Method and device for authenticating a user on a remote server

• US 20040181674A1
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Theimer, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 7,502,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

A method is provided for authenticating a user (10) on a remote server (16a, 16b, 16c) of a network (18), comprising the steps of receiving an authentication request firm said remote server (16a, 16b, 16c) of said network (18) by a terminal device (14), retrieving authentication key firm a personal trusted device (12) in which a plurality of network addresses of remote servers (16a, 16b, 16c) and corresponding authentication keys are stored in a database, and displaying said authentication key to the user (10) on said personal trusted device (12).

Claims

1. Method for authenticating a user (10) on a remote server (16a, 16b, 16c) of a network (18), comprising the steps of

receiving an authentication request from said remote server (16a, 16b, 16c) of said network (18) by a terminal device (14),

transmitting the network address of said remote server (16a, 16b, 16c) to a personal trusted device (12),

retrieving a respective authentication key from said personal trusted device (12), wherein a plurality of network addresses of remote servers (16a, 16b, 16c) and corresponding authentication keys are stored in a database of said personal trusted device (12), and

displaying said authentication key to the user (10) on said personal trusted device (12).

2. Method according to claim 1, where said authentication keys are a user login name and a password.

3. Method according to claim 1, where said authentication key is a personal identification number (PIN).

4. Method according to any of the preceding claims, where said network addresses are uniform resource locations (URLs) or uniform resource identifiers (URIs).

5. Method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising the step of encrypting said network addresses and authentication keys before storing in said database on said personal trusted device (12), and a step of decrypting said authentication key retrieved from said database on said personal trusted device (12) before displaying it to the user (10) on said personal trusted device (12).

6. Method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising the step of requesting the user'"'"'s (10) authentication before starting the authentication key retrieval.

7. Method according to any of the preceding claims, where the authentication key retrieval is closed automatically, if it remains inactive for a predetermined period of time.

8. Computer program comprising program code means for performing all the steps of any one of the preceding claims, when said program is run on a computer or a mobile terminal device.

9. Computer program according to claim 8, implemented as a Java applet.

10. Computer program product comprising program code means stored on a computer readable medium for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, when said program product is run on a computer or a mobile terminal device.

11. Personal trusted device comprising

a storage means (12a) for storing a plurality of network addresses and respective authentication keys in a database,

an authentication key retrieval means (12b) for retrieving a respective authentication key from said database upon entry of a network address,

wherein the authentication retrieval means (12b) is connectable to a terminal device from where the network address of a remote server (16a, 16b, 16c) can be transmitted to said personal trusted device (12), whereupon said authentication key retrieval means (12b) retrieves the corresponding authentication key, and

a display (12c) for displaying said retrieved authentication key.

12. Personal trusted device according to claim 11, being a mobile terminal device.

13. Personal rusted device according to claim 11 or 12, being a paging terminal device.

14. Communication network comprising

at least one terminal device (14),

an access point in communication for said terminal device (14) and forming part of a network (18),

and a personal trusted device (12) comprising

a storage means (12a) for storing a plurality of network addresses and respective authentication keys in a database,

an authentication key retrieval means (12b) for retrieving a respective authentication key from said database upon entry of a network address,

wherein upon transmitting the network address of a remote server (16a, 16b, 16c) to said personal trusted device (12) said personal trusted device (12) operates said authentication key retrieval means (12b) to retrieve the corresponding authentication key, and

a display (12c) for displaying said retrieved authentication key.

15. Communication network according to claim 14, where said terminal device (14) is connected to said personal trusted device (12).

16. Communication network according to claim 15, where said terminal device (14) is connected to said personal terminal device (12) by a wired link.

17. Communication network according to claim 15, where said terminal device (14) has a wireless connection to said personal trusted device (12).

18. Communication network according to claim 17, where said terminal device (14) is connected to said personal terminal device (12) by a bluetooth connection.

19. Communication network according to claim 17, where said terminal device (14) is connected to said personal terminal device (12) by an infrared (IR) connection.

20. Communication network according to claim 17, where said terminal device (14) is connected to said personal terminal device (12) by an ultraviolet (UV) connection.