US 10574721

Analysis of U.S. Patent 10,574,721

Washington, D.C. - An analysis of United States Patent 10,574,721, titled "Systems and methods for an automatic fresh browser instance for accessing internet content," reveals a system designed to enhance web browsing security by isolating sensitive online activities.

The patent, issued on February 25, 2020, was filed on December 8, 2014. It lists Rida A. Bazzi and Mohsen Zohrevandi as inventors. The current assignee is Skysong Innovations LLC, following an assignment from the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University.

The core of the invention, as detailed in the abstract, is a system that automatically creates a "Fresh Browser Instance" (FBI) for accessing sensitive content. This prevents potentially malicious web content from interacting with sensitive sessions, such as online banking. The system can be pre-configured for novice users with a list of sensitive sites or customized by experienced users who can define their own "conflict of interest" (COI) classes, allowing certain websites to share a browser instance while being isolated from others.

Independent Claims Overview

The patent asserts three independent claims, which define the core scope of the invention in different categories: a system, a method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

Claim 1 describes a system comprising a processor configured to manage web browsing sessions based on content classes. The system receives data defining at least two classes of web content, with one class designated for sensitive information. When a user in a browser instance associated with a non-sensitive class attempts to access a URL from the sensitive class, the system intercepts the request. A key component is a "daemon," a program running outside the browser, that tracks all active browser instances. This daemon, in conjunction with a browser extension and a native application, confirms that the requested sensitive content is not already open in an appropriate, separate browser instance. If it is not, the system launches a new, separate browser to handle the request, thereby isolating the sensitive session.

Claim 7 outlines a method for achieving this secure browsing. It involves a processor executing instructions from a non-transitory storage medium. The method includes:

• Accessing predefined rules that delegate web access for different content classes to different browser types.
• Identifying a request from a first browser instance to access an IP address.
• Determining that the IP address belongs to a different, sensitive content class.
• Utilizing a daemon, which communicates with a browser extension via domain sockets, to confirm that no other appropriate browser instance is already running for that sensitive class.
• Generating a second, separate browser instance of the appropriate type to access the requested IP address.

Claim 12 describes a non-transitory computer-readable medium (such as a hard drive or flash memory) encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the security functions. The instructions cause the processor to:

• Access data that associates different web content classes with different browser types.
• Receive a request to access web content from a first browser instance.
• Compare the requested content's class with the classes accessible by the first instance.
• This comparison and management process is handled by a daemon operating outside the browser, which communicates with a browser extension to track active instances and launch new ones as needed according to the defined rules.

Litigation Status

According to the information available from the patent source, this patent is subject to litigation. A PTAB (Patent Trial and Appeal Board) case, IPR2025-01400, was filed but was not instituted for procedural reasons. Additionally, a lawsuit has been filed in the Texas Eastern District Court (Case 2:25-cv-00098). No further updates on these proceedings for 2026 are available in the provided documentation. A more comprehensive search of court dockets would be required to determine the current status of these legal actions.