Price mining prevention systems and related methods

• US 9,552,487 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2015
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viesoft, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Viesoft, Inc.
• Inventors: Vierra, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Lipman, Jacob
• Application Number:
  US14/597,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20160203324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 726/7
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2465 Query processing support for facilitating data mining operations in structured databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A price-mining prevention system, in various embodiments, is configured for: (A) detecting an access request for a particular web page; (B) at least partially in response to detecting the access request, determining, based at least in part on the access request, a source of the request; (C) determining, based at least in part on the source, whether the source is an unwanted source; and (D) at least partially in response to determining that the source is an unwanted source, taking one or more defensive actions against the source. The one or more defensive actions may include, for example: (1) requiring the source of the access to complete one or more CAPTCHAs; (2) blocking access to the particular web page from the source; and/or (3) providing access to a modified version of the particular webpage to the source.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for:

detecting an access request for a particular web site, the particular web page including pricing information for one or more particular products;

at least partially in response to detecting the access request, determining, based at least in part on the access request, a source of the request;

determining, based at least in part on the source, whether the source is an unwanted automated source attempting to mine the pricing information;

at least partially in response to determining that the source is an unwanted automated source, taking one or more defensive actions against the source; and

at least partially in response to determining that the source is a wanted automated source, not taking one or more defensive actions against the source.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more defensive actions comprise at least one defensive action selected form the group consisting of:

(i) requiring the source of the access to complete one or more CAPTCHAs;

(ii) blocking access to the particular web page from the source; and

(iii) providing access to a modified version of the particular web site to the source.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein determining whether the source is an unwanted source comprises:

receiving access data for the source for one or more web sites;

determining one or more access patterns to the one or more web sites for the particular source;

determining, based at least in part on the one or more access patterns, whether the source is a substantially automated source; and

at least partially in response to determining that the source is a substantially automated source, blocking access to the particular web page from the source.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein:

the one or more defensive actions comprise providing access to a modified version of the particular web site to the source; and

the non-transitory computer-readable medium further stores computer-executable instructions for;

at least partially in response to determining that the source is an unwanted source, creating a modified version of the particular web site that includes second pricing information that differs from the pricing information; and

providing access to the unwanted source to the modified version of the particular web site.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein creating the modified version of the particular web site comprises modifying one or more prices of one or more products offered for sale on the particular web site.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, further storing computer-executable instructions for:

limiting a number of accesses by the source to the particular website to a particular number of access over a particular period of time.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein:

the particular period of time is 24 hours or less; and

the particular number of accesses is five accesses or less.