Patent ID: 8640227

Claim:
A method for authenticating a user using a password that comprises a plurality of symbols, the method comprising: presenting a plurality of first images to a user, wherein each first image is constructed using at least one of a plurality of first distinguishing features so that the first distinguishing features are distributed amongst different first images, wherein each first distinguishing feature is only a portion of the image, and wherein only a single defined one of the first distinguishing features corresponds with a first symbol of the password; receiving a first user selection of a selected one of the first images; subsequently presenting a plurality of second images that are different from the first images to the user, wherein each second image is constructed using at least one of a plurality of second distinguishing features so that the second distinguishing features are distributed amongst different second images, wherein each second distinguishing feature is only a portion of the image, and wherein only a single second defined one of the second distinguishing features corresponds with a second symbol of the password; receiving a second user selection of a selected one of the second images; and determining to grant the user access to a secured item only if the first user selection corresponds to the one of the plurality of first images that includes the first defined one of the distinguishing features that corresponds with the first symbol of the password and the second user selection corresponds to the one of the plurality of second images that includes the second defined one of the distinguishing features that corresponds with the second symbol of the password.