Just-in-time authentication of users of a digital home network

• US 20020178359A1
• Filed: 04/25/2002
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Baumeister, Markus, Klabunde, Karin, Hauptmann, Steffen
• Granted Patent: US 8,161,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/169
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

The invention relates to a network with network nodes and a software system distributed over the network nodes within which, on first access to an access-protected object of the system, an authentication of the user is provided, where the authentication is valid at least for a further access to an access-protected object and a duration of the validity of the authentication is dependent on the duration of access to the access-protected object and/or on the context of the use of the system.

Claims

1. A network with network nodes and a software system distributed over the network nodes within which, on first access to an access-protected object of the system an authentication is provided, where the authentication is valid at least for a further access to an access-protected object and a duration of the validity of authentication is dependent on the duration of access to the access-protected object and/or on the context of the use of the system.

2. A network as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that on access to an access-protected object, an authentication manager and an authentication device are provided to authenticate the user.

3. A network as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that after successful authentication, system use by the user is provided within a general context which allows actions at the system user interface and also within an application context which allows actions within an application.

4. A network as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a software component known as a timer is provided which starts after authentication to determine the time of system use by the user, and in that the timer is reset with every new user interaction with the system, and in that the validity of the authentication for the general context elapses after expiry of a run time of the timer.

5. A network as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that any value can be allocated to the run time of the timer on system installation.

6. A network as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that there is an explicit authentication arranged for by the system or the user, or an implicit authentication during a user interaction with the system.

7. A network as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the network is in particular a home network according to the HAVi standard.

8. A method of authenticating a user within a network with network nodes and a software system distributed over the network nodes, characterized that on first access to an access-protected object of the system a user authentication is provided where a duration of validity of the authentication is dependent on the duration of access to the access-protected object and on the context of the use of the system.