Secure data entry

1. A method, said method comprising:

displaying, on a touch screen of a computing device, a first arrangement of numeric characters 0-9 for an entry of a confidential sequence of numeric characters by a user during display of the first arrangement of the numeric characters 0-9 in ten respective two-dimensional regions of the touch screen, wherein each region comprises (I) a unique numeric character of the numeric characters 0-9 and (ii) a graphical design that does not include the unique numeric character, wherein the graphical design in each region is a different graphical design in each region, wherein each region has a closed exterior boundary and is totally filled with the graphical design consisting of a background pattern or no pattern, wherein the background pattern in one or more regions of the ten regions is independently selected from the group consisting of a pattern of dots characterized by a spatially uniform distribution of dots throughout the region, and a pattern of continuous solid lines spaced uniformly apart from each other and characterized by an orientation pattern of the solid lines, and a pattern of broken lines spaced uniformly apart from each other with gaps of constant gap size between successive segments of each broken line and characterized by an orientation pattern of the broken lines, wherein a portion of the graphical design in each region surrounds the entire numeric character in each region and encompasses an area disposed between the numeric character and the exterior boundary of each region, wherein a graphical characteristic is instantiated differently for each numeric character displayed in the first arrangement, and wherein the graphical characteristic instantiated differently for each numeric character is the graphical design in each region being said different graphical design in each region; and

receiving user touches on the displayed first arrangement of the confidential sequence of numeric characters to authenticate or authorize the user,

wherein the different graphical design in the ten regions comprise: a shape of a first region of the ten regions being a pentagon, a shape of a second region of the ten regions being a hexagon, and a shape of a third region of the ten regions being an octagon.

2. The method of claim 1 , said method further comprising:

the computing device displaying a second, different arrangement of the ten numeric characters 0-9 for a next entry of the confidential sequence of numeric characters by the user during display of the second arrangement of the numeric characters 0-9 in ten respective regions, wherein the graphical characteristic is instantiated differently for each numeric character displayed in the second arrangement, and wherein each numeric character has a same instantiation of the graphical characteristic in the first and second arrangements, and

the computing device receiving user touches on the displayed second arrangement of the confidential sequence of numeric characters to authenticate or authorize the user.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein locations on the touch screen of the confidential sequence of numeric characters relative to the second arrangement of numeric characters 0-9 differs from locations on the touch screen of at least some of the confidential sequence of numeric characters relative to the first arrangement of numeric characters 0-9.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein one region of the ten regions comprises a background pattern characterized by said pattern of dots.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein one region of the ten regions comprises a background pattern characterized by said pattern of continuous solid lines.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein one region of the ten regions comprises a background pattern characterized by said pattern of broken lines.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the confidential sequence of numeric characters is a password or PIN.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein each region has a different shape characterized by the exterior boundary of each region having a different shape.

9. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable storage device having computer readable program instructions stored therein, said program instructions being executable by a computer processor of a computing device to implement a method, said method comprising:

displaying, on a touch screen of the computing device, a first arrangement of numeric characters 0-9 for an entry of a confidential sequence of numeric characters by a user during display of the first arrangement of the numeric characters 0-9 in ten respective two-dimensional regions of the touch screen, wherein each region comprises (I) a unique numeric character of the numeric characters 0-9 and (ii) a graphical design that does not include the unique numeric character, wherein the graphical design in each region is a different graphical design in each region, wherein each region has a closed exterior boundary and is totally filled with the graphical design consisting of a background pattern or no pattern, wherein the background pattern in one or more regions of the ten regions is independently selected from the group consisting of a pattern of dots characterized by a spatially uniform distribution of dots throughout the region, and a pattern of continuous solid lines spaced uniformly apart from each other and characterized by an orientation pattern of the solid lines, and a pattern of broken lines spaced uniformly apart from each other with gaps of constant gap size between successive segments of each broken line and characterized by an orientation pattern of the broken lines, wherein a portion of the graphical design in each region surrounds the entire numeric character in each region and encompasses an area disposed between the numeric character and the exterior boundary of each region, wherein a graphical characteristic is instantiated differently for each numeric character displayed in the first arrangement, and wherein the graphical characteristic instantiated differently for each numeric character is the graphical design in each region being said different graphical design in each region; and

