Password that associates screen position information with sequentially entered characters

• US 7,124,433 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2002
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Little, Alex Dudley
• Primary Examiner(s): Louis-Jacques, Jacques
• Assistant Examiner(s): GEE, JASON KAI YIN
• Application Number:
  US10/315,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20040111646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 713/182, 713/183, 726/2, 726/12, 726/26
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation

Abstract

A method that provides high-entropy password protection for electronic devices without requiring the presence of a full keyboard for entering characters or special character-recognition capability. To proffer a password to an electronic device, a user enters a sequence of standard characters on a screen. The device reads the entered sequence, and determines screen position information associated with the entered sequence, according to where the characters are entered on the screen. The entered sequence and the screen position information are compared with a predetermined sequence of characters and predetermined screen position information. If the entered sequence and screen position information match the predetermined sequence and predetermined screen position information, the device accepts the entered sequence as a valid password.

Claims

1. A method for determining whether an entered sequence of standard characters is a valid password, suitable for controlling access to an electronic device, said method comprising the steps of:

reading a sequence of standard characters entered by a user into a character entry sector of a screen;

for each character of the entered sequence, determining screen-position information associated with the character by reading input that identifies a sector of the screen that is different from the character entry sector, said identified sector being identified by the user, and associating the identified sector with the character as screen-position information;

comparing the entered sequence and the screen-position information with a predetermined sequence of characters and predetermined screen-position information associated with the predetermined sequence of characters; and

accepting the entered sequence as a valid password and unlocking the electronic device if the entered sequence and the screen-position information match the predetermined sequence of characters and the predetermined screen-position information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the characters are entered on the screen with a stylus.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the characters are entered on the screen with a keyboard.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining screen position information includes the step of identifying a sector of the screen touched with a stylus.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining screen position information includes the step of identifying a sector of the screen located with a cursor-moving control.

6. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for determining whether an entered sequence of standard characters is a valid password, suitable for controlling access to an electronic device, said method steps comprising:

reading a sequence of standard characters entered by a user into a character entry sector of a screen;

for each character of the entered sequence, determining screen-position information associated with the character by reading input that identifies a sector of the screen that is different from the character entry sector, said identified sector being identified by the user, and associating the identified sector with the character as screen-position information;

comparing the entered sequence and the screen-position information with a predetermined sequence of characters and predetermined screen-position information associated with the predetermined sequence of characters; and

accepting the entered sequence as a valid password and unlocking the electronic device if the entered sequence and the screen-position information match the predetermined sequence of characters and the predetermined screen-position information.

7. The program storage device of claim 6, wherein the characters are entered on the screen with a stylus.

8. The program storage device of claim 6, wherein the characters are entered on the screen with a keyboard.

9. The program storage device of claim 6, wherein the step of determining screen-position information includes the step of identifying a sector of the screen touched with a stylus.

10. The program storage device of claim 6, wherein the step of determining screen position information includes the step of identifying a sector of the screen located with a cursor-moving control.