GENERATION OF A VISUALLY OBFUSCATED REPRESENTATION OF AN ALPHANUMERIC MESSAGE THAT INDICATES AVAILABILITY OF A PROPOSED IDENTIFIER

• US 20140351955A1
• Filed: 08/12/2014
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: White, Gareth D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,369,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/365 Application layer names, e.g. buddy names, unstructured names chosen by a user or home appliance name
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/3005 Mechanisms for avoiding name conflicts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/3015 Name registration, generation or assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a system and related operating methods. A computer-implemented server device receives a request from a device that includes an identifier proposed for a potential account holder. The computer-implemented server device determines whether the identifier is available for use with a new account, and communicates a response to the device that indicates whether the identifier is available for use with the new account. The response is presented at the device and includes an image that contains a visually obfuscated representation of an alphanumeric message that indicates either a success or a failure.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a device at a computer-implemented server device, a request comprising an identifier proposed for a potential account holder;

determining, at the computer-implemented server device, whether the identifier is available for use with a new account;

communicating, from the computer-implemented server device, a response to the device indicating whether the identifier is available for use with the new account, wherein the response comprises an image that contains a visually obfuscated representation of an alphanumeric message that indicates either a success or a failure; and

presenting the response at the device.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the request is a request to perform an account registration procedure, and wherein receiving, from a device at a computer-implemented server device, the request comprising an identifier proposed for a potential account holder comprises:

initiating an account registration procedure; and

receiving a proposed username at the computer-implemented server device from the device during the account registration procedure.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein determining, at the computer-implemented server device, whether the identifier is available for use with a new account, comprises:

confirming, at the computer-implemented server device, whether or not the proposed username is available for use with a new user account.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the request is a request to perform an account registration procedure, and wherein determining, at the computer-implemented server device, whether the identifier is available for use with a new account, comprises:

executing, in response to receiving the request, the account registration procedure at the computer-implemented server device to obtain a result that confirms whether the proposed identifier is available for use with a new account.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, at the computer-implemented server device, an alphanumeric message associated with the result, wherein the alphanumeric message represents a failure message when the proposed identifier is not available for use with the new account, and wherein the alphanumeric message represents a success message when the proposed identifier is available for use with the new account; and

generating, at the computer-implemented server device, an image that contains a visually obfuscated representation of the alphanumeric message, wherein the visually obfuscated representation of the alphanumeric message is human readable and resistant to computer-based reading techniques, wherein the visually obfuscated representation of the alphanumeric message represents the failure message when the proposed identifier is not available for use with the new account, and wherein the visually obfuscated representation of the alphanumeric message represents the success message when the proposed identifier is available for use with the new account.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein presenting the response at the device, comprises:

rendering the image at a display element of the device.

7. A method according to claim 1, when the proposed username is unavailable, further comprising:

obtaining, at the computer-implemented server device, a first image that contains a visually obfuscated representation of a human readable failure message that indicates that the proposed username is not available for use with the new user account, wherein the visually obfuscated representation of the human readable failure message is resistant to computer-based reading techniques.

8. A method according to claim 1, when the proposed username is available, further comprising:

obtaining, at the computer-implemented server device, a second image that contains a visually obfuscated representation of a human readable success message that indicates that the proposed username is available for use with the new user account, wherein the visually obfuscated representation of the human readable success message is resistant to computer-based reading techniques.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the device is a client device.

10. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, wherein the memory comprises computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer-implemented system to;

receive, from a device, a request comprising an identifier proposed for a potential account holder;

determining whether the identifier is available for use with a new account;

generate a response to be communicated to and presented at the device, wherein the response indicates whether the identifier is available for use with the new account, wherein the response comprises an image that contains a visually obfuscated representation of an alphanumeric message that indicates either a success or a failure.

11. A computer-implemented system according to claim 10, wherein the identifier is a proposed username and is received from the device during an account registration procedure.

12. A computer-implemented system according to claim 11, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer-implemented system to:

confirm whether the proposed username is available for use with the new account.

13. A computer-implemented system according to claim 10, wherein the request is a request to perform an account registration procedure, and wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer-implemented system to:

execute, in response to receiving the request, the account registration procedure to obtain a result that confirms whether the identifier is available for use with the new account.

14. A computer-implemented system according to claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer-implemented system to:

obtain an alphanumeric message associated with the result, and generate the image that contains the visually obfuscated representation of the alphanumeric message.

15. A computer-implemented system according to claim 14, wherein the alphanumeric message and the visually obfuscated representation of the alphanumeric message represent a failure message when the proposed identifier is not available for use with the new account.

16. A computer-implemented system according to claim 14, wherein the alphanumeric message and the visually obfuscated representation of the alphanumeric message represent a success message when the proposed identifier is available for use with the new account.

17. A computer-implemented system according to claim 14, wherein the visually obfuscated representation of the alphanumeric message is human readable and resistant to computer-based reading techniques.

18. A computer-implemented system according to claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer-implemented system to, further comprising:

obtain, when the proposed username is unavailable, a first image that contains a visually obfuscated representation of a human readable failure message that indicates that the proposed username is not available for use with the new user account, wherein the visually obfuscated representation of the human readable failure message is resistant to computer-based reading techniques.

19. A computer-implemented system according to claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer-implemented system to, further comprising:

obtain, when the proposed username is available, a second image that contains a visually obfuscated representation of a human readable success message that indicates that the proposed username is available for use with the new user account, wherein the visually obfuscated representation of the human readable success message is resistant to computer-based reading techniques.

20. A computer-implemented system according to claim 10, wherein the device is a client device.