Security key entry using ancillary input device

Abstract

A physical, non-human readable representation of a digital key may be in a physical key article. The key article may enable a person to generate a signal representing the digital key from a user interface device in communication with a computer by physical manipulation of the key article. Access to digital content via the computer may be unlocked in response to receiving the signal. In addition, a key may be represented by a pattern of unreadable errors in a computer-readable medium.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 encoding portions of a digital key in at least two non-contiguous, write-once sectors of a recording medium;   writing mask data to the recording medium to mask the portions of the digital key by placing other data in re-writable sectors;   reconstructing the digital key by extracting the portions of the digital key from the write-once sectors of the recording medium.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the digital key is a fixed character string operative as a security key configured to unlock access to a digital resource secured by the digital key. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the security key is utilized to unlock access to the digital resource. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the digital key is also used to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the digital key is not used to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the digital key is not human-readable. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the recording medium is not human-readable. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising verifying the written mask data to identify non-verified sectors having data that does not match the mask data. 
     
     
         9 . A method, comprising:
 encoding a digital key as data in at least one write-once sector of a recording medium;   
       writing mask data to the recording medium to mask the digital key by placing other data in writable sectors;
 comparing the mask data against the data actually recorded on the recording medium to identify at least one sector where the mask data was not successfully written; 
 reading the digital key from the at least one sector where the mask data was not recorded. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one sector of the recording medium comprises a non-writable portion. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the non-writable portion comprises at least two-non-contiguous portions. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the recording medium is further configured to generate write errors preventing further recording of data. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the digital key is also used to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the mask data enables an input device to identify defined sectors having write errors. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the digital key is non-human-readable. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the digital key is not used to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium. 
     
     
         17 . A method, comprising:
 configuring a physical, non-human readable representation of a digital key by encoding portions of the digital key in at least two non-contiguous sectors of a recording medium;   reading the recording medium;   identifying sectors containing the digital key; and   reconstructing the digital key from data contained within the at least two non-contiguous sectors; and   where use of the digital key to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium itself may be done in conjunction with the method, but is not itself a part of the method.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the digital key is also used to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the physical, non-human readable representation comprises an optical code configured to be detected by an optical mouse. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the digital key is not used to protect, encrypt or secure non-key data on the recording medium.