TRANSACTIONAL VISUAL CHALLENGE IMAGE FOR USER VERIFICATION

• US 20080209223A1
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Nandy, Palash, Walling, Daniel E.
• Application Number:
  US11/679,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20080209223A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

A method and a system generate a transactional visual challenge image to be presented to a user thereby to verify that the user is human. For example, an image module generates a visual challenge to be presented to a user as part of a challenge-response to verify that the user is human. A transactional background image module identifies a transactional background that is associated with a specific transaction and a combiner image module combines the visual challenge and the transactional background into an image which is to be presented to the user during transaction authorization, the transactional background associating the visual challenge with the particular transaction.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a challenge image module to generate a visual challenge to be presented to a user as part of a challenge-response to verify that the user is human;

a transactional background image module to identify a transactional background that is associated with a particular transaction to which the user is a party; and

a combiner image module to combine the visual challenge and the transactional background into an image which is to be presented to the user, the transactional background associating the visual challenge with the particular transaction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the visual challenge is an image-based test to which the response is provided by the user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the transactional background is associated with the particular transaction from the perspective of a transaction server/processor.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the particular transaction is a financial transaction, an agreement or a contract.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the financial transaction relates to a purchase transaction, a barter transaction or a transfer of money from a bank or monetary account.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the transactional background includes a transaction identifier associated with the particular transaction.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the transaction identifier is at least one of a group of identifiers consisting of an identifier of a payment recipient, a transaction amount, a shipping address and a portion of a contract or agreement.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the identifier of the payment recipient is an e-mail address, an account identifier or a personal identification number.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the transactional background is a watermark to the visual challenge.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the challenge image module is to generate a visual challenge by modifying a plurality of randomly selected glyphs by randomizing at least one of a spacing, placement, font type, font size, glyph orientation or vertical offset of each of the glyphs.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the transactional background image module is to:

select the transaction identifier; and

select a number of times the transaction identifier is to be presented on a predefined image area.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the transaction background image module is to:

select a random size for a presentation of the transaction identifier;

select a random location for the presentation of the transaction identifier;

select a random orientation for the presentation of the transaction identifier; and

distribute the presentation of the transaction identifier in the predefined image area.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the transactional background image module is to determine the location of the visual challenge in the predefined image area prior to selecting a random location for the presentation of the transaction identifier.

14. A method comprising:

generating a visual challenge to be presented to a user as part of a challenge-response to verify that the user is human;

identifying a transactional background that is associated with a particular transaction to which the user is a party; and

combining the visual challenge and the transactional background into an image which is to be presented to the user, the transactional background associating the visual challenge with the particular transaction.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the visual challenge is an image-based test to which the response is provided by the user.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the transactional background is associated with the particular transaction from the perspective of a transaction processor/server.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the particular transaction is a financial transaction, an agreement or a contract.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the financial transaction relates to a purchase transaction, a barter transaction, or a transfer of money from a bank or monetary account.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the transactional background includes a transaction identifier associated with the particular transaction.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the transaction identifier is at least one of a group of identifiers consisting of an identifier of a payment recipient, a transaction amount or a shipping address and a portion of a contract or agreement.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the transaction identifier of the payment recipient is an e-mail address, an account identifier or a personal identification number.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the transactional background is a watermark to the visual challenge.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein generating a visual challenge includes modifying a plurality of randomly selected glyphs by randomizing at least one of a spacing, placement, font type, font size, glyph orientation or vertical offset of each of the glyphs.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein identifying a transactional background includes automatically generating a transactional background.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein identifying a transactional background includes:

selecting the transaction identifier and a number of times the transaction identifier is to be presented on a predefined image area.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein identifying a transactional background includes:

selecting a random size for a presentation of the transaction identifier;

selecting a random location for the presentation of the transaction identifier;

selecting a random orientation for the presentation of the transaction identifier; and

distributing the presentation of the transaction identifier in the predefined image area.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein selecting a random location for the presentation of the transaction identifier includes determining the location of the visual challenge in the predefined image area.

29. A machine-readable medium embodying a set of instructions to perform the method of claim 14.

28. A system comprising:

means for generating a visual challenge to be presented to a user as part of a challenge-response to verify that the user is human;

means for identifying a transactional background that is associated with a particular transaction to which the user is a party; and

means for combining the visual challenge and the transactional background into an image which is to be presented to the user, the transactional background associating the visual challenge with the particular transaction.