Using an interactivity object to facilitate web-based aggregation

• US 8,977,709 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2007
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Fong, Spencer W.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, BRYAN Y
• Application Number:
  US11/779,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20090024694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,792 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that uses an interactivity object to facilitate interactivity during automated web site accesses. During operation, the system examines a web page on the web site to determine a data type for an interactivity request associated with the web page. Next, the system creates an interactivity object, which includes the interactivity request along with the determined data type for the interactivity request. Finally, the system sends the interactivity object to the user to solicit a response from the user.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating interactivity during automated web-site accesses, comprising:

receiving, at a computer, a request to access a user account residing on a target web site;

retrieving, from a local repository, authentication credential associated with the user in response to the request,

using the authentication credential to access the user account,

receiving an interactive challenge while accessing a web page associated with the user account, wherein the interactive challenge requests user response which is different from the authentication credential;

examining the web page to determine a data type for the interactive challenge;

creating an interactivity object by encapsulating the interactive challenge and a data type indicator indicating the determined data type for the interactive challenge;

sending the interactivity object to the user to solicit a response from the user;

receiving a response to the interactivity challenge from the user;

determining an expected format for the response for the web site;

creating a response object, wherein the response object includes the response in the expected format;

saving in the local repository the interactive challenge and the response object to facilitate subsequent responses to the interactive challenge without user input; and

returning the response object to the web site.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the response further comprises receiving the response from a response mechanism, and wherein the response mechanism can include:

a keyboard;

a mouse;

a touch-sensitive screen;

a biometric device;

a hardware token; and

a file system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the response can include:

a text answer;

a biometric signature;

a certificate;

a file; and

a token.

4. A method for facilitating interactivity during automated web-site accesses, comprising:

receiving an interactivity object at a client computer, wherein the interactivity object encapsulates an interactive challenge and a data type indicator indicating a data type for the interactive challenge, wherein the interactivity object is generated by a process which automatically accesses a user account residing on a target web site, wherein the process accesses the user account by retrieving authentication credential from a local repository, and wherein the interactive challenge requests user response which is different from the authentication credential;

presenting the interactivity challenge to the user through a presentation mechanism which is selected based on the data type for the interactivity challenge;

receiving a response to the interactivity challenge from the user;

determining a data type for the response;

creating a response object, wherein the response object includes the response along with the determined data type for the response;

saving in the local repository the interactive challenge and the response object to facilitate subsequent responses to the interactive challenge without user input; and

returning the response object to the web site.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the presentation mechanism can include:

an audio player;

a video player;

a browser;

a text display; and

an image viewer.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the response further comprises receiving the response from a response mechanism, and wherein the response mechanism can include:

a keyboard;

a mouse;

a touch-sensitive screen;

a biometric device;

a hardware token; and

a file system.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the response can include:

a text answer;

a biometric signature;

a certificate;

a file; and

a token.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the interactivity object can include:

a text question;

an image;

an instruction;

an audio file;

a video file;

a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file;

an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file; and

a document.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the client is an application.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the user is a computer system.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for facilitating interactivity during automated web-site accesses, the method comprising:

receiving a request to access a user account residing on a target web site;

retrieving, from a local repository, authentication credential associated with the user in response to the request,

using the authentication credential to access the user account,

receiving an interactive challenge while accessing a web page associated with the user account, wherein the interactive challenge requests user response which is different from the authentication credential;

examining the web page to determine a data type for the interactive challenge;

creating an interactivity object by encapsulating the interactive challenge and a data type indicator indicating the determined data type for the interactive challenge;

sending the interactivity object to the user to solicit a response from the user;

receiving a response to the interactivity challenge from the user;

determining an expected format for the response for the web site;

creating a response object, wherein the response object includes the response in the expected format;

saving in the local repository the interactive challenge and the response object to facilitate subsequent responses to the interactive challenge without user input; and

returning the response object to the web site.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein receiving the response further comprises receiving the response from a response mechanism, and wherein the response mechanism can include:

a keyboard;

a mouse;

a touch-sensitive screen;

a biometric device;

a hardware token; and

a file system.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the response can include:

