Patent ID: 8561174

Claim:
A user authorization method for granting access within a log-in process where a user has to enter a user name and an authorization code and access is granted only if the entered authorization code matches a valid authorization code, comprising the steps of: receiving an input for an authorization code from a user, presenting, using a computer, at least one hint to the user while the user is entering the authorization code; determining whether the entered authorization code matches a valid authorization code; that the authorization code being a concatenation of several parts, one part being a password prefix and at least one part being a password suffix, wherein true hints chosen by the user as personal reminder for reminding the user to the password suffix or parts of the password suffix are only provided if pre-defined conditions, when to present a true hint, are met, further comprising the steps of selectively providing either a true hint or a false hint, providing true hints for reminding the user to the password suffix Only when conditions when to present a true hint are met, the authorization code being a concatenation of several chunks, several words, or several character sequences, the authorization code having a number of user-defined true hints and conditions for presenting such hints associated with it, providing, the true hints chosen by the user as personal reminder to recall the next chunk, word, or character sequence within the concatenation only after the previous chunk, word, or character sequence has been entered correctly providing false hints after a predetermined number of characters has been entered except when the conditions to present a true hint are met, the predefined number of characters being less than the number of characters of the chunk, word, or character sequence of the part of the authorization code.