# US 2019/0171836 A1 · Security key entry using ancillary input device

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2019/0171836 A1
- Document ID: US20190171836A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/258,399
- Filed: 2019-01-25
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2010-08-25
- Inventors: Gary Stephen SHUSTER
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190171836A1

## CPC

- G06F 21/6218: {to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database}
- G06F 3/03543: {Mice or pucks (G06F3/03541 takes precedence)}
- G06F 11/073: {in a memory management context, e.g. virtual memory or cache management (memory management G06F12/00; testing of static memory units G11C29/00)}
- G06F 11/0793: {Remedial or corrective actions (recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40)}
- G06F 21/31: User authentication
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A physical, non-human readable representation of a digital key may be in a physical key article. The key article may enable a person to generate a signal representing the digital key from a user interface device in communication with a computer by physical manipulation of the key article. Access to digital content via the computer may be unlocked in response to receiving the signal. In addition, a key may be represented by a pattern of unreadable errors in a computer-readable medium.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
encoding portions of a digital key in at least two non-contiguous, write-once sectors of a recording medium;
writing mask data to the recording medium to mask the portions of the digital key by placing other data in re-writable sectors;
reconstructing the digital key by extracting the portions of the digital key from the write-once sectors of the recording medium.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the digital key is a fixed character string operative as a security key configured to unlock access to a digital resource secured by the digital key.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the security key is utilized to unlock access to the digital resource.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the digital key is also used to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the digital key is not used to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the digital key is not human-readable.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the recording medium is not human-readable.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying the written mask data to identify non-verified sectors having data that does not match the mask data.

### Claim 9

A method, comprising:
encoding a digital key as data in at least one write-once sector of a recording medium;
writing mask data to the recording medium to mask the digital key by placing other data in writable sectors;
comparing the mask data against the data actually recorded on the recording medium to identify at least one sector where the mask data was not successfully written;
reading the digital key from the at least one sector where the mask data was not recorded.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one sector of the recording medium comprises a non-writable portion.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the non-writable portion comprises at least two-non-contiguous portions.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the recording medium is further configured to generate write errors preventing further recording of data.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the digital key is also used to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the mask data enables an input device to identify defined sectors having write errors.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the digital key is non-human-readable.

### Claim 16 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the digital key is not used to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium.

### Claim 17

A method, comprising:
configuring a physical, non-human readable representation of a digital key by encoding portions of the digital key in at least two non-contiguous sectors of a recording medium;
reading the recording medium;
identifying sectors containing the digital key; and
reconstructing the digital key from data contained within the at least two non-contiguous sectors; and
where use of the digital key to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium itself may be done in conjunction with the method, but is not itself a part of the method.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the digital key is also used to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the physical, non-human readable representation comprises an optical code configured to be detected by an optical mouse.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the digital key is not used to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium.