Abstract:
A personal information protection method for a network kiosk which hides the personal information and possibly eventually removes it from a web page. The method includes the steps of determining a field in the web page capable of accepting the personal information, determining entry of the personal information into the field by an operator, timing a time period, and preventing access to the personal information following the time period.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to self-service kiosks and more specifically to a personal information protection method for a network kiosk.  
           [0002]    Retailers have a desire to sell their products over global networks, such as networks which are a part of the World Wide Web (WWW or “web”) and which use the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP protocol). These retailers wish to provide Internet server web sites which offer the same features as Internet server web sites available to home shoppers who use their computers to connect to the Internet server web sites.  
           [0003]    Kiosks provide a publicly-accessible computing platform for displaying web pages from retailer web sites. Kiosks may be located within a retailer&#39;s transaction establishment or elsewhere, such as in shopping malls. Kiosks may be easily networked to retailer web sites using the TCP/IP protocol. Web pages from web sites may be displayed using known and available web software, such as Microsoft® Internet Explorer software.  
           [0004]    One problem which distinguishes home use from public use is the possibility that personal information entered by an operator of a public kiosk will be compromised to a subsequent operator. Web pages for processing transactions typically contain fields which require entry of the purchaser&#39;s personal information, such as name, address, phone, and credit card information Since such information may be cached in memory or in fixed disks within the kiosk. After an operator leaves a kiosk, a subsequent operator may be able to view the former operator&#39;s personal information on a currently-displayed web page, and possibly previously displayed pages.  
           [0005]    Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a personal information protection method for a network kiosk which minimizes the risk of revealing personal information to a subsequent kiosk operator.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a personal information protection method for a network kiosk is provided.  
           [0007]    The method includes the steps of determining a field in the web page capable of accepting the personal information, determining entry of the personal information into the field by an operator, timing a time period, and preventing access to the personal information following the time period.  
           [0008]    It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a personal information protection method for a network kiosk.  
           [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to remove personal information from display after the operator who entered the information has left the kiosk.  
           [0010]    It is another object of the present invention to prohibit access to personal information after a predetermined time period of display unless a password has been entered by the operator.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiments and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a transaction processing system including a network kiosk;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a depiction of a security configuration file; and  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the information protection method of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0015]    Turning now to FIG. 1, transaction system  10  includes kiosk  12  and network  14 . Kiosk  12  is preferably located within a transaction establishment, such as a retail store, or transaction environment, such as a shopping mall. Kiosk  12  may include an NCR 7401 computer.  
         [0016]    Kiosk  12  primarily includes processor  16 , touch screen  18 , memory  20 , and storage medium  22 . Kiosk  12  may additionally include a number of peripherals, including magnetic strip reader (MSR)  24 , printer  26 , and scanner  28 .  
         [0017]    To assist with execution of certain tasks performed by kiosk  12 , kiosk  12  includes a built-in time keeping device, commonly referred to as a system clock, which is synchronized with current time, in order to automatically execute the tasks at their scheduled times.  
         [0018]    Processor  16  controls operation of kiosk  12  and executes web wrapper software  30 .  
         [0019]    Web wrapper software  30  allows an operator to access information and purchase products from the transaction establishment. Web wrapper software  30  includes web browser software  32  and control software  36 .  
         [0020]    Web browser software  32  may include commercially-available web browser software, such as Microsoft® Internet Explorer web browser software Microsoft® Internet Explorer web browser software is configured into a web wrapper operation using a “-k” command line option. This option hides toolbars and menubars to prevent operator access to those functions.  
         [0021]    Web browser software  32  retrieves and displays web pages  44  from network  14 , which includes a plurality of interconnected servers. Web pages  44  include web pages which display information about products and services offered by the kiosk owner as well as other web pages. Web pages  44  are tailored to the needs of the transaction establishment. Web pages  44  assist operators to find information about products sold by the transaction establishment and to complete purchases of such products. For this purpose, web pages  34  may include a start or “home” page which operates as a default page from which operation begins and to which operation returns when an operator is finished using kiosk  12 . Web pages  44  may be written using hypertext markup language (HTML) or other suitable web page language.  
         [0022]    Control software  36  provides security functions. During operation, control software  36  prevents an operator from accessing kiosk files, other applications, the operating system software, or basic input-output system (BIOS) firmware, and prevents the operator from causing kiosk  12  to reboot.  
         [0023]    Under the present invention, control software  36  additionally removes personal information in web pages following a predetermined time interval after operator entry, in order to prevent access to such information by subsequent operators.  
         [0024]    It is a feature of the present invention that the time interval varies by type of information, by the page currently displayed, or by the current stage of a transaction. For example, name, address, or phone number entries may be set by the retailer to a different time interval than credit card number entries. Time interval information may be coded into web wrapper software  36  or listed in security configuration file  38  to allow a kiosk owner to control operation.  
         [0025]    Touch screen  18  includes display  40  and input device  42 . Display  40  and input device  42  may also be separate units. Input device  42  may record personal information from an operator and insert it into a web page field.  
