Method and apparatus for personalization and identity management

• US 20050137981A1
• Filed: 07/13/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Maes, Stephane H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,051,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• 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: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for personalization and identity management. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving, from an access provider, a message for a service provider, the message associated with a first identifier of a user of the access provider. A second identifier is obtained, the first identifier is disassociated from the message, and the second identifier is associated with the message. The message associated with the second identifier is then sent to the service provider.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from an access provider, a message for a service provider, the message associated with a first identifier of a user of the access provider;

obtaining a second identifier;

disassociating the first identifier from the message;

associating the message with the second identifier; and

sending the message associated with the second identifier to the service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second message, associated with the second identifier, from the service provider;

disassociating the second identifier from the second message;

associating the first identifier with the second message;

sending the second message associated with the first identifier to the access provider.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving personalization information associated with the second identifier;

sending a subset of the personalization information to the service provider.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein sending the personalization information is in response to receiving a request from the service provider to access the portion of the personalization information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the request from the service provider comprises receiving a request from the service provider to obtain a cookie, the request associated with the second identifier.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein sending the personalization information comprises receiving authorization from the user to send the personalization information.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein sending the personalization information comprises determining the personalization information may be shared with the service provider.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the personalization information comprises one or more of user preferences related to the service provider and generic user preferences.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the personalization information comprises account information.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the personalization information comprises payment information.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the personalization information comprises application settings.

12. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving, from the access provider, a second message for a second service provider, the second message associated with the first identifier;

disassociating the first identifier from the second message;

associating the second message with the second identifier;

sending the second message associated with the second identifier to the second service provider; and

sending a second subset of the personalization information to the service provider.

13. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving, from the access provider a second message for a second service provider, the second message associated with the first identifier;

disassociating the first identifier from the second message;

obtaining a third identifier;

associating the second message with the third identifier;

sending the second message associated with the third identifier to the second service provider; and

sending a second subset of the personalization information to the service provider.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving personalization information;

associating the personalization information with the second identifier; and

storing the personalization information associated with the second identifier.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving personalization information comprises receiving personalization information from the user.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving personalization information comprises receiving a cookie from the service provider.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving personalization information comprises receiving one or more of user device characteristics, user device capabilities, user device settings, and user device addresses.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving personalization information comprises receiving at least one user preference.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating a session to the second identifier;

associating the message to the session;

evaluating the message for session management information, the session management information including data representing a state of the interaction between the user and the service provider;

receiving one or more additional messages, from the access provider, for the service provider, the one or more additional messages associated with the first identifier;

for each of the additional messages for the service provider, received from the access provider associating the additional messages to the session, and evaluating each of the additional messages for session management information; and

storing the session management information.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving, from a second access provider, a second message for the service provider, the second message associated with a third identifier for the user;

determining the third identifier is mapped to the first identifier;

disassociating the third identifier from the message;

associating the second message with the second identifier; and

sending the second message associated with the second identifier to the service provider.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining the second identifier is associated with the session;

retrieving the session management information associated with the session; and

sending the session management information to the service provider.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a second access provider, a second message for the service provider, the second message associated with a third identifier for a user;

determining the third identifier is mapped to the first identifier;

disassociating the third identifier from the message;

associating the second message with the second identifier; and

sending the second message associated with the second identifier to the service provider.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving the message for the service provider comprises receiving the message at a first identity provider, and wherein receiving the second message for the service comprises receiving the second message at a second identity provider, and wherein determining the third identifier is mapped to the first identifier comprises accessing, from the second identity provider, a data storage including user identification mappings mapping user addresses for the first access provider to user addresses for the second access provider.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the second identifier comprises determining the first identifier is mapped to the second identifier.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the second identifier comprises obtaining a new identification for the user

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating the second identifier; and

wherein sending the message comprises sending the message with an indication the second identifier has been authenticated.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the message comprises receiving the message from a mobile network operator (MNO).

28. The method of claim 27, wherein first identifier is an MSISDN.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the message from the access provider comprises receiving the message from a wireless network provider.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the wireless network provider is one of a provider of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), WiFi, 2.5G, FOMA, UMTS, CDMA, and EDGE.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the service provider is a payment provider, the method further comprising:

receiving a request to authorize a payment amount, the request associated with the second identifier;

providing the authorization to the payment provider.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising transmitting the payment amount to the access provider.

33. A method comprising:

receiving, from a mobile network operator, a message for a service provider, the message associated with a MSISDN of a user;

obtaining an identifier;

authenticating the identifier;

disassociating the MSISDN from the message;

associating the message with the identifier;

sending the message associated with the identifier to the service provider with an indication the identifier has been authenticated; and

sending personalization information indicating preferences of the user to the service provider.

34. A method comprising:

receiving, from a service provider, a message for a user, the message associated with the a first identifier;

determining the first identifier is mapped to a second identifier of the user for an access provider;

disassociating the first identifier from the message;

associating the second identifier with the second message;

sending the second message associated with the first identifier to the access provider.

35. A system comprising:

an identity component, configured to disassociate a first identifier of a user from a message received from an access provider, obtain a second identifier for the user; and

to associate the second identifier with the message;

an authentication component, configured to authenticate the second identifier, and to associate an indication with the message the second identifier has been authenticated;

a communications interface to send the message associated with the second identifier and the indication to the service provider.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the identity manager further comprises:

a personalization manager to track user personalization information and to send at least a subset of the personalization information to the service provider; and

data storage to store the personalization information.

37. The system of claim 35, further comprising:

a session manager to track session management information, the session management information including information indicating a state of the interaction between the user and the service provider; and

a data storage to store the session management information.