receiving user touches on the displayed first arrangement of the confidential sequence of numeric characters to authenticate or authorize the user,

wherein the different graphical design in the ten regions comprise: a shape of a first region of the ten regions being a pentagon, a shape of a second region of the ten regions being a hexagon, and a shape of a third region of the ten regions being an octagon.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , said method further comprising:

the computing device displaying a second, different arrangement of the ten numeric characters 0-9 for a next entry of the confidential sequence of numeric characters by the user during display of the second arrangement of the numeric characters 0-9 in ten respective regions, wherein the graphical characteristic is instantiated differently for each numeric character displayed in the second arrangement, and wherein each numeric character has a same instantiation of the graphical characteristic in the first and second arrangements, and

the computing device receiving user touches on the displayed second arrangement of the confidential sequence of numeric characters to authenticate or authorize the user.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein locations on the touch screen of the confidential sequence of numeric characters relative to the second arrangement of numeric characters 0-9 differs from locations on the touch screen of at least some of the confidential sequence of numeric characters relative to the first arrangement of numeric characters 0-9.

12. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein one region of the ten regions comprises a background pattern characterized by said pattern of dots.

13. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein one region of the ten regions comprises a background pattern characterized by said pattern of continuous solid lines.

14. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein one region of the ten regions comprises a background pattern characterized by said pattern of broken lines.

15. A computing device, comprising a processor, a memory, and a computer readable storage device, said storage device containing program instructions executable by the processor via the memory to implement a method, said method comprising:

displaying, on a touch screen of the computing device, a first arrangement of numeric characters 0-9 for an entry of a confidential sequence of numeric characters by a user during display of the first arrangement of the numeric characters 0-9 in ten respective two-dimensional regions of the touch screen, wherein each region comprises (I) a unique numeric character of the numeric characters 0-9 and (ii) a graphical design that does not include the unique numeric character, wherein the graphical design in each region is a different graphical design in each region, wherein each region has a closed exterior boundary and is totally filled with the graphical design consisting of a background pattern or no pattern, wherein the background pattern in one or more regions of the ten regions is independently selected from the group consisting of a pattern of dots characterized by a spatially uniform distribution of dots throughout the region, and a pattern of continuous solid lines spaced uniformly apart from each other and characterized by an orientation pattern of the solid lines, and a pattern of broken lines spaced uniformly apart from each other with gaps of constant gap size between successive segments of each broken line and characterized by an orientation pattern of the broken lines, wherein a portion of the graphical design in each region surrounds the entire numeric character in each region and encompasses an area disposed between the numeric character and the exterior boundary of each region, wherein a graphical characteristic is instantiated differently for each numeric character displayed in the first arrangement, and wherein the graphical characteristic instantiated differently for each numeric character is the graphical design in each region being said different graphical design in each region; and

receiving user touches on the displayed first arrangement of the confidential sequence of numeric characters to authenticate or authorize the user,

wherein the different graphical design in the ten regions comprise: (I) in a first region of the ten regions, a first graphical design having a series of parallel lines oriented vertically, (ii) in a second region of the ten regions, a second graphical design having a series of parallel lines oriented horizontally, and (iii) in a third region of the ten regions, a third series of parallel lines oriented diagonally.

16. The computing device of claim 15 , said method further comprising:

the computing device displaying a second, different arrangement of the ten numeric characters 0-9 for a next entry of the confidential sequence of numeric characters by the user during display of the second arrangement of the numeric characters 0-9 in ten respective regions, wherein the graphical characteristic is instantiated differently for each numeric character displayed in the second arrangement, and wherein each numeric character has a same instantiation of the graphical characteristic in the first and second arrangements; and

the computing device receiving user touches on the displayed second arrangement of the confidential sequence of numeric characters to authenticate or authorize the user.

17. The computing device of claim 16 , wherein locations on the touch screen of the confidential sequence of numeric characters relative to the second arrangement of numeric characters 0-9 differs from locations on the touch screen of at least some of the confidential sequence of numeric characters relative to the first arrangement of numeric characters 0-9.

18. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein one region of the ten regions comprises a background pattern characterized by said pattern of dots.

19. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein one region of the ten regions comprises a background pattern characterized by said pattern of continuous solid lines.

20. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein one region of the ten regions comprises a background pattern characterized by said pattern of broken lines.