UNIVERSALLY USABLE HUMAN-INTERACTION PROOF

• US 20100095350A1
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Towson University (University System of Maryland)
• Original Assignee: Towson University (University System of Maryland)
• Inventors: Lazar, Jonathan K., Sauer, Graig, Hochheiser, Harry, Feng, Jinjuan, Holman, Jonathan D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,245,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for generating a universally usable, completely automated public turing test to tell a computer and a human apart (CAPTCHA). The universally usable CAPTCHA uses contextually related pictures and sounds to present concepts to a user. The pictures allow the CAPTCHA to be used by someone who could see, and the audio would allow the CAPTCHA to be used by someone who could not see. This combination of sound and images should make the CAPTCHA more universally usable for a larger population of users than previously known CAPTCHAs.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method in a security access computing system for providing secure access to an electronic service, comprising:

receiving a request for a web page including a completely automated public turing test to tell computer and humans apart (CAPTCHA);

in response to said request, transmitting a web page including an image file and an audio file, wherein said image file and said audio file are contextually related to one another;

receiving a user selection of a label;

determining whether said user selected label matches one or more stored labels that are contextually related to said image file and said audio file; and

allowing access to said electronic service upon a determination that said user selected label matches said one or more stored labels.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

prior to said transmitting step, randomly selecting said image file and said audio file from a collection of multiple image file and audio file pairs, wherein each of said image file and audio file pairs are contextually related to one another.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said image file and said audio file are maintained in a database accessible by said computing system, and wherein said database further comprising a collection of multiple image file and audio file pairs, wherein each of said image file and audio file pairs are contextually related to one another.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said database further comprises at least one label contextually associated with each said image file and audio file pair.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of denying access to said electronic service upon a determination that said user selected label does not match said one or more stored labels.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said web page further comprises a user engageable function to initiate playback of said audio file.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said user engageable function is displayed to a user simultaneously with an image contained in said image file.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of prompting a user to input a label believed to be contextually associated with said image file and said audio file.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said prompting step further comprises presenting a plurality of labels to a user, wherein said plurality of labels includes at least one label that is contextually associated with said image file and said audio file, and at least one label that is not contextually associated with said image file and said audio file.

10. A computer readable medium whose contents cause a security access computing system to:

receive a request for a web page including a completely automated public turing test to tell computer and humans apart (CAPTCHA);

in response to said request, transmit a web page including an image file and an audio file, wherein said image file and said audio file are contextually related to one another;

receive a user selection of a label;

determine whether said user selected label matches one or more stored labels that are contextually related to said image file and said audio file; and

allow access to said electronic service upon a determination that said user selected label matches said one or more stored labels.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein said contents further cause said security access computing system to:

prior to said transmitting a web page, randomly select said image file and said audio file from a collection of multiple image file and audio file pairs, wherein each of said image file and audio file pairs are contextually related to one another.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein said image file and said audio file are maintained in a database accessible by said computing system, and wherein said database further comprising a collection of multiple image file and audio file pairs, wherein each of said image file and audio file pairs are contextually related to one another.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein said database further comprises at least one label contextually associated with each said image file and audio file pair.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein said contents further cause said security access computing system to:

deny access to said electronic service upon a determination that said user selected label does not match said one or more stored labels.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein said web page further comprises a user engageable function to initiate playback of said audio file.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein said user engageable function is displayed to a user simultaneously with an image contained in said image file.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein said contents further cause said security access computing system to:

prompt a user to input a label believed to be contextually associated with said image file and said audio file.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein said contents further cause said security access computing system to:

present a plurality of labels to a user, wherein said plurality of labels includes at least one label that is contextually associated with said image file and said audio file, and at least one label that is not contextually associated with said image file and said audio file.