Content alteration for prevention of unauthorized scripts
First Claim
1. A method of generating a human interactive proof for use in distinguishing a human from a machine, wherein a server has a memory storing computer-executable instructions, for performing the method, said computer-executable instructions comprising:
- defining a configurable difficulty factor, said difficulty factor representing a level of difficulty in computerized character recognition;
generating a random set of characters;
altering each of the characters individually to inhibit computerized character recognition;
concatenating the altered characters into a character string;
generating an original image, said original image including the character string;
performing an operation to the original image, said operation altering the original image according to the defined difficulty factor to further alter the character string and to further inhibit computerized character recognition, said operation adding random arcs to the original image, said random arcs including at least one arc that spans a plurality of the characters of the character string, said arc breaking each character of said plurality of characters into a plurality of segments; and
generating a resulting image from the altered original image, said resulting image to be rendered to a user as a test.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods for preventing unauthorized scripting. The invention generates a human interactive proof to distinguish a human from a machine by generating a random set of characters and altering each of the characters individually to inhibit computerized character recognition. The invention also includes concatenating the altered characters into a character string to be rendered to a user as a test. The character string may be altered to further inhibit computerized character recognition. Other aspects of the invention are directed to computer-readable media for use with the methods.
111 Citations
50 Claims
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1. A method of generating a human interactive proof for use in distinguishing a human from a machine, wherein a server has a memory storing computer-executable instructions, for performing the method, said computer-executable instructions comprising:
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defining a configurable difficulty factor, said difficulty factor representing a level of difficulty in computerized character recognition; generating a random set of characters; altering each of the characters individually to inhibit computerized character recognition; concatenating the altered characters into a character string; generating an original image, said original image including the character string; performing an operation to the original image, said operation altering the original image according to the defined difficulty factor to further alter the character string and to further inhibit computerized character recognition, said operation adding random arcs to the original image, said random arcs including at least one arc that spans a plurality of the characters of the character string, said arc breaking each character of said plurality of characters into a plurality of segments; and generating a resulting image from the altered original image, said resulting image to be rendered to a user as a test. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of generating a human interactive proof for use in distinguishing a human from a machine, wherein a server has a memory storing computer-executable instructions, for performing the method, said computer-executable instructions comprising:
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defining a configurable difficulty factor, said difficulty factor representing a level of difficulty in computerized character recognition; selecting a plurality of characters from a predefined set of available characters; altering each of the selected characters individually to inhibit computerized character recognition; concatenating the altered characters into a character string, wherein each of the characters of said character string have a particular coloring; performing an operation to the original image, said operation altering the original image according to the defined difficulty factor to further alter the character string and to further inhibit computerized character recognition, said operation adding random arcs to the original image, at least one of said random arcs altering the particular coloring of a segment of at least one of the characters of the character string at least one of said random arcs linking a plurality of the characters; and generating a resulting image from the altered original image, said resulting image to be rendered to a user as a test. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method of preventing unauthorized automated access to a server coupled to a data communication network, said method comprising:
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defining a configurable difficulty factor, said difficulty factor representing a level of difficulty in computerized character recognition; generating a random set of characters; altering each of the characters individually to inhibit computerized character recognition; concatenating the altered characters into a character string; generating an original image, said original image including the character string, wherein each of the characters of said character string have a particular coloring; performing an operation to the original image, said operation altering the original image according to the defined difficulty factor to further alter the character string and to further inhibit computerized character recognition, said operation adding random arcs to the original image, at least one of said random arcs altering the particular coloring of a segment of at least one of the characters of the character string at least one of said random arcs linking a plurality of the characters; generating a resulting image from the altered original image, said resulting image to be rendered to a user as a test; delivering the resulting image to a client for rendering to a user as a test, said user requesting access to the server via the client, said client also being coupled to the data communication network; receiving a response to the test from the user via the client; and granting access to the server via the client if the received response verifies the user. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a data structure for use as a test for distinguishing a human from a machine, said data structure comprising:
a plurality of human-readable textual characters randomly selected from a predefined set of available characters;
said characters being individually altered to inhibit computerized character recognition, said altered characters being concatenated into a character string, said character string being included in an original image wherein each of the characters of said character string have a particular coloring, said original image being subjected to an operation to further alter the character string and to further inhibit computerized character recognition according to a configurable difficulty factor, said operation adding random arcs to the original image, at least one of said random arcs altering the particular coloring of a segment of at least one of the characters of the character string at least one of said random arcs linking a plurality of the characters, and said altered original image to be rendered to a user as a test having a level of difficulty in computerized character recognition represented by the difficulty factor.- View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50)
Specification