Efficient, peer-to-peer CAPTCHA-based verification and demand management for online services

• US 8,315,882 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Subbian, Karthik, Wynter, Laura, Kannan, Ramakrishnan, Hariharan, Rajaraman
• Primary Examiner(s): OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P
• Application Number:
  US12/102,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20090260068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials

Abstract

A system and method configured that may allow performing a human-computer verification including crediting a verified task from a first user to a second user. In additional embodiments, may allow the user to perform a computer operation that require human-computer verification based upon an amount of credits that the user has been provided.

Claims

1. A method to perform a human-computer verification as performed by a processor on a computer, the method comprising:

crediting, performed by the processor, a verified task from a first user to a second user; and

awarding points to either one of the first user or the second user,

wherein the points comprise points that are redeemable for future computer operations.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing points to either one of the first user or the second user upon an accomplishment of the verified task.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing either one of the first user or the second user to perform a computer operation that requires human-computer verification based upon an amount of points that the one of the first user or the second user has been provided.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the allowing the one of the first user or the second user to perform the computer operation comprises calculating a value of the computer operation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the calculating of the value comprises determining a system goal for a computer system to perform the computer operation.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the computer operation comprises one of uploading or downloading one or more files.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the verified task comprises a computer authentification.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the verified task comprises presenting a video CAPTCHA to the user to determine if the user is human.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the verified task comprises presenting an audio CAPTCHA to the user to determine if either one of the first user or the second user is human.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the verified task comprises presenting an image CAPTCHA to the user to determine if either one of the first user or the second user is human.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording the accomplishing of the task by either one of the first user or the second user.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising offering either one of the first user or the second user a cost in points from a user'"'"'s account to perform a requested computer operation.

13. A human verification system, comprising:

a verification management system configured to credit a verified task from a first user to a second user; and

a server associated with a plurality of users,

wherein the verification management system is configured to share the human verification test results among the plurality of users to redeem a first user'"'"'s verification score with a second user'"'"'s current completion of the human verification test to allow the first user to access the requested computer activity.

14. The human verification system of claim 13, further comprising:

a user profile storage unit provided to store user data and a user verification score; and

a computer activity unit configured to perform the computer task requested by either one of the first user or the second user.

15. The human verification system of claim 13, further comprising:

a server configured to store the verification management system; and

a client unit associated with the server and being configured to provide access to the verification management system to the user.

16. The human verification system of claim 13, wherein the verification management system is configured to compute a computer activity value associated with the requested computer activity and to deduct that value from the user verification score.

17. A computer-readable storage medium tangibly encoded with a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a computerized method, said method comprising:

crediting a verified task from a first user to a second user;

adding a credit to a user verification score for either one of the first user or the second user when the one of the first user or the second user successfully completes the verified task; and

deducting the credit from the user verification score when the one of the first user or the second user requests a computer operation to be performed and the computer operation is performed.