Single system for authenticating entities across different third party platforms

• US 10,210,539 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2015
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dun & Bradstreet Corp., DUN & Bradstreet Incorporated (Dun & Bradstreet Corp.), Hoover's Incorporated (Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dun & Bradstreet Corp.
• Inventors: Stibel, Jeffrey M., Buechler, Chad Michael, Landgraf, Raymond, Delgrosso, Peter, Stibel, Aaron B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Tae K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pan, Peiliang
• Application Number:
  US14/614,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20150170194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 726 5, 726 28, 713170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/16 Arrangements for providing special services to substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/082 applying multi-factor authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals

Abstract

Some embodiments provide an independent authentication system for authenticating entities that have registered accounts across different online service providers on behalf of the service providers. The authentication system maintains a database of previously verified entity information. A service provider requests authentication by providing the authentication system with unverified and basic identifying information used by an entity when registering with the service provider. The authentication system attempts to match the registration information against previously verified information for a known entity. When a match is found, the authentication system generates a series of challenge questions. The questions are submitted to the entity through the service provider and answers are processed in order to authenticate the entity. Authentication is thus provided on behalf of the service provider without the service provider accessing the previously verified information and without the service provider independently verifying the information within the generated challenge questions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for authenticating entities for selective modification of an ecommerce site, comprising:

maintaining a profile for each of a plurality of entities at a database of an authentication system, each profile storing verified information comprising any of personal and business identifying information about a different entity, the authentication system comprising a microprocessor and a memory that stores each profile for each entity of the plurality of entities, wherein the microprocessor;

receives from an online merchant over a digital network, at least one eligibility requirement restricting entity eligibility to a promotion offered by the online merchant;

queries the database and identifies a subset of entities from the plurality of entities with profiles storing personal and business identifying information satisfying said at least one eligibility requirement, wherein the subset of entities have no prior engagement with the online merchant, and wherein the at least one eligibility requirement specifies a parent-child requirement for a business entity;

performs a targeted marketing campaign comprising passing over the digital network, a code to the subset of entities and tracking an identifier for each entity of the subset of entities receiving said code, said code for redeeming the promotion from the online merchant;

obtains, over the digital network from the online merchant, shipping information or payment information entered by a particular entity attempting to use the code in completing a transaction at an ecommerce site of the online merchant;

parses the verified information in the database for verified information about a parent business entity corresponding to the parent-child requirement for a business entity;

generates a series of challenge questions about the parent business entity based on information in the particular entity profile that is not provided as part of the shipping information or payment information;

verifies, on behalf of the ecommerce site, eligibility of the particular entity in redeeming the promotion by use of said code as a result of (i) said identifier being present in the shipping information or payment information entered by the customer to the ecommerce site of the online merchant, and (ii) the particular entity correctly answering the series of challenge questions about the parent business entity; and

transmits over the digital network, to the ecommerce site, a verification notification regarding verified eligibility of the particular entity, wherein the verification notification causes modification of said ecommerce site of the online merchant with discounted pricing for the transaction with the particular entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying eligibility of the particular entity further comprises:

rejecting the particular entity'"'"'s eligibility for said promotion when the particular entity incorrectly answers the series of challenge questions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the targeted marketing campaign comprises directly disseminating said code to the subset of entities eligible for the promotion using contact information obtained from the profile of each entity of the subset of entities.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the targeted marketing campaign comprises notifying the online merchant about the subset of entities eligible for the promotion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one eligibility requirement identifies a primary demographic of customers for the online merchant from other customers, and wherein performing the targeted marketing campaign comprises sending the code to the primary demographic of customers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one eligibility requirement identifies a desired set of candidates, and wherein performing the targeted marketing campaign comprises passing the code only to the desired set of candidates represented by the subset of entities.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor further generates an online interface with which the online merchant specifies the at least one eligibility requirement.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one eligibility requirement specifies the parent-child requirement whereby employees of a specified parent entity are eligible to receive the promotion, wherein identifying the subset of entities comprises authenticating the subset of entities as employees of the specified parent entity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying eligibility of the particular entity comprises presenting to the particular entity different codes usable by the particular entity in redeeming promotions offered by other merchants that are restricted by the same eligibility requirement.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the subset of entities as marketing leads to the online merchant.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the eligibility requirement specifies the specific parent-child relationship in which entities having a child relationship to a specific parent entity are eligible to receive said promotion, and wherein verifying of the particular entity comprises verifying that the particular entity is a child of the specific parent entity.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is part of a telephone number.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is part of a street address.