Patent ID: 9576122
Date: 2017-02-21
CPC Classifications: G06F

Claim:
1. A method for operating a touch screen of a computing device for user entry of a confidential sequence of numeric characters, the method comprising: the computing device displaying a first arrangement of numeric characters 0-9 for an entry of the confidential sequence of numeric characters by a user during display of the first arrangement of the numeric characters 0-9 in ten respective two-dimensional regions, wherein each region comprises (i) a unique numeric character of the numeric characters 0-9 and (ii) a graphical design that does not include the unique numeric character, wherein the graphical design in each region is a different graphical design in each region, wherein each region has a closed exterior boundary and is totally filled with the graphical design consisting of a background pattern or no pattern, wherein the background pattern in one or more regions of the ten regions is independently selected from the group consisting of a pattern of dots characterized by a spatially uniform distribution of dots throughout the region or a pattern of continuous solid lines spaced uniformly apart from each other and characterized by an orientation pattern of the solid lines or a pattern of broken lines spaced uniformly apart from each other with gaps of constant gap size between successive segments of each broken line and characterized by an orientation pattern of the broken lines, wherein a portion of the graphical design in each region surrounds the entire numeric character in each region and encompasses an area disposed between the numeric character and the exterior boundary of each region, wherein a graphical characteristic is instantiated differently for each numeric character displayed in the first arrangement, and wherein the graphical characteristic instantiated differently for each numeric character is the graphical design in each region being said different graphical design in each region; receiving user touches on the displayed first arrangement of the confidential sequence of numeric characters to authenticate or authorize the user; the computing device displaying a second, different arrangement of the ten numeric characters 0-9 for a next entry of the confidential sequence of numeric characters by the user during display of the second arrangement of the numeric characters 0-9 in ten respective regions, wherein the graphical characteristic is instantiated differently for each numeric character displayed in the second arrangement, and wherein each numeric character has a same instantiation of the graphical characteristic in the first and second arrangements; and the computing device receiving user touches on the displayed second arrangement of the confidential sequence of numeric characters to authenticate or authorize the user.