Database Activity Regulation via Human Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods to prevent automated systems like web crawlers and bots from overwhelming database resources often interfere with legitimate user experiences, as they can be intrusive and degrade performance.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that sets usage rate limits for database activities based on monitoring periods and confidence intervals, requiring human verification only when excessive usage is detected, thereby allowing legitimate human activity while constraining automated systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If existing techniques for preventing automated activity are implemented, then automated systems are discouraged, but legitimate user experience is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing differentiated rate limiting thresholds for different users and database activities. Legitimate users receive higher thresholds while automated systems are constrained by lower thresholds, allowing the system to treat different sources differently based on their actual behavior patterns rather than applying a uniform restriction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary verification mechanism that acts as a mediator between rate limiting and user access. When usage patterns suggest automated activity, the system introduces verification challenges as an intermediary step to distinguish legitimate users from automated systems, rather than directly blocking access
2Productivity
If rate limiting is applied to all users, then automated systems are constrained, but legitimate user requests are also blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic rate limiting thresholds that adjust based on user behavior patterns, historical data, and verification results. The system continuously adapts the allowed usage rates for different users and activities, allowing legitimate users to maintain high productivity while automatically constraining automated systems that exhibit suspicious patterns
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the system monitors database activity patterns, user responses to verification challenges, and usage rate deviations. This feedback is used to dynamically adjust rate limiting thresholds and verification requirements, ensuring that legitimate users experience minimal disruption while automated systems are effectively constrained
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for regulating access to a database by a server. One exemplary method involves the server receiving one or more requests for an activity with respect to the database and determining an attempted usage for the activity over a monitoring period by a source of the requests. When the attempted usage exceeds an allowed usage of the activity for the monitoring period, the server provides a human verification test to the source and thereafter initiates the activity with respect to the database in response to receiving a satisfactory human verification response to the human verification test from the source.