As the World Wide Web has more and more content available, users often utilize multiple search tools, purchasing tools, and other tools that enable them to take better advantage of the various resources available on the Web. However, the users are generally still required to perform a multi-step operation to access such data. For example, to view the local weather, the user must first enter the URL (universal resource locator) of the web page which makes weather data available, and then enter their zip code or other address indication. For sites protected by passwords, ease of access is further impaired by requiring the step of logging into the site in order to access the data.
One current solution for the requirement to enter such password data is “password saving” locally as cookies encrypted and saved by a browser. However, as has been recently found, utilizing password saving means there is a risk of spoofing, such that the password is inserted into a false web page. Also, when the computer remembers the user names and passwords, those important pieces of information tend to be forgotten by the user, who is then at a loss when the computer becomes unavailable for any reason.
Systems that save password data and enter user name and password on request do increase security over manual entry of user credentials, by blocking surreptitious keyboard loggers or visual snoopers from acquiring that confidential data, and they are faster than manual entry. But they still entail more user actions than accessing an unprotected site by conventional browsing, even when a ‘bookmark’ or ‘favorite’ is employed to speed the process. As is generally true, increased security, here provided by requiring password entry, decreases ease of access.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds