Systems and methods for protecting content when using a general purpose user interface application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9728107-B1
Application number	US-10346508-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 15, 2008
Priority date	Apr 15, 2008
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

Systems and methods which prevent or limit access to protected content (e.g., value bearing indicia (VBI)) by a general purpose user interface application (e.g., web browser) are shown. Embodiments implement techniques to avoid displaying protected content by a general purpose user interface application, or displaying protected content during a time in which a user does not have access to particular functions of the general purpose user interface application, to protect the content from various operations, such as repeated printing, electronic copying, etc. Data presentation formatting control in the form of style sheets may be utilized to control access to content. Additionally or alternatively, executable code or an executable object may be implemented within a page or other content to control access to content. Similarly, separate areas, such as windows or pages, may be utilized to control access to content.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
obtaining content at a general purpose user interface application that comprises a web browser application, said content including unprotected content and executable code for accessing protected content that comprises at least one value bearing indicium;
outputting said unprotected content to the web browser application; and
in response to a print command received via the web browser application:
initiating said executable code to obtain said protected content from a remote server;
replacing, within the web browser application, said unprotected content with said protected content;
outputting, immediately after said replacing, said protected content from the web browser application to a print medium; and
immediately after the outputting said protected content to said print medium, replacing, within the web browser application, said protected content with said unprotected content, wherein said web browser application is configured to output said unprotected content to said print medium in response to a subsequent print command received via the web browser application, said subsequent print command corresponding to a command to print the protected content.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said unprotected content comprises a web page and said executable code comprises a software button operable to obtain and output said protected content.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said initiating said executable code comprises:
replacing a source of at least a portion of said unprotected content with a source of said protected content to thereby obtain said protected content.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said source of said at least a portion of said unprotected content comprises a uniform resource locator associated with said at least a portion of said unprotected content, and wherein said source of said protected content comprises a uniform resource locator associated with said protected content.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said protected content is only available within said web browser application until said protected content is output to said print medium, and wherein other functionality of said web browser application is not available during said outputting.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said protected content is displayed within said web browser application in response to said replacing, within said web browser application, said unprotected content with said protected content, and wherein said unprotected content is displayed within said web browser application in response to said replacing, within said web browser application, said protected content with said unprotected content.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein a duration in which said protected content is displayed within said web browser application corresponds to an amount of time to output said protected content to said print medium.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said executable code is configured to execute a native print functionality of said web browser application to output said protected content from said web browser application to said print medium.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising bypassing firewalls and popup blocking applications via said replacing said unprotected content with said protected content and said replacing said protected content with said unprotected content.

10. A computer program product having computer executable code stored on a computer readable storage device, said computer program product comprising:
code for providing unprotected content to a general purpose user interface application that comprises a web browser application;
code for outputting said unprotected content to the web browser application for presentation on a display device;
code for obtaining protected content Mat comprises at least one value bearing indicium from a content server in response to a command received by said general purpose user interface application;
code for replacing, within the web browser application, said unprotected content with said protected content;
code for outputting said protected content from the web browser application to a printer device immediately after said replacing; and
code for replacing, within the web browser application, said protected content with said unprotected content immediately after said outputting said protected content to said printer device, wherein said content server is configured to provide said unprotected content to the web browser application in response to subsequent commands received by said general purpose user interface application.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein said code for obtaining said protected content comprises code for replacing a source of at least a portion of said unprotected content with a source of said protected content to thereby obtain said protected content at said general purpose user interface application, and wherein said code for replacing said protected content with said unprotected content comprises code for replacing said source of said protected content with said source of said at least a portion of said unprotected content.

12. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein said protected content is only available within said web browser application until said protected content is output to said printer device, and wherein other functionality of said web browser application is not available during said outputting.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein said code for replacing said unprotected content, within said web browser application, with said protected content further comprises code fur displaying said protected content, within said web browser application, in response to said replacing, said unprotected content with said protected content, and wherein said code for replacing said protected content, within said web browser application, with said unprotected content further comprises code for displaying said unprotected content, within said web browser application, in response to said replacing, said protected content with said unprotected content.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein a duration in which said protected content is displayed within said web browser application corresponds to an amount of time to output said protected content to said printer device after said protected content is obtained and used to replace said unprotected content within said web browser application.

15. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein said code for outputting said protected content to said printer device is configured to execute a native print functionality of said web browser application to output said protected content from said web browser application to said printer device.

16. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein execution of said code for obtaining said protected content, said code for replacing said unprotected content with said protected content, and said code for outputting said protected content to said printer device is configured to bypass firewalls and popup blocking applications of said web browser application.

17. A method comprising:
obtaining content at a general purpose user interface application that comprises a web browser application, said content including unprotected content and executable code for accessing protected content that comprises at least one value bearing indicium;
outputting said unprotected content to the web browser application; and
in response to a print command received via the web browser application, initiating said executable code to o

Assignees

• Begen Geoffrey C
• Stamps Com Inc

Inventors

• Begen Geoffrey C

Classifications

• G07B17/00508 Primary

  Printing or attaching on mailpieces (printing mechanisms B41J; security printing B41M3/14; marking methods B41M5/00; inks C09D11/00; record carriers with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00) · CPC title

• G06Q2250/05

  using cryptography · CPC title

• G09F3/00 Primary

  Labels, tag tickets, or similar identification or indication means (medals or badges A44C3/00; making labels B31D1/02; sheets temporarily attached together B42F; labelling B65C; labels on record carriers G11B23/38, G11B23/40); Seals; Postage or like stamps · CPC title

• G07B17/00362

  Calculation or computing within apparatus, e.g. calculation of postage value · CPC title

• H04L63/0245

  Filtering by information in the payload · CPC title