System and method for preventing screen-scrapers from extracting user screen names
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for preventing screen scrapers from extracting user screen names, comprising:
- an Internet based real-time, text-based instant messaging systemin which a plurality of logged-in users communicate with each other by displaying real-time, text-based instant messages on a communication screen from which any of the logged-in users'"'"' screen identification and the displayed messages can be read by other users; and
said real-time, text-based instant messaging system further comprising a mechanism for automatically converting a user'"'"'s screen name into a graphic from which an ordinary person can recognize the user'"'"'s screen name without user intervention;
wherein the graphic is displayed on the communication screen instead of a text form of said user'"'"'s screen name whenever and wherever the user'"'"'s screen name is displayed in order to prevent screen scrapers from extracting user screen names.
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Abstract
Graphic screen names are used instead of using text screen names in a Web chat room or an instant messaging system so that screen scrapers cannot generate an e-mail list for spam by extracting the screen names from the Web chat room or instant messaging system.
33 Citations
14 Claims
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1. An apparatus for preventing screen scrapers from extracting user screen names, comprising:
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an Internet based real-time, text-based instant messaging system in which a plurality of logged-in users communicate with each other by displaying real-time, text-based instant messages on a communication screen from which any of the logged-in users'"'"' screen identification and the displayed messages can be read by other users; and said real-time, text-based instant messaging system further comprising a mechanism for automatically converting a user'"'"'s screen name into a graphic from which an ordinary person can recognize the user'"'"'s screen name without user intervention; wherein the graphic is displayed on the communication screen instead of a text form of said user'"'"'s screen name whenever and wherever the user'"'"'s screen name is displayed in order to prevent screen scrapers from extracting user screen names.
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2. A method for displaying graphical screen names to prevent an automated process from scraping the displayed text information in a real-time, text-based instant messaging service, comprising the steps of:
preventing screen scrapers the ability to extract the screen name of one or more users of a real-time, text-based instant messaging application by configuring a computer processor for performing the steps of; taking each logged-in user'"'"'s text screen name; and using said screen name to automatically, and without user intervention, generate a graphic that can only be read by a human but cannot be screen-scraped by an automated process; and only displaying, on a display, said graphic corresponding to said user in said real-time, text-based instant messaging application instead using a text form of said user'"'"'s screen name. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for preventing screen scrappers from extracting user screen names, in a real-time, text-based, Internet based instant messaging application comprising the steps of:
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providing a network in which a plurality of logged-in users communicate with each other by displaying real-time, text-based instant messages on a communication screen from which any of the logged-in users'"'"' screen identification and the displayed messages can be read by other users; providing within said real-time, text-based instant messaging system a mechanism for automatically converting a user'"'"'s screen name into a graphic from which an ordinary person can recognize the user'"'"'s screen name, without user intervention; and displaying, on a display, only the graphic on the communication screen instead of a text form of said user'"'"'s screen name whenever and wherever the user'"'"'s screen name is displayed, thereby preventing screen scrapers from extracting user screen names.
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9. An apparatus for displaying graphical screen names to prevent an automated process from scraping the displayed text information in a real-time, text-based instant messaging service, comprising:
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a mechanism for taking each logged-in user'"'"'s text screen name; and a mechanism for using said screen name to automatically, and without user intervention, generate a graphic that can only be read by a human but cannot be screen-scraped by an automated process; and a mechanism for displaying only the graphic on the communication screen instead of a text form of said user'"'"'s screen name whenever and wherever the user'"'"'s screen name is displayed, thereby preventing screen scrapers from extracting user screen names. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification