Accessibility Event Ad Detection Without Network Overhead
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ad-blocking technologies are inefficient and resource-intensive, often requiring Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that slow down traffic and fail to effectively identify and block advertisements, disrupting user interactions with applications.
Innovation Solution
The system monitors accessibility events via an operating system's API to detect state transitions in user interfaces, determining if an advertisement is displayed and taking actions such as closing or blocking it to prevent interference with user interactions, without intercepting network traffic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If VPN-based ad-blocking technology is used to monitor network traffic, then advertisements can be identified and blocked, but computing device performance deteriorates and user experience worsens due to excessive resource consumption and traffic slowdown
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the ad-blocking function from network traffic monitoring and relocates it to the application layer by monitoring accessibility events. This separates the ad-detection mechanism from network operations, eliminating the performance overhead of VPN-based traffic analysis while maintaining effective ad identification and blocking capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces accessibility events as an intermediary mechanism between the application and the ad-blocking function. Instead of directly analyzing network traffic, the system uses accessibility event streams to detect advertisement displays, thereby mediating the ad-blocking process through a less resource-intensive channel that does not interfere with network performance.
2Reliability
If VPN-based ad-blocking technology is deployed, then advertisements can be blocked, but time consumption increases due to the overhead of traffic analysis and VPN operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by monitoring accessibility events that already contain information about displayed content. Rather than analyzing traffic in real-time after it has been transmitted, the system proactively detects advertisements through accessibility event streams, which are generated as part of the normal application operation, thereby eliminating the time delay associated with post-transmission traffic analysis.
3Productivity
If traditional ad-blocking methods are used, then some advertisements can be blocked, but they fail to effectively identify and block all advertisements, reducing ad-blocking effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of network traffic interception and analysis with an information-based approach using accessibility events. By substituting direct traffic manipulation with event monitoring, the system achieves both high efficiency (no traffic slowdown) and high effectiveness (accurate ad detection through application-layer information).
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed computer-implemented method for detecting advertisements displayed to users via user interfaces may include (1) monitoring, via an accessibility API provided by an operating system of the computing device, accessibility events that indicate state transitions in user interfaces of applications running on the computing device, (2) determining, based on an analysis of at least one accessibility event, that an advertisement is being displayed to a user within a user interface of an application running on the computing device, and (3) in response to determining that the advertisement is being displayed, performing at least one action to prevent the advertisement from interfering with interactions between the user and the application. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.