Exclusive view keyboard system and method

• US 9,746,938 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2014
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gardner, Christina, Shaw, William, Innes, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosario, Nelson
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRITTINGHAM, NATHANIEL P
• Application Number:
  US14/569,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20160170497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/031 Protect user input by software means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0426 tracking fingers with respect to a virtual keyboard projected or printed on the surface virtual keyboards on touch screens G06F3/04886
• 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: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

A secure computer keyboard system utilizes a mobile device in conjunction with a keyboard device to provide secure keyboard entry in a public place. An application on the mobile device produces a mapping of characters to character codings, and displays to the user a key such as a modified keyboard showing the mapping. The keyboard device receives input keystrokes from the user representing the codings and transmits the keystrokes back to the mobile device or to a server. The mobile device or server decodes the keystrokes using the mapping.

Claims

1. A method for execution by a mobile device for securing a keyed input by a user through a keyboard device separate from the mobile device, comprising:

producing a mapping correlating characters in a standard alphabet to key codings;

displaying, on a display of the mobile device, a representation of the mapping permitting the user to translate the characters in the standard alphabet to the key codings;

transmitting from the mobile device to the keyboard device a command to cause the keyboard device to receive keystrokes input by the user on a keyboard comprising the key codings, without transmitting the mapping from the mobile device to the keyboard device;

receiving by the mobile device from the keyboard device representations of the keystrokes indicating which keys are input;

converting the keystrokes to characters in the standard alphabet using the mapping, to determine a user input; and

transmitting the user input to a server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting from the mobile device to the keyboard device a command to configure a virtual keyboard, the command comprising the key codings for accepting the keystrokes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the key codings comprise a first characteristic and a second characteristic and the command to configure the virtual keyboard comprises a command to display a grid having rows representing the first characteristic and columns representing the second characteristic.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein producing a mapping further comprises generating a random mapping.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying a representation of the mapping further comprises displaying a representation of a standard keyboard wherein keys are identified by characters of the standard alphabet together with correlated key codings.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting to the keyboard device and receiving from the keyboard device are performed via a short range wireless link.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein transmitting the user input to a server is performed via a cellular radio network.

8. A tangible computer-usable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor of a mobile device, cause the processor to perform operations for securing a keyed input by a user through a keyboard device separate from the mobile device, the operations comprising:

producing a mapping correlating characters in a standard alphabet to key codings;

displaying, on a display of the mobile device, a representation of the mapping permitting the user to translate the characters in the standard alphabet to the key codings;

transmitting from the mobile device to the keyboard device a command to cause the keyboard device to receive keystrokes input by the user on a keyboard comprising the key codings, without transmitting the mapping from the mobile device to the keyboard device;

receiving by the mobile device from the keyboard device representations of the keystrokes indicating which keys are input;

converting the keystrokes to characters in the standard alphabet using the mapping, to determine a user input; and

transmitting the user input to a server.

9. The tangible computer-usable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting from the mobile device to the keyboard device a command to configure a virtual keyboard, the command comprising the key codings for accepting the keystrokes.

10. The tangible computer-usable medium of claim 9, wherein the key codings comprise a first characteristic and a second characteristic and the command to configure the virtual keyboard comprises a command to display a grid having rows representing the first characteristic and columns representing the second characteristic.

11. The tangible computer-usable medium of claim 8, wherein producing a mapping further comprises generating a random mapping.

12. The tangible computer-usable medium of claim 8, wherein displaying a representation of the mapping further comprises displaying a representation of a standard keyboard wherein keys are identified by characters of the standard alphabet together with correlated key codings.

13. The tangible computer-usable medium of claim 8, wherein transmitting to the keyboard device and receiving from the keyboard device are performed via a short range wireless link.

14. The tangible computer-usable medium of claim 13, wherein transmitting the user input to a server is performed via a cellular radio network.

15. A method for execution by a mobile device for securing a keyed input by a user through a keyboard device separate from the mobile device, comprising:

producing a mapping correlating characters in a standard alphabet to key codings;

transmitting of the mapping from the mobile device to a secure system server, making the secure system server operable to translate keystrokes on a keyboard comprising the key codings to characters in the standard alphabet;

displaying on a display of the mobile device a representation of the mapping, the representation of the mapping permitting the user to translate characters of the standard alphabet to the key codings; and

transmitting from the mobile device to the keyboard device a command to cause the keyboard device to receive keystrokes input by the user on a keyboard comprising the key codings and to transmit representations of the keystrokes indicating which keys are input to the secure system server, without transmitting the mapping from the mobile device to the keyboard device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting from the mobile device to the keyboard device a command to configure a virtual keyboard, the command comprising the key codings for accepting the keystrokes.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the key codings comprise a first characteristic and a second characteristic and the command to configure the virtual keyboard comprises a command to display a grid having rows representing the first characteristic and columns representing the second characteristic.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein producing a mapping further comprises generating a random mapping.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein displaying a representation of the mapping further comprises displaying a representation of a standard keyboard wherein keys are identified by characters of the standard alphabet together with correlated key codings.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting to the keyboard device is performed via a short range wireless link, and transmitting to the secure system server is performed via a cellular wireless radio network.