System and method for add-on services, secondary authentication, authorization and/or secure communication for dialog based protocols and systems

• US 20040088546A1
• Filed: 11/06/2002
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IMlogic, Inc. (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Shah, Milan, Hassounah, Khaled W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,475,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/386 using messaging services or messaging apps using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS G06Q20/3255
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to a system and method that provides add-on services and/or facilitates authentication, authorization and/or secure communications of a user using a dialog based interactive protocol and accessing a first computer system, separately from the authentication and security mechanism(s) provided by a second computer system using a dialog based interactive protocol system.

Claims

1. A method of enabling authorized communication between a first communication device associated with a first entity and a second communication device associated with a second entity, comprising:

establishing a dialog session, using at least one dialog based interactive protocol, between the first communication device and the second communication device;

transmitting to the second communication device a link to a site used to authenticate the second communication device; and

associating authentication information with the dialog, thereby enabling the second communication device to engage in authorized communication with the first communication device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second communication devices comprise at least one of a computer and a wireless device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said associating step comprises:

associating a unique identifier with the dialog;

providing, by a user of the second communication device, user credentials to the site;

transmitting, for use by the second communication device, an authorization token; and

using the unique identifier and the authorization token to execute an authorized dialog between the first communication device and the second communication device.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said associating step is performed by a third entity.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first and second communication devices comprise at least one of a computer and a wireless device.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the site is secure.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the site is secure.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first communication device and the second communication device use the same dialog based interactive protocol.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first communication device and the second communication device use different dialog based interactive protocols.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said associating step is performed by a third entity.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dialog session is facilitated by the transmission control protocol.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the dialog is facilitated by the HyperText Transport Protocol.

13. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

setting, on a hosts file of the second communication device, the internet protocol address of a server providing the dialog based interactive protocol service to be a loopback address;

returning the loopback address associated with the dialog based interactive protocol server, stored in the hosts file, to a client operative with the second communication device;

using the client to establish a connection with the loopback address;

establishing communication between the client and an add-on service module operative with the second communication device; and

establishing a communication link between the interactive protocol server and the add-on services module.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the add-on service module provides at least one of encryption, filtering, and storage of at least a portion of the dialog session.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

setting, on a hosts file of the first communication device, the internet protocol address of a server providing the dialog based interactive protocol service to be a loopback address;

returning the loopback address associated with the dialog based interactive protocol server, stored in the host file, to a client operative with the second communication device;

using the client to establish a connection with the loopback address;

establishing communication between the client and an add-on service module operative with the first communication device; and

establishing a communication link between the interactive protocol server and the add-on services module.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the add-on service module provides at least one of encryption, filtering, and storage of at least a portion of the dialog session.

17. A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium, for use in a computer network environment that provides authorized communication between a first communication device and a second communication device, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

establish a dialog session, using at least one dialog based interactive protocol, between a first communication device and a second communication device;

transmit to the second communication device a link to a site used to authenticate the second communication device; and

associate authentication information with the dialog, thereby enabling the second communication device to engage in authorized communication with the first communication device.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the first and second communication devices comprise at least one of a computer and a wireless device.

19. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said instructions for causing a computer to associate authentication information with the dialog include instructions to:

associate a unique identifier with the dialog;

provide, by a user of the second communication device, user credentials to the site;

transmit, for use by the second communication device, an authorization token; and

use the unique identifier and the authorization token to execute and maintain the context of an authorized dialog between the first communication device and the second communication device.

20. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the computer program product further comprises instructions to:

set, on a hosts file of the second communication device, the internet protocol address of a server providing the dialog based interactive protocol service to be a loopback address;

return the loopback address, stored in the host file associated with the dialog based interactive protocol server, to a client operative with the second communication device;

use the client to establish a connection with the loopback address;

establish communication between the client and an add-on service module operative with the second communication device; and

establish a communication link between the interactive protocol server and the add-on services module.

21. A system using at least one dialog based interactive protocol to facilitate authorized communication between a first communication device associated with a first entity, and a second communication device associated with a second entity, comprising:

a gateway for establishing a dialog session between the first communication device and the second communication device;

a routing device for communicating with said gateway and the first communication device; and

a linking server communicating with said routing device, said linking server associating a unique identifier and an associated authorization token with an interactive dialog between the first communication device and the second communication device, thereby enabling authorized communication between the first and second communication devices.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the first communication device and the second communication device use a common dialog based interactive protocol.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein the first communication device comprises at least one computer.

24. The system according to claim 21, wherein the first communication device and the second communication device use different dialog based interactive protocols.

25. The system according to claim 21, wherein said routing device receives from the first entity a link associated with the first entity that can be used to facilitate the authorized communication between the first and second communication devices.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein the link facilitates secure communication between the first entity and the second communication device.

27. The system according to claim 21, wherein the system is controlled by a third entity.

28. A device that provides an interface between a first communication device associated with a first entity and second communication device associated with a second entity, said device comprising:

at least one memory area; and

at least one processor that (i) establishes a dialog session between the first communication device and the second communication device, (ii) transmits to the second communication device a link to a site used to authenticate a user of the second communication device; and

(iii) associates authentication information with the dialog, thereby enabling the user to engage in authorized communication with the first entity.

29. The device according to claim 28, wherein the processor is associated with a third entity.

30. The device according to claim 28, wherein said processor associates authentication information with the dialog by:

associating a unique identifier with the dialog;

providing user credentials to the first entity;

receiving an authorization token; and

using the unique identifier and the authorization token to execute an authorized dialog between the first and second communication devices.

