Patent ID: 7114077

Claim:
In an electronic device having a processor, a visual display, apparatus for entering data into said device, and an electronic memory including a buffer, a method for reliably determining whether confidential data entered into said electronic device for processing has been recognized by said device as representing a character the user intended to enter, said method comprising the steps of: (a) awaiting and receiving a data entry entered through said data entry apparatus, translating said data entry into digital signals and combining said digital signals to create a character; (b) determining whether said character is a non-displayable character that represents a system command; and (c) if said character is a displayable character, saving said displayable character in said buffer as a saved character, commencing a timing sequence, displaying said displayable character on said visual display, awaiting the expiration of said timing sequence, replacing said displayable character with a mask character on said visual display and, returning to step (a); and (d) if said character is a non-displayable character, determining whether said non-displayable character represents a system command to process displayable characters saved in said buffer, and if said non-displayable character represents a system command to process displayable characters saved in said buffer, retrieving said saved characters from said buffer and sending said saved characters to said processor for processing in accordance with processing instructions.