         [0026]    Memory  20  is used by processor  16  to store executed program information, including web wrapper software information. As such, memory  20  may store personal information entered by an operator. Control software  36  removes any personal information from memory  22  before canceling operation and returning to the start page.  
         [0027]    Storage medium  22  stores software including web wrapper software  30 . Storage medium  22  may additionally operate as cache or virtual memory, and as such, store personal information entered by an operator. Control software  36  removes any personal information and files containing personal information from storage medium  22  before canceling operation and returning to the start page.  
         [0028]    MSR  24  reads loyalty, credit, debit, SMART, and/or other types of cards carried by an operator. MSR  24  may record personal information from an operator and insert it into a web page field.  
         [0029]    Printer  26  prints information from web wrapper software  32 , including information on web pages  44  from network  14 . For example, printer  26  may print information relevant to a transaction completed by an operator using kiosk  12 .  
         [0030]    Scanner  28  reads bar codes on products to obtain product identification numbers. Kiosk  12  queries a transaction server with the identification numbers to obtain information about the product and displays the information.  
         [0031]    Turning now to FIG. 2, security configuration file  38  includes entries PAGE, STAGE, FIELD, INFORMATION, and TIME.  
         [0032]    Entry PAGE identifies a particular web page which accepts personal information entries. Web page addresses or Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) are preferably stored. All pages of web pages  44  which accept personal information entries are listed in security configuration file  38 .  
         [0033]    Entry STAGE identifies a stage of a transaction represented by the corresponding page. Entry STAGE is an arbitrary scale established by the retailer.  
         [0034]    Entry FIELD identifies a specific entry field on a corresponding page.  
         [0035]    Entry TYPE identifies the type of personal information which the corresponding field stores.  
         [0036]    Entry TIME identifies a period of inactivity for the corresponding personal information. Timeout periods may vary by page, stage, or field. The retailer can choose a timeout value for each record based upon the information it contains.  
         [0037]    For example, if the operator is looking for information and has not identified any items for purchase, then a longer timeout period is established. If items have been identified for purchase, a shorter time may be warranted. Finally, if personal information has been entered, an even shorter time may be warranted.  
         [0038]    Control software  36  compares each displayed web page  44  with entries PAGE in security configuration file  38  and initializes entries TIME of those pages which are listed.  
         [0039]    Turning now to FIG. 3, the method of the present invention is illustrated beginning with START  60 .  
         [0040]    In step  62 , control software  36  waits for a page to be displayed. Preferably, pages are displayed to provide information and to walk a customer through a transaction.  
         [0041]    In step  64 , control software  36  determines the address or Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the page. Control software  36  temporarily stores the address of this page and subsequent pages in memory  22  or storage medium  20  until a transaction is complete or until a time period for any of the fields on a web page have expired.  
         [0042]    In step  66 , control software  36  compares the address to the addresses in security configuration file  38 . If the address of the page is in one or more of the records in security configuration file  38 , operation proceeds to step  68 , otherwise operation returns to step  62  to wait for another page to be displayed.  
         [0043]    In step  68 , control software  36  reads entry FIELD in each of the corresponding records.  
         [0044]    In step  70 , control software  36  begins simultaneous monitoring of all fields in the page for entry of information by an operator. If control software  36  determines that web browser software  32  has recorded information into the fields, operation proceeds to step  72  for those fields containing information. Otherwise, control software  36  waits for information entry in fields which do not contain information.  
         [0045]    In step  72 , control software  36  begins timing using time entries from file  38  following entry of information into the fields. For web pages with multiple field entries, timing of some or all fields may overlap or occur sequentially.  
         [0046]    In step  74 , control software  36  monitors for display of a new page. If a new page is displayed before expiration of any of the time periods, operation returns to step  64 .  
         [0047]    In step  76 , control software  36  waits for expiration of the time periods. Operation proceeds to step  78  if any of the time periods has expired.  
         [0048]    In step  78 , control software  36  displays a password prompt to the operator and begins timing a final timeout period. Control software  36  gives the operator chance to establish that he is still using kiosk  12 .  
         [0049]    Control software  36  derives the password from all or part of any private information entered by the operator on the currently displayed page or any previously displayed page. For example, control software  36  may pick a field with entered information which happens to include a phone number. Control software  36  recalls the entered information and obtains the field type from file  38 . Control software  36  prompts the operator to enter all or part of the information by displaying a message containing the field type, such as “enter phone number”. Previously entered address and name information are additional example sources for passwords.  
         [0050]    In step  80 , control software  36  waits for the time to expire. If the operator fails to enter a password, operation proceeds to step  82 . Otherwise, operation returns to step  72  to reinitialize timing.  
         [0051]    In step  82 , control software  36  cleans information from the fields on the web page in use and fields in previously displayed web pages and redisplays the start page. Operation then returns to step  62  to await the next operator.  
         [0052]    Although the present invention has been described with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, variations and modifications of the present invention can be effected within the spirit and scope of the following claims.