User interface system
First Claim
1. A user interface system for interfacing a user with a plurality of vendor servers on a computer network, wherein a connection to each of the vendor servers is establishable via a protocol involving a login process, the system comprising first login means for allowing access to the system by the user, means for storing further login information, the further login information comprising a plurality of passwords for associated ones of a plurality of servers, and means for automatically establishing connections between the user and the associated ones of the plurality of servers based on the stored login information.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a user interface system for interfacing a user with a plurality of vendor servers over a computer network. The system enables a computer user to create a plurality of “virtual” connections to secure vendor servers serving up content which requires some level of security to enable access to the content. The computer user provides the password necessary for access to the content to the interface system. The interface system stores these passwords. When the user wishes to make a connection, they connect to the interface system, the passwords are validated by the interface system and content is subsequently served to the user from the vendor servers.
41 Citations
31 Claims
- 1. A user interface system for interfacing a user with a plurality of vendor servers on a computer network, wherein a connection to each of the vendor servers is establishable via a protocol involving a login process, the system comprising first login means for allowing access to the system by the user, means for storing further login information, the further login information comprising a plurality of passwords for associated ones of a plurality of servers, and means for automatically establishing connections between the user and the associated ones of the plurality of servers based on the stored login information.
- 17. A method of interfacing a user with a plurality of vendor servers on a computer network, wherein a connection to each of the vendor servers is establishable via a protocol involving a login process, comprising the steps of providing a user interface service, the user interface service requiring a first login password to enable a user to access the service, storing further login information by the user interface service, the further login information comprising a plurality of passwords for associated ones of the plurality of servers, and establishing connections between the user and the associated ones of the plurality of the servers based on the stored login information.
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22. A computer program element including computer program code means arranged to instruct a computer to operate as a user interface system for interfacing the user with a plurality of vendor servers on a computer network, where a connection to each of the vendor servers is establishable via a protocol involving a login process, a computer program code means instructing the computer to allow access to the system by the user through a first login means, to store further login information, the further login information comprising a plurality of passwords for associated ones of the plurality of servers, and establish connections between the system and the associated ones of the plurality of servers based on the stored login information.
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23. A computer readable medium having instructions recorded thereon for instructing a computer to operate as a user interface system for interfacing a user with a plurality of vendor servers on a computer network, where a connection to each of the servers is establishable via a protocol involving a login process, the instructions being arranged to instruct the computer to allow access to the user interface system by the user through a login means, to store further login information, the further login information comprising a plurality of passwords for associated ones of the plurality of servers, and to establish connections between the system and the associated ones of the plurality of servers based on the login information obtained from the user.
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24. A user interface system for interfacing a user with a plurality of vendor servers on a computer network, where a connection to each of the vendor servers is establishable via a protocol involving a login process, the system comprising first login means for allowing access to the system by the user, means for requesting further login information from the user, the further login information comprising a plurality of passwords for associated ones of a plurality of servers, and means for automatically establishing connections between the user and the associated ones of the plurality of servers based on the further login information obtained from the user.
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25. A method of interfacing a user with a plurality of vendor servers on a computer network, wherein a connection to each of the vendor servers is establishable via a protocol involving a login process, comprising the steps of providing a user interface service, the user interface service requiring a first login password to enable a user to access the service, requesting further login information from the user, the further login information comprising a plurality of passwords for associates ones of the plurality of servers, and establishing connections between the user and the associated ones of the plurality of servers based on the further login information obtained from the user.
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26. A computer program element comprising computer program code means arranged to instruct a computer for interfacing a user with a plurality of vendor servers on a computer network, wherein a connection to each of the servers is establishable via a protocol involving a login process, to:
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allow access to the system by the user through a login means request further login information from the user, the login information comprising a plurality of passwords for associated ones of the plurality of servers; and
establish connections between the system and the associated ones of the plurality of servers based on the login information obtained from the user.
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27. A computer readable medium having a program recorded thereon, wherein the program is arranged to instruct a computer for interfacing a user with a plurality of vendor servers on a computer network, wherein a connection to each of the servers is establishable via a protocol involving a login process, to:
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allow access to the system by the user through a login means request further login information from the user, the login information comprising a plurality of passwords for associated ones of the plurality of servers; and
establish connections between the system and the associated ones of the plurality of servers based on the login information obtained from the user.
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28. A user interface system for maintaining a connection between a user and a vendor server on a computer network, wherein the connection is establishable and maintainable through a protocol involving a login process, the user interface system including maintenance means for automatically responding to a maintenance login request initiated by a vendor server after a period of connection time, wherein the maintenance means is arranged to base the response on login information for the vendor server associated with the user and stored in a database of the user interface system.
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29. A method of maintaining a connection between a user and a vendor server on a computer network, wherein the connection is establishable and maintainable through a protocol involving a login process, the method comprising the steps of storing login information for the vendor server and associated with the user in a user interface system, and automatically responding to a maintenance login request initiated by the vendor server after a period of connection time to maintain the connection based on the stored login information.
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30. A computer program element including computer program code means arranged to instruct a computer to operate as a user interface system for maintaining a connection between a user and a vendor server on a computer network, wherein the connection is establishable and maintainable through a protocol involving a login process, the computer program code means being arranged to instruct the computer to provide a maintenance means for automatically responding to a maintenance login request initiated by the vendor server after a period of connection time, and to store login information for the vendor server associated with the user in a database of the computer, the maintenance means being arranged to base the response on the stored login information.
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31. A computer readable medium having program instructions recorded thereon, the program instructions being arranged to instruct a computer to operate as a user interface system for maintaining a connection between a user and a vendor server on a computer network, wherein the connection is establishable and maintainable through a protocol involving a login process, the program instructions being arranged to instruct the computer to store login information for the vendor server associated with the user and to automatically respond to a maintenance login request initiated by the vendor server after a period of connection time, basing the response on the stored login information.
Specification