Concealing a personal number

• US 9,703,985 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2017
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Growpath Inc.
• Original Assignee: James S. Farrin, P.C.
• Inventors: Sanchez, Eric Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Korsak, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US15/468,877
• Time in Patent Office: 109 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors

Abstract

A method includes receiving information about a person at a server, the information including a name and a personal number; storing the name and a portion of the personal number in a database in the server, such that the name and portion of the personal number are searchable; converting the personal number to an image that is designed to not be easily readable by optical character recognition, and storing the image; receiving, at the server, a request for a search of the database from a client device including a graphical user interface that has a movable pointer capable of hovering over a spot on the graphical user interface; displaying the name and the portion of the personal number, at a user client device in communication with the server, in response to results of the search matching information about the person; and displaying the image at the user client device in response to the pointer hovering over the portion of the personal number. Other systems and methods are provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving information about a person at a server, the information including a name and a personal number;

storing the name and a portion of the personal number in a database in the server, such that the name and portion of the personal number are searchable;

converting the personal number to an image that is designed to not be easily readable by optical character recognition, and storing the image;

receiving, at the server, a request for a search of the database from a client device including a graphical user interface that has a movable pointer capable of hovering over a spot on the graphical user interface;

displaying the name and the portion of the personal number, at a user client device in communication with the server, in response to results of the search matching information about the person; and

displaying the image at the user client device in response to the pointer hovering over the portion of the personal number, wherein the image contains the full personal number in a non-linear arrangement of digits, and wherein the image is stored in the same database that contains the name and the portion of the personal number.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the personal number is a government identity number.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein the identity number is a social security number.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the personal number is a credit card number.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the personal number is health information.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the received information further includes a postal address, wherein the address is stored in the database, and wherein the address is searchable.

7. A system comprising:

a server configured to receive information about a person, the information including a name and a personal number, the server including;

a database having fields configured to store the name and a portion of the personal number, such that the name and the portion of the personal number are searchable;

a formatter configured to convert the personal number to a non-linear format that is difficult for an automated system to recognize, and the server being configured to store the converted personal number in the database containing the name and portion of the personal number; and

a graphical user interface generator configured to cause display of the name and the portion of the personal number at a user client device in communication with the server, in response to a search of the database requested from the client device resulting in information about the person matching the search, the graphical user interface generator including an display reveal detector which, if actuated by the user of the client device, causes the converted personal number to be displayed at the user client device.

8. A system in accordance with claim 7 wherein the database further stores medical records.

9. A system in accordance with claim 7 wherein the formatter generates an image.

10. A system in accordance with claim 7 wherein the formatter generates an image file including a distorted rendering of the personal number.

11. A system in accordance with claim 7 wherein the personal number is a government identity number.

12. A system in accordance with claim 7 wherein the identity number is a social security number.

13. A system comprising:

a server configured to receive information about a person, the information including a name and a social security number, the server including;

a database having fields configured to store the name and a portion of the personal number, such that the name and the portion of the social security number are searchable;

a formatter configured to convert the social security number to a distorted image containing all digits of the social security number such that the digits are not lined up, and that is difficult for an automated system to recognize, and the server being configured to store the distorted image in the database;

a graphical user interface generator configured to cause display of a graphical user interface showing the name and the portion of the personal number at a user client device in communication with the server; and

a user client device configured to receive the graphical user interface from the server and to display, in response to a successful search of the database, the name and the portion of the social security number, the graphical user interface generator including an display reveal detector which, if actuated by the user of the client device by the user hovering over the portion of the social security number, causes the distorted image to be displayed at the user client device.

14. A system in accordance with claim 13 wherein the portion of the social security number stored in the database of the server consists of the last four digits of the social security number.

15. A system in accordance with claim 13 wherein the client device communicates with the server over a virtual private network.

16. A system in accordance with claim 15 wherein the server supports a U2F protocol and wherein a U2F key is required at the user client device for the user client device to communicate with the server.

17. A system in accordance with claim 13 wherein the server supports a two factor security protocol and wherein a physical two factor security key is required at the user client device for the user client device to communicate with the server.