US5664099A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1995-12-28
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Granted: 1997-09-02
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Expires: 2015-12-28
Abstract
Abstract In order to establish a protected channel between a user and a software program running on a computer system, a graphic display unique to the user is displayed along with the normal information entry graphics. A foreign program which might duplicate the overall appearance of the entry graphics cannot display the unique visual display which would appear on the legitimate entry screen of a particular user. Thus, a user looking at his entry screen can tell by the visual display whether the entry screen has been generated by a legitimate program or by a foreign impostor program. Further, since it might be possible for an unauthorized person to surreptitiously observe the unique display pattern on the entry screen of an authorized user, to increase security, a program constructed according to the principles of the invention, changes the visual display as information is entered based on the partially entered information. Thus, even if an unauthorized person should oversee the entry of the information by an authorized user, memorize the display and incorporate the display in an impostor program, the impostor program would be unable to duplicate the sequence of visual displays which occurs during the entry of the information because the information itself is unknown.
Inventors
- 👤 Raymond E. Ozzie
- 👤 Eric M. Patey
- 👤 Charles W. Kaufman
- 👤 Steven R. Beckhardt
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 12:25
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F21/00; G06F21/30; G06F21/31; G06F21/36; G06F21/44; G06F21/70; G06F21/82; G06F2211/00; G06F2211/007
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
116 words
Apparatus for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system in response to a user request, the computer system having a memory, a display device and an input device, the apparatus comprising: means responsive to the user request for generating an entry screen display which requests information to be entered by the user on the input device; means for storing information unique to the user in the memory in a manner in which the unique information cannot be obtained by persons other than the user; and means responsive to the information stored in the memory for generating an identifying graphic display which is distinct for the user along with the entry screen display.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
116 words
Apparatus for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system in response to a user request, the computer system having a memory, a display device and an input device, the apparatus comprising: means responsive to the user request for generating an entry screen display which requests information to be entered by the user on the input device; means for storing information unique to the user in the memory in a manner in which the unique information cannot be obtained by persons other than the user; and means responsive to the information stored in the memory for generating an identifying graphic display which is distinct for the user along with the entry screen display.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising: means responsive to information entered on the input device by the user for modifying the identifying graphic display based on the entered information.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the modifying means comprises means for delaying the modification of the graphic display until a predetermined minimum amount of information has been entered.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the modifying means comprises means responsive to the information entered on the input device for generating a cryptographic hash of the entered information and means responsive to the cryptographic hash for modifying the identifying graphic display.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
53 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the identifying graphic display generating means comprises: a plurality of icon graphics; means responsive to the information stored in the memory for selecting a subset of the plurality of icon graphics; and means for displaying the subset of the plurality of icon graphics in a predetermined pattern.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the identifying graphic display generating means comprises means for generating a cryptographic hash based on the information stored in the memory and means responsive to the cryptographic hash for generating the identifying graphic display.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
127 words
Apparatus for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system during the entry of a password by a user, the computer system having a memory, an application program running in the memory, a display device and an input device, the apparatus comprising: means controlled by the application program for generating an entry screen display which requests password characters to be entered by the user on the input device; means for storing an ID code unique to the user in the memory in a manner in which the ID code cannot be obtained by persons other than the user; and means responsive to the ID code for generating a graphic display pattern which is distinct for the user as part of the entry screen display.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
127 words
Apparatus for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system during the entry of a password by a user, the computer system having a memory, an application program running in the memory, a display device and an input device, the apparatus comprising: means controlled by the application program for generating an entry screen display which requests password characters to be entered by the user on the input device; means for storing an ID code unique to the user in the memory in a manner in which the ID code cannot be obtained by persons other than the user; and means responsive to the ID code for generating a graphic display pattern which is distinct for the user as part of the entry screen display.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus according to claim 7 further comprising: means responsive to a string of characters entered on the input device by the user for modifying the identifying graphic display based on all of the entered characters.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the modifying means modifies the display after each character is entered.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the modifying means comprises means for delaying the modification of the graphic display until a predetermined minimum number of characters have been entered.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
45 words
Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the modifying means comprises means responsive to a string of characters entered on the input device for generating a cryptographic hash of the string of characters and means responsive to the cryptographic hash for modifying the identifying graphic display.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the means for generating a cryptographic hash comprises means responsive to each entered character for generating the parity of the each entered character and means for generating a cryptographic hash of the parities of the entered characters.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
50 words
Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the identifying graphic display generating means comprises: a plurality of icon graphics; means responsive to the ID code for selecting a subset of the plurality of icon graphics; and means for displaying the subset of the plurality of icon graphics in a predetermined pattern.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
42 words
Apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the identifying graphic display generating means further comprises means for generating a cryptographic hash based on the ID code and means responsive to the cryptographic hash for selecting a subset of the plurality of icon graphics.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
112 words
A method for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system in response to a user request, the computer system having a memory, a display device and an input device, the method comprising the steps of: A. generating an entry screen display which requests information to be entered by the user on the input device; B. storing information unique to the user in the memory in a manner in which the unique information cannot be obtained by persons other than the user; and C. generating an identifying graphic display based on the unique information which identifying graphic display is distinct for the user along with the entry screen display.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
112 words
A method for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system in response to a user request, the computer system having a memory, a display device and an input device, the method comprising the steps of: A. generating an entry screen display which requests information to be entered by the user on the input device; B. storing information unique to the user in the memory in a manner in which the unique information cannot be obtained by persons other than the user; and C. generating an identifying graphic display based on the unique information which identifying graphic display is distinct for the user along with the entry screen display.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method according to claim 15 further comprising the steps of: D. modifying the identifying graphic display based on information entered by the user on the input device.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 16 wherein step D comprises the steps of: D1. delaying the modification of the graphic display until a predetermined minimum amount of information has been entered.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method according to claim 16 wherein step D comprises the steps of: D2. generating a cryptographic hash of the entered information in response to the information entered on the input device; and D3. modifying the identifying graphic display based on the cryptographic hash.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
56 words
A method according to claim 15 wherein step C comprises the steps of: C1. storing a plurality of icon graphics in the memory; C2. selecting a subset of the plurality of icon graphics based on the information stored in the memory; and C3. displaying the subset of the plurality of icon graphics in a predetermined pattern.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method according to claim 15 wherein step C further comprises the steps of: C4. generating a cryptographic hash based on the information stored in the memory; and C5. generating the identifying graphic display based on the cryptographic hash.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
126 words
A computer program product for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system in response to a user request, the computer system having a memory, a display device and an input device, the computer program product comprising: a computer useable medium comprising: means responsive to the user request for generating an entry screen display which requests information to be entered by the user on the input device; means for storing information unique to the user in the memory in a manner in which the unique information cannot be obtained by persons other than the user; and means responsive to the information stored in the memory for generating an identifying graphic display which is distinct for the user along with the entry screen display.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
126 words
A computer program product for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system in response to a user request, the computer system having a memory, a display device and an input device, the computer program product comprising: a computer useable medium comprising: means responsive to the user request for generating an entry screen display which requests information to be entered by the user on the input device; means for storing information unique to the user in the memory in a manner in which the unique information cannot be obtained by persons other than the user; and means responsive to the information stored in the memory for generating an identifying graphic display which is distinct for the user along with the entry screen display.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-09-01 | 2001-03-03 | 2001-09-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-09-01 | 2005-03-03 | 2005-09-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-09-01 | 2009-03-03 | 2009-09-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |