JPH1031527A - Security protection mechanism for pen input terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To input a password without using a character recognition function and a virtual keyboard function by constituting an inputted password from the combination of contact and non-contact time of a pen and the like to a tablet or a touch panel. SOLUTION: When a power switch 3 is turned on, CPU 4 reads a security protection function program from a non-volatile memory 5 and executes it. An operator inputs the password by repeating an operation for making the pen 1 touch the tablet 2 for t1 seconds, making it detach from the tablet for t2 seconds, making it touch it for t3 seconds again and detach from it for t4 seconds by using the pen 1. CPU 4 converts the detection signal of the presence or absence of touch from the tablet 2 into the password and collates identity between the password which is obtained by conversion and the password which is read from the non-volatile memory 5 and which is previously registered.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an input terminal device, and more particularly to an input terminal for recognizing a character or the like input with a pen or a finger and a tablet or a touch panel with a pen or a finger and inputting it to an information processing device such as a computer. Related to the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an input device of a terminal device such as a computer, a pen input terminal device has been used in addition to a keyboard.

On the other hand, in a terminal device such as a computer, a method of inputting a password is employed as a security protection mechanism. As a security mechanism, when the computer is turned on, it prompts for a password, and when a password is input from the keyboard, the terminal device determines whether or not the password is appropriate, and determines whether the password is correct. In some cases, a method of starting an operating system and executing an application program is used.

In this security mechanism, the terminal device does not operate unless the password is correctly entered.
Users who do not know the correct password are prohibited from using it, thereby preventing unauthorized users from viewing, rewriting or erasing the contents of the magnetic storage device or memory of the terminal device. That's how security is achieved.

On the other hand, when this security mechanism is applied to a pen input terminal device instead of a keyboard, instead of inputting characters with a keyboard, characters are actually written on a tablet and handwritten character recognition means of the terminal device is used. By recognizing the characters input by handwriting, the input data is converted into text characters or character codes, and a password is entered, or a virtual keyboard is displayed on the display screen and touched to enter the password. Will be entered.

Alternatively, a security mechanism using new hardware dedicated to a pen input terminal device completely different from a security mechanism used in a terminal device such as a computer is required.

As a new security protection mechanism, for example, there is a method of transmitting an ID code from a pen and recognizing a user based on the ID code received by the computer main body.
For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-341870, when an ID code request signal is output from a computer main body, a receiving circuit provided inside the pen receives the ID code request signal and transfers it to a control device. Upon recognizing the request signal,
There has been proposed a configuration of a portable input device in which an ID code in a storage device is read and transmitted to a computer main body via a transmission circuit, and the computer main body recognizes a user based on the received ID code. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-79420 discloses a password input method.
2. Description of the Related Art A data input device has been proposed in which, when inputting a personal identification code, data is input while permitting the use of only numeric keys on a keyboard, thereby reducing malfunctions of an operator and improving operability.

[0008]

As described above, the conventional pen input terminal device has a problem that it is difficult to operate the security mechanism.

The reason is that it is necessary to operate the character recognition function and the virtual keyboard function before the operating system is started, for example, when the power is turned on, and it is extremely difficult to operate these functions before the operating system is started. By being.

[0010] Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an input terminal device capable of inputting a password without using a character recognition function or a virtual keyboard function. is there.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to an input device of an information processing apparatus having a tablet or a touch panel. An input password is formed from a combination of contact times, and the input password is compared with a password registered in advance, thereby determining whether the password is appropriate or not.

When it is determined that the input password is appropriate, the operating system is activated to activate the system.

Further, the present invention preferably provides a means for outputting a detection signal indicating the presence or absence of contact with a pen or a finger or a tablet or a pen or a finger with a touch panel when the power is turned on; Or, when the pen or finger and the touch panel are intermittently contacted and the password is input, based on the detection signal, the pen or the finger and the tablet, or the contact time and the non-contact time between the pen or the finger and the touch panel Provided is an input terminal device comprising: an analyzing unit that analyzes an input password by a combination; and a unit that determines whether a password obtained by the analyzing unit matches a pre-registered password. .

The outline of the present invention will be described below. In the present invention, after the power is turned on, when a detection signal indicating the presence or absence of contact of the pen or the finger with the tablet or the touch panel is output, based on the detection signal, a combination of the contact time and the non-contact time is input. The password is analyzed to determine whether the obtained password matches a pre-registered password. As in the conventional case, the password or the like is known by another person by handwriting input on a tablet or a touch panel or the like. It doesn't matter. In addition, since a password is configured by a combination of contact and non-contact times of a pen or the like, advanced information processing operations (application programs) such as handwritten input character recognition are not required, and the password is checked before starting the operating system. It can be performed.

Further, the analysis means of the present invention may be used to make contact between the pen and the tablet several times, such as the time t1 during which the pen is in contact with the tablet, the time t2 during which the pen is not in contact with the tablet, the time t3 during which the pen is in contact again. When the time tn of non-contact becomes a certain value ts or more,
By judging that the password input has been completed, a multi-digit password can be input.

As described above, according to the present invention, a detection signal indicating whether or not the pen has touched the tablet or whether or not the finger has touched the touch panel is periodically output, and the detection is performed based on the detection signal. Since the combination of the time during which the tablet or the like is in contact with the tablet and the time during which the tablet is not in contact is input as the password, the password can be input without using the character recognition function or the virtual keyboard function.

