US 10,872,139 B2Granted

Methods and apparatus for encoding passwords or other information

AssigneeShape Matrix Geometric Instruments, LLC

InventorJonathan Cramer

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Abstract

In illustrative implementations, shape is used to encode computer passwords or other information. The passwords may be easy for a human to remember—and yet have an extremely high number of permutations (e.g., in some cases, greater than 1030 permutations, or greater than 10261 permutations, or greater than 106264 permutations). This combination of a password being easy for a human to remember—yet having a large number of permutations—offers many practical benefits. Among other things, the huge number of permutations makes the password extremely resistant to guessing attacks. In addition, in some cases, the passwords that are created with the shapes are highly resistant to attacks by keystroke logging, mouse logging, touch-gesture logging, screen logging, shoulder surfing, phishing, and social engineering. Alternatively, the shapes may be used to encode other information, such as information that uniquely identifies a product or a machine part.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A method comprising fabricating, in accordance with computer instructions, a set of multiple physical objects in such a way that each particular physical object in the set:

(a) is not, and does not include, an electronic display screen;
and
(b) includes a physical 2D pattern that uniquely identifies the particular physical object, which physical 2D pattern
(i) differs from each 2D pattern that is included in any other physical object in the set,
(ii) exists as a spatial pattern in physical material of the particular physical object, and
(iii) comprises a superposition of 2D sub-patterns that are superimposed on each other in such a way that
(A) each 2D sub-pattern in the superposition comprises outlines of 3D sub-shapes of a 3D geometric shape,
(B) all or some of the 3D sub-shapes are tessellated and share a common vertex,
(C) at least some of the 3D sub-shapes each have a geometric shape that is a fragment of, and includes a region of an external surface of, a torus, ellipsoid, cone, cylinder, or sphere, and
(D) the outlines in each 2D sub-pattern in the superposition are taken from a particular view that is different than any view from which outlines for any other 2D sub-pattern in the superposition are taken;
wherein the computer instructions are based in part on data that specifies the 2D pattern that uniquely identifies the particular physical object.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/377,018Filed 5 Apr 2019 · continuation
Priority: 9 May 2018
Published: US 2019/0347397 A114 Nov 2019
Granted: 22 Dec 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G06F 21/36
User authentication: by graphic or iconic representation
G06F 21/46
Structures or tools for the administration of authentication: by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords
G06T 17/20
Three-dimensional [3D] modelling for computer graphics: finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
G06T 19/20
Manipulating three-dimensional [3D] models or images for computer graphics: editing of three-dimensional [3D] images, e.g. changing shapes or…

Family

Application15/975,662Parent of this continuation · filed 9 May 2018
US 2019/0347398 A1Pre-grant publication · published 14 Nov 2019
US 10,783,230 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2019/0347397 A1Published application
US 10,872,139 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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