Spy-resistant keyboard

• US 7,395,506 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2004
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tan, Desney S, Keyani, Pedram, Czerwinski, Mary P
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shih, Haoshian
• Application Number:
  US10/870,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20050251451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 715/741
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/10 together with a coded signal , e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1041 PIN input keyboard gets new key allocation at each use

Abstract

A method, system and article of manufacture for providing a spy-resistant keyboard. The spy-resistant keyboard provides a user with additional protection against unauthorized observers while the user is interfacing with a system implementing the spy-resistant keyboard. The keyboard may include a number of tiles with a number of user-selectable characters randomly associated with each tile. A spy-resistant keyboard may also include a number of movable tiles with user-selectable characters. Before a user selects a user-selectable associated with one of the tiles, all the user-selectable characters in the tiles are at least blanked to avoid unauthorized viewing of a chosen tile.

Claims

1. A method for making a soft keyboard of a computing device spy-resistant, comprising:

(a) displaying a plurality of user-selectable characters within a plurality of character tiles, the plurality of character tiles forming the soft keyboard;

(b) transforming the plurality of character tiles into a plurality of blanked character tiles by simultaneously causing the plurality of user-selectable characters within the plurality of character tiles to disappear;

(c) causing the plurality of blanked character tiles to visually shift position;

(d) detecting the selection of one of the plurality of blanked character tiles by a user; and

(e) repeating (a) through (d).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each character tile includes one user-selectable character.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising detecting movement of a character selector, the movement of the character selector causing the plurality of user-selectable characters within the plurality of character tiles to disappear and further causing the plurality of blanked character tiles to shift position.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein each character tile includes only one user-selectable character.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the user-selectable characters are numbers.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of blanked character tiles shift position in a random manner.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising entering the blanked user-selectable character from the selected one of the plurality of blanked character tiles into a field, the user-selectable character being concealed by a predetermined character.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising displaying a plurality of user-selectable characters within a plurality of character tiles once the selected one of the plurality of blanked character tiles is entered into the field.

9. An article of manufacture for use in programming a processor, the article of manufacture comprising at least one computer readable storage device including at least one computer program embedded therein that causes a processor to perform the method of any of claims 1, 3, 7, or 8.

10. A system, comprising:

(a) a display; and

(b) a processor for causing;

(i) a plurality of user-selectable characters within a plurality of character tiles to be displayed on the display;

(ii) the plurality of user-selectable characters within the plurality of character tiles to simultaneously disappear before a character tile of the plurality of character tiles is selected by a user;

(iii) the plurality of character tiles to shift position;

(iv) the selection of one of the plurality of character tiles by a user to be detected; and

(v) repeating (i) through (iv).

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the display is a touch sensitive display interactable via physical touch by a user thereof.