Further, according to the present invention, the operating system is started for the first time when it is determined that the passwords match, and thereafter the application program is read and executed. Therefore, the same security protection mechanism as when a password is input from the keyboard is realized. be able to.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of the present invention includes a pen 1, a tablet 2 for outputting whether or not the pen 1 is in contact, a power switch 3, and a central unit for performing processing and control of each. It includes a processing device (CPU) 4, a nonvolatile memory 5 storing a security function program and a password, and a magnetic storage device 6 storing an operating system, application programs, data, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 and 2
The operation of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when the power switch 3 shown in FIG. 1 is turned on (step 11), the CPU 4 reads the security function program from the non-volatile memory 5 and executes it until the process of inputting the password, and the operator (user) Prompts for a password (step 12). This allows
The operator touches and releases the tablet 2 several times using the pen 1 and inputs a password (step 13).

At the time of inputting the password, the pen 1 contacts the tablet 2 for t1 seconds, and is separated from the tablet 2 for t2 seconds.
The password is input by repeating the operation of touching again for 3 seconds and releasing for t4 seconds. Then, a certain constant value t
Terminate password input when pen and tablet are separated for s seconds or more.

The CPU 4 converts the detection signal of the presence or absence of contact from the tablet 2 into a password as described above, and the converted password is identical to the previously registered password read out from the nonvolatile memory 5. (Step 14), and if different, prompt the operator to input a password again.

The above steps 13 and 14 are repeated until the password matches the registered password.

As described above, the CPU 4 controls the tablet 2
When it is determined that the password obtained by conversion from the detection signal of the presence / absence of the contact from the non-volatile memory 5 is the same as the password registered in advance and read out from the nonvolatile memory 5, the operating system (O
S) is read and activated, and then the application program is read and executed (step 15).

In order to explain the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention in more detail, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of one embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a pen input device.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 7 denotes a computer main body;
Is a display device, and 9 is a pen of a pen input device. In the case of this embodiment, a tablet (transparent) is overlaid on the screen of the display device 8. Power switch, C
The PU, the nonvolatile memory, and the magnetic storage device are built in the computer main body 7.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of one embodiment of the present invention. The operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
In the example shown in FIG. 5, the time t1 elapses from the time when the pen 1 first contacts the tablet 2 (the pen 1 is turned off) to the time when the pen 1 is separated (the pen 1 is turned off), and the time t2 until the pen 1 comes into contact with the tablet 2 for the second time The time t3 elapses before leaving again, the time t4 elapses before contacting for the third time, the time t5 elapses before leaving three times, and the time t6 after which elapses exceeds the time ts. This indicates that the pen 1 and the tablet 2 have been brought into and out of contact three times.

Here, the times t2, t4, t when the pen 1 is off
6, if there is a relationship of t2 <ts, t4 <ts, t6> ts, in the case of the first off t2 and the second off t4, it is not considered that the password has been input yet, and
t4 is recognized as a password, and it is determined that the password input is completed at the third off t6. Eventually, the password in this case is “t1t2t3t4t5”.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
It is a figure showing composition of an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5, in a second embodiment of the present invention, a finger is used instead of the pen 1 shown in FIG.
Further, instead of the tablet 2, a touch panel 12 is used, and similar password input is performed depending on whether or not pressure is applied to the touch panel 12. Further, instead of the magnetic storage device 6, an operating system and application programs are stored and stored in the nonvolatile memory 16.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.
It is a figure showing composition of an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, a third embodiment of the present invention uses a stylus pen 15 in place of the pen 1 shown in FIG. To input the same password.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of another embodiment when a password is input. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, when the pen has been turned off for a certain period of time ts or more, it is considered that the input of the password has been completed. However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. When the pen is turned on, it is regarded that the input of the password has been completed.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Before starting the operating system, it is possible to input a password for security from a tablet or a touch panel in the same manner as a keyboard.

The reason is that a combination of the contact time and the non-contact time between the pen and the tablet is input as a password.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of one embodiment of password input in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of another embodiment of the password input in the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 pen 2 tablet 3 power switch 4 central processing unit (CPU) 5 memory (non-volatile) 6 magnetic storage device 7 computer body 8 display device 9 pen

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An input device of an information processing apparatus provided with a tablet or a touch panel, wherein an input password is constituted by a combination of a contact time and a non-contact time with an instruction means such as a pen on the tablet or the touch panel. An information processing apparatus, which determines whether the password is appropriate or not by comparing the password with a password registered in advance. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein when the input password is determined to be appropriate, the operating system is activated to activate the system.
An information processing apparatus according to claim 1. 3. A means for outputting a detection signal indicating whether or not a pen or a finger and a tablet or a pen or a finger and a touch panel are touched when the power is turned on, the pen or a finger and a tablet, or the pen or a finger and a touch panel. When the password is input by intermittently contacting the password, the password input by the combination of the contact time and the non-contact time between the pen or finger and the tablet, or the pen or finger and the touch panel based on the detection signal. An input terminal device comprising: an analysis unit that analyzes the password; and a unit that determines whether the password obtained by the analysis unit matches a password registered in advance. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said analyzing means measures a time during which the pen and the tablet are in contact with each other and a time during which the pen and the tablet are not in contact with each other, and sets a combination of the times as the value of the password. 3. The input terminal device according to 3. 5. The input terminal device according to claim 3, wherein, when the password is determined to be the same by the determination means, an operating system is started, and then an application program is read and executed.