METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR CONTROLLING ACCESS TO COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND FOR ANNOTATING MEDIA FILES

• US 20100031330A1
• Filed: 01/23/2008
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carnegie Mellon University
• Original Assignee: Carnegie Mellon University
• Inventors: Von Ahn, Luis, Maurer, Benjamin D., Blum, Manuel
• Granted Patent: US 8,555,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for controlling access to computer systems and for annotating media files. One embodiment includes a method including generating a challenge to a user, wherein the challenge includes a verify part and a read part. The methods also includes prompting the user to solve both the verify part of the challenge and the read part of the challenge; receiving input from the user; determining if the input from the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with the known answer for the verify part of the challenge; and identifying the input from the user relative to the read part of the challenge as an answer to the read part of the challenge, if the input from the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with the known answer for the verify part of the challenge.

Claims

1. A method of controlling access to a system, comprising:

generating a challenge to a user of the system, wherein the challenge includes;

a verify part of the challenge for which an answer is known; and

a read part of the challenge for which an answer is not known;

prompting the user to solve both the verify part of the challenge and the read part of the challenge;

receiving input from the user;

determining if the input from the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with the known answer for the verify part of the challenge; and

identifying the input from the user relative to the read part of the challenge as an answer to the read part of the challenge, if the input from the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with the known answer for the verify part of the challenge.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the input from the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with the known answer for the verify part of the challenge includes:

sending to a different computer the data representative of the input received from the user; and

receiving a response indicative of determining if the input from the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with the known answer for the verify part of the challenge.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the user to access the computer system if the input from the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with known answer for the verify part of the challenge.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising allowing the user to access the computer system without determining if the input from the user relative to the read part of the challenge is correct.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying at least one perceptible characteristic of at least one of the verify part of the challenge and the read part of the challenge.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the challenge is an image of a plurality of characters.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising before generating a challenge:

creating an electronic representation of an image of a document;

converting the electronic representation of the image of the document into an electronic representation of characters of the document;

producing a measure representative of a confidence that the electronic representation of the characters of the document accurately corresponds to the document; and

designating at least one portion of the electronic representation of the characters of the document as not having a known answer based on the measurement representative of the confidence that the electronic representation of the characters of the document accurately corresponds to the document.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising after producing a measure:

designating at least one portion of the electronic representation of the characters of the document as having a known answer based on the measure representative of the confidence that the electronic representation of the characters of the document accurately corresponds to the document.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the challenge includes an audible recording.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the read part of the challenge is presented before the verify part of the challenge.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the verify part of the challenge is presented before the read part of the challenge.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising after identifying the input from the user relative to the read part of the challenge as an answer to the read part of the challenge if the input from the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with the known answer for the verify part of the challenge:

providing the input from the user relative to the read part of the challenge as the electronic representation of the corresponding image of the document; and

designating image of the document corresponding to the input from the user as having a known answer.

13. Computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations of:

generating a challenge to a user of the computer system, wherein the challenge includes;

a verify part of the challenge for which an answer is known; and

a read part of the challenge for which an answer is not known;

prompting the user to solve both the verify part of the challenge and the read part of the challenge;

receiving input from the user;

determining if the input from the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with the known answer for the verify part of the challenge; and

identifying the input from the user relative to the read part of the challenge as an answer to the read part of the challenge, if the input from the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with the known answer for the verify part of the challenge.

14. The computer-readable instructions of claim 13, further comprising before generating a challenge:

creating an electronic representation of an image of a document;

converting the electronic representation of the image of the document into an electronic representation of characters of the document; and

producing an measure representative of a confidence that the electronic representation of the characters of the document accurately corresponds to the document.

15. The computer-readable instructions of claim 14, further comprising after producing a measure:

designating at least one portion of the electronic representation of the characters of the document as having a known answer based on the measure representative of the confidence that the electronic representation of the characters of the document accurately corresponds to the document.

16. The computer-readable instructions of claim 14, further comprising after identifying the input from the user relative to the read part of the challenge as an answer to the read part of the challenge if the input from the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with the known answer for the verify part of the challenge:

providing the input from the user relative to the read part of the challenge as the electronic representation of the corresponding image of the document; and

designating image of the document corresponding to the input from the user as having a known answer.

17. The computer-readable instructions of claim 13, wherein the computer-readable instructions are embodied on computer-readable media.

18. A system comprising:

a network;

a plurality of computers, wherein;

at least one of the computers is being used by a user attempting to gain access to another computer;

at least one of the computers includes a processor and a memory, and wherein the memory includes computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations of;

generating a challenge to the computer being used by the user, wherein the challenge includes;

a verify part of the challenge for which an answer is known; and

a read part of the challenge for which an answer is not known;

prompting of the user to solve both the verify part of the challenge and the read part of the challenge;

receiving input from the computer of the user;

determining if the input from the computer of the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with the known answer for the verify part of the challenge; and

identifying the input from the computer of the user relative to the read part of the challenge as an answer to the read part of the challenge, if the input from the computer of the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with the known answer for the verify part of the challenge.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a computer including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory includes computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations of:

creating an electronic representation of an image of a document;

converting the electronic representation of the image of the document into an electronic representation of characters of the document;

producing a measure representative of a confidence that the electronic representation of the characters of the document accurately corresponds to the document; and

designating at least one portion of the electronic representation of the characters of the document as not having a known answer based on the measurement representative of the confidence that the electronic representation of the characters of the document accurately corresponds to the document.

20. The systems of claim 19, wherein creating, converting, producing, and designating are performed before generating a challenge.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of the computers includes a processors and a memory, and wherein the memory includes computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations of:

providing the input from the computer the user relative to the read part of the challenge as the electronic representation of the corresponding image of the document; and

designating image of the document corresponding to the input from the computer of the user as having a known answer.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein providing and designating are performed after identifying the input from the computer of the user relative to the read part of the challenge as an answer to the read part of the challenge if the input from the computer of the user relative to the verify part of the challenge corresponds with the known answer for the verify part of the challenge.