AUTHENTICATION USING MULTI-TIER MULTI-CLASS OBJECTS

The invention provides a method and apparatus for authenticating a user in a touchscreen environment. A first tier may be defined having at least one object, and a destination tier may be defined having at least one bin. An authentication-key may be registered, the authentication-key comprising a length defining a number of nodes and a correct sequence of nodes, each node specifying a movement of one object from the first tier to one bin of the destination tier. A user sequence of at least one touchscreen gestures is received, each gesture specifying that one object from the first tier should be moved to one bin of the destination tier. Access is permitted if the at least one touchscreen gestures corresponds to the length, the correct sequence, and the movement of the authentication-key.