Secured access using a position-coded system

• US 7,949,868 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2008
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Parthasarathy; Pramila
• Application Number:
  US12/212,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20090308917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/150
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/608 Watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 118/15 Roller structure

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for controlling access to an access-protected unit. A location may be read from a base, such as form, using a digital pen. The system may then check if location is within a region belonging to an authorized user. If so, access may be granted to the authorized user to the access-protected unit or to specific programs or functions of the access-protected unit.

Claims

1. A method for controlling access to an access-protected unit, the method comprising:

reading a sequence of locations from an encoded base;

checking if the read locations are within a region belonging to an authorized user;

checking if the sequence of locations corresponds to a previously registered signature of the authorized user; and

granting access by the authorized user to the access-protected unit if the location is within the region belonging to the authorized user and the sequence of locations corresponds to the previously registered signature of the authorized user, otherwise denying access, wherein reading said sequence of locations from the encoded base includes recording a pattern from the base with an optically imaging pen, and converting the recorded pattern into locations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the region is coincident with the encoded base.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said encoded base identifies a region identity, said region identity being associated with the authorized user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said encoded base is a registration form printed on a substrate.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said encoded base comprises at least one registration zone, said method comprising reading said sequence of locations from within said registration zone.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

reading an identification code from the pen;

checking if the identification code from the pen corresponds to at least one parameter relating to authorized user registration; and

granting access by the authorized user to the access-protected unit, only if the identification code from the pen corresponds to the at least one parameter.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reading further comprises:

optically reading the at least one location from the base, wherein the base is provided with a position-coding pattern for coding a plurality of locations.

8. A system for controlling a user'"'"'s access to an access-protected unit, comprising:

a sensing device for reading a sequence of absolute locations which described movement of the sensing device when the user is writing with the sensing device; and

a checking device which;

determines whether the read locations are associated with at least one region belonging to an authorized user;

compares the sequence of locations with a previously registered signature of the authorized user; and

;

provides an enabling signal when the checking device determines that access is authorized.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the sensing device comprises an optical sensor and a processor.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising a base provided with a position coding pattern, wherein said sensing device is configured to read the position coding pattern from the base and to convert the position coding pattern to the sequence of locations.

11. The system according to claim 8 wherein the checking device is further operable to:

read an identification code from the sensing device;

check if the identification code from the sensing device corresponds to at least one parameter relating to authorized user registration; and

grant access by the user to the access-protected unit, only if the identification code from the user unit corresponds to the at least one parameter.

12. The system according to claim 8 wherein the checking device comprises a server communicating with the sensing device.

13. A base for controlling access to an access-protected unit comprising:

a substrate;

a writing field associated with the substrate; and

a position coding pattern associated with the writing field, wherein the position coding pattern encodes a plurality of absolute locations used to grant access authorization, whereby the position coding pattern is read during movement of a sensing device over the writing field, and wherein the sensing device is configured to convert the position coding pattern to a sequence of locations during movement of the sensing device, and further wherein the sequence of locations are compared to a previously registered signature of the authorized user for granting access authorization.