Spy-resistant keyboard
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsDesney S Tan, Pedram Keyani, Mary P Czerwinski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method, system and article of manufacture for providing a spy-resistant keyboard. The spy-resistant keyboard provides a user with additional protection against unauthorized observers while the user is interfacing with a system implementing the spy-resistant keyboard. The keyboard may include a number of tiles with a number of user-selectable characters randomly associated with each tile. A spy-resistant keyboard may also include a number of movable tiles with user-selectable characters. Before a user selects a user-selectable associated with one of the tiles, all the user-selectable characters in the tiles are at least blanked to avoid unauthorized viewing of a chosen tile.
Claims11
A method for making a soft keyboard of a computing device spy-resistant, comprising:
- (a) displaying a plurality of user-selectable characters within a plurality of character tiles, the plurality of character tiles forming the soft keyboard;
- (b) transforming the plurality of character tiles into a plurality of blanked character tiles by simultaneously causing the plurality of user-selectable characters within the plurality of character tiles to disappear;
- (c) causing the plurality of blanked character tiles to visually shift position;
- (d) detecting the selection of one of the plurality of blanked character tiles by a user;
- and
- (e) repeating (a) through (d).
A system, comprising:
- (a) a display;
- and
- (b) a processor for causing:
- (i) a plurality of user-selectable characters within a plurality of character tiles to be displayed on the display;
- (ii) the plurality of user-selectable characters within the plurality of character tiles to simultaneously disappear before a character tile of the plurality of character tiles is selected by a user;
- (iii) the plurality of character tiles to shift position;
- (iv) the selection of one of the plurality of character tiles by a user to be detected;
- and
- (v) repeating (i) through (iv).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.