Distributed client/server computer network

• US 6,981,016 B1
• Filed: 06/11/1999
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Visage Development Limited
• Original Assignee: Visage Development Limited
• Inventors: Ryan, Andrew Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Jungwon
• Application Number:
  US09/330,975
• Time in Patent Office: 2,391 Days
• Field of Search: 385/115, 707/102, 707/10, 713/202, 713/185, 713/184, 713/186, 713/200, 713/212, 709/203, 340/5.27, 340/5.8, 382/115, 382/118, 382/232, 705/1, 380/285, 380/283, 455/412.1
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation

Abstract

A distributed client/server computer network wherein the identity of at least one complex image, selected from a plurality of complex images stored by a client, is transmitted to a remote server. The remote server then determines, from the identity of the or each image selected, whether the client is authorised to gain access, via the server, to a particular network resource. The network is thus efficient, as the complex images themselves do not need to be transmitted from the client to the server, and secure, as no authorization information is stored by the client.

Claims

1. A distributed client/server computer network, said network comprising:

a client and a remote server;

non-volatile means in said client for storing a plurality of complex images, each of said complex images having an alphanumeric identification code;

means for displaying at least two of said complex images;

means for selecting at least one complex image from said images displayed;

means for transmitting the alphanumeric identification code of said selected complex image or images from client to said remote server; and

means for determining by said remote server, from the alphanumeric identification code of each image selected, whether the client is authorised to gain access, via the remote server, to a network resource.

2. A distributed client/server computer network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of images comprises at least one key image and at least one dummy image, access to the network resource being gained by the client by selecting each key image in preference to each dummy image.

3. A distributed client/server computer network as claimed in claim 1, wherein order in which two or more images are selected is used to determine whether the client is authorised to gain access to the network resource.

4. A distributed client server computer network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of images are presented in successive, mutually-exclusive subsets, each subset containing a plurality of dummy images and a key image which must be selected in preference to the dummy images in its respective subset.

5. A distributed client/server computer network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of images are down-loaded from the server to the client.

6. A distributed client/server computer network as claimed in claim 5, wherein the image or images which must be selected are chosen from a plurality of images stored by the server.

7. A distributed client/server computer system as claimed in claim 6, wherein each chosen image is a key image which is down-loaded from the server to the client together with a plurality of dummy images.

8. A distributed client/server computer system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the dummy images comprise the remainder of the plurality of images from which each key image is chosen.

9. A distributed client server computer system as claimed in claim 6, wherein order in which two or more images are chosen determines the order in which the images must subsequently be selected.

10. A distributed client/server computer system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the dummy images comprise a subset of the remainder of the plurality of images from which each key image is chosen.

11. A distributed client/server computer system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the dummy images comprise an alternative set of images to those from which the key image or images are chosen, but which images bear a resemblance to the key image or images.

12. A distributed client/server computer network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image or images which must be selected are chosen from the plurality of images stored by the client.

13. A distributed client server computer system as claimed in claim 12, wherein order in which two or more images are chosen determines the order in which the images must subsequently be selected.

14. A method for providing a client of a distributed client/server computer network with controlled access, via a remote server, to a network resource, said method comprising the steps of:

providing the client with a non-volatile store of complex images, each of said complex images having an alphanumeric identification code;

displaying at the client at least two of said complex images;

selecting at least one image from the images displayed;

transmitting the alphanumeric identification code of each selected image from said client to said remote server; and

determining, in said remote server, from the alphanumeric identification code of each image selected, whether the client is authorised to gain access, via the server, to the network resource.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the step of providing the client with a store of complex images comprises down-loading the images from the server to the client.

16. A distributed client/server computer network, said network comprising:

a client and a remote server;

non-volatile storage means in said client, to store a plurality of predetermined visual images, each of said visual images having an associated respective alphanumeric identification code;

means for said client to select at least one visual image from said plurality of visual images stored by said client;

means for said client to transmit the respective alphanumeric identification code of each of said at least one selected visual image from said client to said remote server; and

means for said remote server to recognise the respective alphanumeric identification code of each of said at least one selected visual image to allow the client to gain access to a network resource.

17. A distributed client/server computer network as claimed in claim 16, wherein the plurality of predetermined visual images comprises at least one key visual image and at least one dummy visual image, access to the network resource being gained by the client by selecting the at least one key visual image in preference to the at least one dummy image.

18. A distributed client/server computer network as claimed in claim 16, wherein said at least one selected visual image comprises a plurality of selected visual images, and wherein said remote server comprises means to recognise order in which the respective alphanumeric identification codes are received to allow the client to gain access to the network resource.

19. A distributed client server computer network as claimed in claim 16, wherein said at least one selected visual image comprises a plurality of selected visual images;

wherein said client comprises means to present said plurality of predetermined visual images in a plurality of successive, mutually-exclusive subsets for selection of a visual image from each subset;

wherein each subset contains a plurality of dummy images and a key image; and

wherein said remote server comprises means to allow the client to access the network resource in response to receipt of the respective alphanumeric identification code for the respective key image in each of said plurality of subsets of predetermined visual images.

20. A distributed client/server computer network as claimed in claim 16, wherein said remote server comprises a store for said plurality of predetermined visual images, and wherein said remote server and said client each comprises co-operative means to down-load, on an initial occasion, the plurality of predetermined visual images from the store in said server to the non-volatile storage means in said client.

21. A distributed client/server computer network as claimed in claim 20, wherein the at least one visual image which to be selected by the client is chosen from among a plurality of predetermined visual images previously stored in the remote server.

22. A distributed client/server computer system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the at least one selected image is a predetermined key visual image, said key visual image having been down-loaded from the remote server to the client together with a plurality of dummy visual images.

23. A distributed client/server computer system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the plurality of dummy visual images comprises the remainder of the plurality of visual images, the plurality of visual images including the at least one key visual image.

24. A distributed client server computer system as claimed in claim 21, wherein said at least one selected visual image comprises a plurality of selected visual images;

and wherein said remote server comprises means to recognise the order in which the plurality of respective alphanumeric identification codes are received to allow the client to gain access to the network resource.

25. A distributed client/server computer system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the plurality of dummy visual images comprise a subset of the remainder of the plurality of visual images, the plurality of visual images including the at least one key visual image.

26. A distributed client/server computer system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the plurality of dummy visual images comprises a set of alternative visual images, each of said alternative visual images bearing a resemblance to the at least one key image.

27. A distributed client/server computer network as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one visual image to be selected by the client is selected from the plurality of predetermined visual images stored by the client in the non-volatile storage means.

28. A distributed client server computer system as claimed in claim 27, wherein said at least one selected visual image comprises a plurality of selected visual images;

wherein said remote server comprises means to recognise the order in which the plurality of respective alphanumeric identification codes are received to allow the client to gain access to the network resource; and

wherein said remote server comprises means to note the order of receipt of the plurality of respective alphanumeric identification codes and to use the noted order of receipt of the plurality of respective alphanumeric identification codes on each occasion to determine the required order of receipt of the plurality of respective alphanumeric identification codes on the next subsequent occasion for said remote server to allow the client to gain access to the network resource.

29. A method for providing a client of a distributed client/server computer network with controlled access, via a remote server, to a network resource, said method comprising the steps of:

providing the client with a non-volatile store of a plurality of pre-determined visual images, each of said plurality of visual images having an associated respective alphanumeric identification code;

the client selecting at least one visual image from the stored visual images;

the client transmitting the respective alphanumeric identification code of each of said at least one selected visual image from said client to said remote server; and

said remote server recognising the respective alphanumeric identification code of each of said at least one selected visual image to allow the client is to gain access to the network resource.

30. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the step of providing the client with a non-volatile store of a plurality of predetermined visual images comprises the step of down-loading the plurality of predetermined visual images, on an initial occasion, from the remote server to the client.