Portal authentication

• US 10,122,704 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced New Technologies Company Limited (Ant Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Xiu, Chao
• Primary Examiner(s): Powers, William S
• Application Number:
  US14/686,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20150295915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 726 7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/313 using a call-back technique via a telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications

Abstract

When a portable terminal of a user receives an authentication prompt message pushed by an application server, an authentication prompt option corresponding to the authentication prompt message is output at the portable terminal. A portal authentication is initiated after the authentication prompt option is selected by the user. MAC address information of the portable terminal returned by a portal server is acquired after the portal authentication is initiated. A user name and password for the application client terminal to log into the application server terminal is used as a user name and password for portal authentication. The MAC address information of the portable terminal returned by the portal server is sent to the application server. The present disclosure facilitates the operation of using the portal authentication, prevents the user from forgetting to perform the portal authentication, and brings convenience to those who are not familiar with the portal authentication mechanism.

Claims

1. An application client terminal comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memories stored thereon computer-readable instruction, that when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform actions comprising;

sending a request to a server, the request including a media access control (MAC) address of the application terminal, the MAC address being unreadable by an application running on the application client terminal prior to a connection between the application and the server;

establishing the connection between the application and the server;

receiving the MAC address of the application client terminal by the application from the server;

associating the MAC address with an account with an application server terminal; and

using log-in information that the application client terminal logs into the account with the application server terminal for a portal authentication.

2. The application client terminal of claim 1, wherein the receiving the MAC address of the application client terminal from the server includes obtaining MAC address information by acquiring the MAC address information from a redirected uniform resource locator (URL) returned by the server, the MAC address information being a parameter passed by the redirected URL.

3. The application client terminal of claim 1, wherein the portal authentication is sent by an application associated component of a browser.

4. The application client terminal of claim 1, wherein the actions further comprise:

determining whether the application client terminal is logged into by a user prior to starting the portal authentication; and

initiating the portal authentication in response to determining that the application client terminal is logged in;

or

presenting a log-in interface to request the user to log into the application client terminal in response to determining that the application client terminal is not logged in.

5. The application client terminal of claim 1, wherein the actions further comprise:

outputting an authentication prompt option corresponding to an authentication prompt message in a message prompt bar of the application client terminal.

6. The application client terminal of claim 5, wherein:

the authentication prompt message includes a third-party application identifier; and

the actions further comprise starting a corresponding third-party application according to the third-party application identifier after the portal authentication succeeds.

7. The application client terminal of claim 6, wherein the corresponding third-party application corresponds to a merchant associated with a wireless network to which the application client terminal connects.

8. The application client terminal of claim 5, wherein:

the authentication prompt message includes service information corresponding to a merchant; and

the actions further comprise displaying the service information after the portal authentication succeeds.

9. The application client terminal of claim 5, wherein the actions further comprise initiating the portal authentication after determining that the authentication prompt option is selected by a user.

10. The application client terminal of claim 1, wherein the actions further comprise sending the MAC address to the application server terminal.

11. A method comprising:

obtaining a media access control (MAC) address of an application client terminal by an application running on the application client terminal from a server, the MAC address being inaccessible by the application from the application client terminal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the obtaining the MAC address includes acquiring MAC address information from a redirected uniform resource locator (URL) returned by the server, the MAC address information being a parameter passed by the redirected URL.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

associating the MAC address with an account with an application server terminal; and

using log-in information that the application client terminal logs into the account with the application server terminal for a portal authentication,

wherein the portal authentication is sent by an application associated component of a browser.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

checking whether the application client terminal is logged into by a user prior to starting the portal authentication; and

initiating the portal authentication in response to determining that the application client terminal is logged in;

or

presenting a log-in interface to request the user to log into the application client terminal in response to determining that the application client terminal is not logged in.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

outputting an authentication prompt option corresponding to an authentication prompt message in a message prompt bar of the portable terminal when receiving the authentication prompt message pushed by the application server terminal, the authentication prompt message including a third-party application identifier, the third-party application corresponding to a merchant associated with a wireless network to which the application client terminal connects; and

starting a corresponding third-party application according to the third-party application identifier after the portal authentication succeeds.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving an authentication prompt message includes service information corresponding to a merchant; and

displaying the service information after the portal authentication succeeds.

17. A method comprising:

acquiring media access control (MAC) address information of a terminal carried in a terminal connection message from the terminal; and

returning the MAC address information to the terminal as a parameter of a redirected uniform resource locator (URL).

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

searching for a user account of an application corresponding to the MAC address information in a user MAC table;

pushing an authentication prompt message to the terminal requesting log-in information for the application after the user account is found;

determining that a portal authentication succeeds in response to determining that log-in information provided through the portable terminal for the application belongs to the user account; and

updating the user MAC table with a correspondence relationship between the MAC address information and the registered user.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the terminal connection message includes a merchant identifier corresponding to a wireless access device to which the portable connects.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

searching for corresponding service information in a local merchant information table according to the merchant identifier, and

sending the service information in the authentication prompt message to the user.