Patent ID: 8046827
Filing Date: 2011-10-25
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of controlling access to an interaction context of an application, the method comprising: receiving, tracking over time, and acting upon login requests pertaining to an access account, including a login request, each login request including a login password to be matched against an access password associated with the access account, wherein the access password is a permanent password; denying access upon receipt of the login request when the login password fails to match the access password; maintaining a first count and a second count of password match failures, wherein the first count is a short count counting consecutive password match failures and the second count is a long count counting cumulative password match failures, both counts being incremented upon receipt of the login request when the login password fails to match the access password at least until the first count has reached a selected limit; denying access upon receipt of the login request when the first count has reached the selected limit; granting access and restarting the first count from zero upon receipt of the login request when the login password matches the access password, the first count is less than the selected limit, and the second count is less than a selected first threshold; prompting a change of the access password upon receipt of the login request when the login password matches the access password, the first count is less than the selected limit, but the second count has reached the selected first threshold; and restarting both counts from zero whenever the access password is changed.