Methods and apparatuses for controlling access to computer systems and for annotating media files

• US 8,555,353 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2008
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carnegie Mellon University
• Original Assignee: Carnegie Mellon University
• Inventors: Von Ahn, Luis, Blum, Manuel, Maurer, Benjamin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khoshnoodi, Nadia
• Application Number:
  US12/524,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20100031330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,085 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 plurality of parts including;

at least one verify part of the challenge for which an answer is known; and

at least one read part of the challenge for which an answer is not known;

prompting the user to solve the challenge including the verify part of the challenge and the read part of the challenge without identifying to the user which of the parts is the verify part and which of the parts is the read part;

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;

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; and

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 and without determining if the input from the user relative to the read part of the challenge is correct.

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 modifying at least one perceptible characteristic of at least one of the verify part of the challenge and the read part of the challenge.

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

5. 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.

6. The method of claim 5, 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.

7. The method of claim 5, 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.

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

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

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

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least the verify part of the challenge is distorted when presented to the user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least the read part of the challenge is distorted when presented to the user.

13. A computer-readable storage device having recorded and stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations of:

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

at least one verify part of the challenge for which an answer is known; and

at least one read part of the challenge for which an answer is not known;

prompting the user to solve the challenge including the verify part of the challenge and the read part of the challenge without identifying to the user which of the parts is the verify part and which of the parts is the read part;

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;

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; and

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 and without determining if the input from the user relative to the read part of the challenge is correct.

14. The computer-readable storage device 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 a measure representative of a confidence that the electronic representation of the characters of the document accurately corresponds to the document.

15. The computer-readable storage device 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 storage device 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 storage device of claim 13, wherein at least the verify part of the challenge is distorted when presented to the user.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein at least the read part of the challenge is distorted when presented to the user.

19. 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 in the system;

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 plurality of parts including;

at least one verify part of the challenge for which an answer is known; and

at least one read part of the challenge for which an answer is not known;

prompting the computer of the user to solve the challenge including the verify part of the challenge and the read part of the challenge without identifying to the user which of the parts is the verify part and which of the parts is the read part;

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;

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; and

allowing the user to access the computer 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 and without determining if the input from the user relative to the read part of the challenge is correct.

20. The system of claim 19, 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.

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

22. The system of claim 20, wherein 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:

providing the input from the computer of 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.

23. The system of claim 22, 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.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein at least the verify part of the challenge is distorted when presented to the user.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein at least the read part of the challenge is distorted when presented to the user.