said shuttered display comprises the steps of:

decoding said encoded sequencing pattern; and

,

responsive to said synchronization pulses in said sequencing pattern, opening and closing said shuttered display.

25. The machine readable storage of claim 19, wherein said sequencing pattern corresponds to alternating displays of said private data and said masking data.

26. The machine readable storage of claim 19, wherein said sequencing pattern corresponds to combined left eye/right eye images of said private data.

27. The machine readable storage of claim 19, wherein said masking data is a fill pattern.

28. The machine readable storage of claim 18, wherein said establishing step comprises the step of:

connecting said user to a telephone operator system through said telephone interface,

said prompts audibly provided by said telephone operator system to said user through said telephone interface.

29. The machine readable storage of claim 28, wherein said telephone operator system is an interactive voice response (“

IVR”

) system.

30. The machine readable storage of claim 28, wherein said telephone operator system is a human telephone operator.