Method of activating a mechanism, and device implementing such a method

• US 9,336,414 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cassidian Limited (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Cassidian Limited (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Folscheid, Bruno
• Primary Examiner(s): Ortiz Rodriguez, Carlos
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lopez Alvarez, Olvin
• Application Number:
  US13/329,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20120165961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/81 by operating on the power supply, e.g. enabling or disabling power-on, sleep or resume operations

Abstract

A method of activating a function such as unlocking a mobile telephone keypad by an instruction sequence {x_i, . . . , x_n} of a length n given to a user, who validates the sequence to activate the function. The instruction sequence is determined randomly, and for each instruction x_i, the method includes: sending an instruction x_i to the user; receiving a response y_i from the user; analysis for validation of instruction x_i; instruction x_i is said to be validated when y_i is a valid response for x_i and the time elapsed between the sending of x_i and the receipt of y_i is shorter than a set period Δ_i; if instruction x_i is not validated then the function is not activated; sending the next instruction, if any, after validation of x_i; activating the function when at least the last instruction sent is validated.

Claims

1. A method of activating a mechanism including an interface device by means of an instruction sequence {xi, . . . , xn} of a length n given to a user, who must validate this sequence to activate said mechanism, the method comprising:

randomly determining the instruction sequence {xi, . . . , xn}, defining a counter with a limit for a number of invalid responses and a counter with a limit for a number of valid responses using a processing unit associated with the mechanism, and for each instruction xi, the method includes the steps of;

(a) sending an instruction xi to the user via the interface device;

(b) receiving a response yi from the user using thwe interface device;

(c) analyzing the response for validation of instruction xi;

wherein the response yi is said to be a valid response when yi is a valid response for xi and the time elapsed between the sending of xi and the receipt of yi is shorter than a set period deltai; and

an invalid response when yi is not a valid response for xi or the time elapsed between the sending of xi and the receipt of yi is equal to or greater than the set period deltai, wherein the mechanism is not activated;

(d) sending a next instruction, if any after validation of xi; and

(e) activating the mechanism when at least the last instruction in an instruction sequence sent is a valid response, and a counter with a number of consecutive valid responses is equal to the counter with the limit of valid responses; and

wherein if at least one response is invalid and a counter with a number of invalid responses is not equal to the counter with a limit for a number of invalid responses, determining a new instruction sequence {xi. . . xn} and performing each of the steps a)-e).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each instruction is determined randomly just before it is sent.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein n has a range [n₁, n₂] where n₁ is greater than or equal to 2.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said length n is randomly determined.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one instruction x_i is a visual instruction.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one instruction x_i is an audio instruction to the user.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one response y_i is a response of contact with the interface device.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein at least one response y_i is a response of contact by selection of a key on the interface device.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the instruction sequence {x_i, . . ., x_n} comprises a series of keys on a keypad associated with the interface device, with the sending of an instruction of the series consisting of indicating a corresponding key by the emission of light.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the emission of light is the backlighting of the corresponding key or the lighting of a light-emitting diode designating the corresponding key.