a text answer;

a biometric signature;

a certificate;

a file; and

a token.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for facilitating interactivity during automated web-site accesses, the method comprising:

receiving an interactivity object at a client, wherein the interactivity object encapsulates an interactive challenge along with a data type indicator indicating a data type for the interactive challenge, wherein the interactivity object is generated by a process which automatically accesses a user account residing on a target web site, wherein the process accesses the user account by retrieving authentication credential from a local repository, and wherein the interactive challenge requests user response which is different from the authentication credential;

presenting the interactivity challenge to the user through a presentation mechanism which is selected based on the data type for the interactivity challenge;

receiving a response to the interactivity challenge from the user;

determining a data type for the response;

creating a response object, wherein the response object includes the response along with the determined data type for the response;

saving in the local repository the interactive challenge and the response object to facilitate subsequent responses to the interactive challenge without user input; and

returning the response object to the web site.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the presentation mechanism can include:

an audio player;

a video player;

a browser;

a text display; and

an image viewer.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein receiving the response further comprises receiving the response from a response mechanism, and wherein the response mechanism can include:

a keyboard;

a mouse;

a touch-sensitive screen;

a biometric device;

a hardware token; and

a file system.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the response can include:

a text answer;

a biometric signature;

a certificate;

a file; and

a token.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the interactivity object can include:

a text question;

an image;

an instruction;

an audio file;

a video file;

a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file;

an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file; and

a document.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the client is an application.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the user is a computer system.

21. An apparatus configured for facilitating interactivity during automated web-site accesses, comprising:

a receiving mechanism configured to receive a request to access a user account residing on a target web site;

a retrieving mechanism configured to retrieve, from a local repository, authentication credential associated with the user in response to the request,

an user-account-access mechanism configured to use the authentication credential to access the user account, and

a challenge-receiving mechanism configured to receive an interactive challenge while accessing a web page associated with the user account, wherein the interactive challenge requests user response which is different from the authentication credential;

an examination mechanism configured to examine the web page to determine a data type for the interactive challenge;

a creation mechanism configured to create an interactivity object by encapsulating the interactive challenge and a data type indicator indicating the determined data type for the interactive challenge;

a delivery mechanism configured to send the interactivity object to the user to solicit a response from the user;

wherein the receiving mechanism is further configured to receive a response to the interactivity challenge from the user;

a determination mechanism configured to determine an expected format for the response for the web site;

wherein the creation mechanism is further configured to create a response object, wherein the response object includes the response in the expected format;

a saving mechanism configured to save in the local repository the interactive challenge and the response object to facilitate subsequent responses to the interactive challenge without user input; and

wherein the delivery mechanism is further configured to return the response object to the web site.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the receiving mechanism is further configured to receiving the response from a response mechanism, and wherein the response mechanism can include:

a keyboard;

a mouse;

a touch-sensitive screen;

a biometric device;

a hardware token; and

a file system.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the response can include:

a text answer;

a biometric signature;

a certificate;

a file; and

a token.

24. An apparatus configured for facilitating interactivity during automated web-site accesses, comprising:

a receiving mechanism configured to receive an interactivity object at a client, wherein the interactivity object encapsulates an interactive challenge and a data type indicator indicating a data type for the interactive challenge, wherein the interactivity object is generated by a process which automatically accesses a user account residing on a target website, wherein the process accesses the user account by retrieving authentication credential from a local repository, and wherein the interactive challenge requests user response which is different from the authentication credential;

a presentation mechanism configured to present the interactivity challenge to the user based on the data type for the interactivity challenge;

wherein the receiving mechanism is further configured to receive a response to the interactivity challenge from the user;

a determination mechanism configured to determine a data type for the response;

a creation mechanism configured to create a response object, wherein the response object includes the response along with the determined data type for the response;

a saving mechanism configured to save in the local repository the interactive challenge and the response object to facilitate subsequent responses to the interactive challenge without user input; and

a delivery mechanism configured to return the response object to the web site.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the presentation mechanism can include:

an audio player;

a video player;

a browser;

a text display; and

an image viewer.