Patent ID: 7065786

Claim:
A password generation and verification system, comprising: element group storage means for storing a plurality of element groups that are pre-selected from a plurality of different categories, wherein each element group belongs to a selected category and includes a plurality of password elements input by a user that belong to the selected category; scramble element storage means for pre-storing a plurality of scramble elements; category sampling means for randomly sampling a predetermined number of specific categories from said selected category; mixed element group generating means for mixing a sampled password element that is randomly sampled from the plurality of password elements stored in said element group belonging to said specific categories with a predetermined plurality of sampled scramble elements, different than said sampled password element, that are randomly sampled from the plurality of scramble elements stored in said scramble element storage means and belonging to the same category as said sampled password element to generate a mixed element group for each specific category, each mixed element group arranging said sampled password element and said sampled scramble elements in random order; display means for displaying said mixed element group including only said sampled password element and said sampled scramble elements; selecting means for selecting, from said mixed element group displayed by said display means, a selected password element for each specific category; verifying means for verifying said selected password element to said sampled password element for each specific category; and authentication means for providing authentication when all of said selected password elements match said sampled password elements.