Method for using a multi-function computer for testing

• US 9,582,648 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wolfram Alpha LLC (Wolfram Research Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Wolfram Alpha LLC (Wolfram Research Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wolfram, Stephen, Beynon, Taliesin Sebastian, Lockhart, Robert Kerr
• Primary Examiner(s): Armouche, Hadi
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLMES, ANGELA R
• Application Number:
  US14/332,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20140337990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/544 for evaluating functions by calculation G06F7/4824 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09C 5/00 Ciphering apparatus or methods not provided for in the preceding groups, e.g. involving the concealment or deformation of graphic data such as designs, written or printed messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

A system and method facilitate the use of a multi-function computer for an examination. An application implementing the method receives a hash input from a user and, upon successful completion of the examination, displays a hash output. The hash output may be displayed as a visual hash. During the examination, the application or system monitors the multi-function computer to determine whether the user has activated, viewed, or launched any prohibited functions or applications on the multi-function computer. If the user views a prohibited function or application, the examination application does not display the hash output. The system and application implement various security measures to prevent spoofing or duplication of the hash output or tampering with the application.

Claims

1. A system for coordinating the secure use of computer devices during an academic examination, the system comprising:

a plurality of computer devices, each computer device comprising (i) a memory device storing (a) at least one approved application, (b) at least one un-approved application, and (c) a testing routine, and (ii) a processor coupled to the memory device and programmed to execute each of the at least one approved application, the at least one un-approved application, and the testing routine,

wherein execution of the testing routine;

causes the processor to allow a respective user to access and use the at least one approved application and restricts or prevents access by the user of the at least one un-approved application,

determines whether the respective user of the respective computer device accessed any un-approved applications using the computer device while the computer device was executing the testing routine, and

receives identification information corresponding to the respective computer device and uses the identification information as an input to a hash function to generate a user hash output; and

a proctor computer comprising a memory device storing

(i) a routine for receiving identification information corresponding to one of the plurality of computer devices, and

(ii) a verification routine for providing one or more indications of whether one or more users of one or more of the plurality of computer devices accessed any of the at least one un-approved application while the one or more computer devices were executing the testing routine, wherein execution of the verification routine includes;

using identification information corresponding to one of the computer devices as an input to the hash function to generate a proctor hash output for the one computer device, such that the user hash output and the proctor hash output are the same if the user of the one computer device has not accessed any of the un-approved applications, and

causing a visual indication of the hash output to be displayed on a display device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the testing routine generates the user hash output and represents the user hash output as an icon or symbol; and

the verification routine generates the proctor hash output and represents the proctor hash output as an icon or symbol, and

the icon or symbol representing the proctor hash output is the same as the icon or symbol representing the user hash output when the user of the one of the plurality of computer devices has not accessed any of the un-approved applications.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification information includes at least the indication of a corresponding user or an indication of the academic examination.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification information comprises at least one of the group consisting of:

an ID number;

an examination seat; and

a name.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification information comprises at least an examination number.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the respective memory device of each of the plurality of computer devices further stores a routine for receiving configuration information for the testing routine, the configuration information causing the testing routine to recognize at least one application on the device as an un-approved application.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the configuration information specifies an approved application and causes the testing routine to recognize all other applications as un-approved applications.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory device of the proctor computer further stores a routine for configuring each of the plurality of computer devices to recognize at least one approved application and at least one un-approved application.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the proctor computer and/or the plurality of computer devices is/are configured to receive the identification information by scanning or imaging a bar code.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the testing routine is configured to evaluate whether an un-approved application is accessed by monitoring for a signal sent to the testing routine from the operating system of the respective computer device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the testing routine is configured to establish a communication connection with the proctor computer;

and transmit to the proctor computer a verification copy of the computed hash output.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the testing routine is a subroutine of a calculator application, and the calculator application is the approved application.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a set of instructions, executable by a processor, for coordinating the secure use of a plurality of computer devices during an academic examination, wherein each computer device is configured to i) allow a respective user to access and use at least one approved application, ii) restrict or prevents access by the user of at least one un-approved application, iii) determine whether the respective user of the respective computer device accessed any un-approved applications using the computer device while the computer device was in a test mode, and iv) use respective identification information corresponding to the respective computer device as an input to a hash function to generate a respective user hash output, the instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving information generated by a respective routine executing on each of the plurality of computer devices, the received information including respective identification information corresponding to the respective computer device;

instructions for determining, using the received information, whether respective users of the plurality of computer devices accessed one or more un-approved applications using the plurality of computer devices while the plurality of computer devices were in the test mode; and

instructions for generating, for each of the plurality of computer devices, a respective indication of whether a corresponding user of the respective computer device accessed one or more un-approved applications while the respective computer device was in the test mode;

instructions for calculating, for each computer device, a proctor hash output from a hash input using a hash function, the hash input including at least the received identification information, such that the proctor hash output and the user hash output are the same if the user of the respective computer device did not access any un-approved applications; and

instructions for displaying a visual indication of the proctor hash output on a display device.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the information includes at least the indication of the corresponding user or an indication of an academic examination that the corresponding user is completing.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the information includes at least the indication of the corresponding user and wherein the instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium further comprise instructions for displaying, on the display device, a list of the users corresponding to the plurality of computer devices.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions for receiving location information from each of the plurality of computer devices.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions for transmitting configuration information to each of the plurality of computer devices.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions for implementing a web server through which the received information from the plurality of devices, or information derived therefrom, may be transmitted to a second computer device.