31. In a computer network environment that utilizes at least one dialog based interactive protocol to facilitate communication between a first communication device and at least an interactive protocol service provider, a method of providing add-on services to the interactive protocol, comprising:

setting, on a hosts file of the first communication device, the internet protocol address of a server providing the dialog based interactive protocol service to be a loopback address;

returning the loopback address associated with the dialog based interactive protocol server, stored in the hosts file, to a client operative with the first communication device;

using the client to establish a connection with the loopback address;

establishing communication between the client and an add-on services module operative with the first communication device; and

establishing a communication link between the interactive protocol server and the add-on services module.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the add-on services module provides at least one of encryption, filtering, and storage of at least a portion of a dialog established between the first communication device and the interactive protocol service provider.

33. The method according to claim 31, wherein the client connection is a transmission control protocol connection.

34. The method according to claim 31, wherein the loopback address is an internet protocol address of 127.0.0.1.

35. The method according to claim 31, wherein the first communication device is at least one of a computer and a wireless device.

36. The method according to claim 31, further comprising:

using at least the interactive protocol service provider to establish a dialog session between the first communication device and a second communication device;

transmitting to the first communication device a link to a site used to facilitate authentication of the first communication device; and

associating authentication information with the dialog, thereby enabling the user of the first communication device to engage in authorized communication with the second communication device.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein the site is secure.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein the add-on service module provides at least one of encryption, filtering, and storage of at least a portion of the dialog established between the first communication device and the second communication device.

39. The method according to claim 36, wherein said associating authentication information step comprises:

associating a unique identifier with the dialog;

providing user credentials to the site;

receiving at the communication device an authorization token; and

using the unique identifier and the authorization token to execute an authorized dialog between the first communication device and the second communication device.

40. The method according to claim 39, wherein the communication devices comprise at least one of a computer and a wireless device.

41. The method according to claim 36, wherein the first communication device uses a first dialog based interactive protocol, and the second communication device uses a second dialog based interactive protocol.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the first dialog based interactive protocol and the second dialog based interactive protocol are the same.

43. The method according to claim 41, wherein the first dialog based interactive protocol and the second dialog based interactive protocol are different.

44. A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium, for use in a computer network environment that utilizes at least one dialog based interactive protocol to facilitate communication between a communication device and at least an interactive protocol service provider, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

set, on a hosts file of a communication device, the internet protocol address of a server providing a dialog based interactive protocol service to be a loopback address;

return the loopback address, stored in the hosts file, associated with the dialog based interactive protocol server, to a client operative with the communication device and associated with the dialog based interactive protocol;

enable the client to open a connection with the loopback address;

establish communication between the client and an add-on services module operative with the communication device; and

establish a communication link between the interactive protocol server and the add-on services module.

45. The computer program product according to claim 44, wherein the loopback address is an internet protocol address of 127.0.0.1.

46. A computing device using at least one software module that facilitates the use of at least one dialog based interactive protocol to facilitate communication between a communication device and an interactive protocol service provider, said computing device comprising:

at least one memory area; and

at least one processor that uses the at least one software module to (i) set, on a hosts file of the communication device, the internet protocol address of a server providing the dialog based interactive protocol service to be a loopback address, (ii) return the loopback address, stored in the hosts file, associated with the dialog based interactive protocol server, to a client operative with the communication device and associated with the dialog based interactive protocol, (iii) use the client to open a connection with the loopback address, (iv) establish communication between the client and an add-on service module operative with the communication device, and (v) establish a communication link between the interactive protocol sever and the add-on services module.

47. The computing device according to claim 46, wherein said at least one processor further uses the at least one software module to provide at least one of encryption, filtering, and storage of at least a portion of a dialog established between the communication device and the interactive protocol service provider.

48. The computing device according to claim 46, wherein the loopback address is 127.0.0.1.

49. A method of enabling authorized communication between a first communication device associated with a first entity and a second communication device associated with a second entity, comprising:

establishing a dialog session, using at least one dialog based interactive protocol, between the first communication device and the second communication device;

transmitting to the second communication device a link to a site used to authenticate the second communication device; and

using authentication information associated with the dialog to enable the second communication device to engage in authorized communication with the first communication device.

50. A system using at least one dialog based interactive protocol to facilitate authorized communication between a first communication device associated with a first entity, and a second communication device associated with a second entity, comprising:

means for establishing a dialog session between the first communication device and the second communication device;

means for routing communications between said establishing means and the first communication device; and

means for communicating with said routing means, said means for communicating associating a unique identifier and an associated authorization token received from the first entity with an interactive dialog between the first communication device and the second communication device, thereby enabling authorized communication between the first and second communication devices.

51. A device that provides an interface between a first communication device associated with a first entity and second communication device associated with a second entity, said device comprising:

at least one memory area; and

at least one processor that (i) transmits to the second communication device a link to a site used to authenticate a user of the second communication device; and

(ii) uses authentication information associated with the dialog to enable the user to engage in authorized communication with the first communication device.

52. A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium, for use in a computer network environment that provides authorized communication between a first communication device and a second communication device, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

establish a dialog session, using at least one dialog based interactive protocol, with an external communication device;

receive a link to a site used to authenticate the communication device; and

transmit to the site authentication information to be associated with the dialog, so as to enable authorized communication with the external communication device.