System and method for a directory secured user account

• US 20050160276A1
• Filed: 01/16/2004
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Capital One Financial Corporation
• Original Assignee: Capital One Financial Corporation
• Inventors: Braun, Richard A., Overstreet, Matthew L., Radabaugh, Steven D.
• Application Number:
  US10/759,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20050160276A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/185
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A system and method for providing network access includes identifying an available network resource, providing an access token to the available network resource, tracking the access token, and terminating the access token.

Claims

1. A method for providing network access comprising:

identifying an available network resource, the network resource coupled to a network;

providing an access token to the available network resource, the access token operable to allow an application of the available network resource to access a portion of the network;

tracking the status of the access token; and

terminating the access token.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the available network resource is a computer terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the available network resource is a server.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the available network resource is a sub-group server.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the available network resource is a super-group server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is an intranet.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is an extranet.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is the Internet.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the access token to the resource comprises providing a user identification and password to the internet protocol address of the resource.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the access token to the resource comprises providing access to the application of the available network resource, the application operable to perform a specified task by an administrator.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the network comprises at least a second resource coupled to the network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least a second resource comprises a super-group.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least a second resource comprises a sub-group.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least a second resource comprises all resources coupled to the network.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the available network resource is located in the super-group.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the available network resource is located in the sub-group.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a task associated with the access token, wherein the completion of the task terminates the access token.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising storing a task status for the task associated with the access token.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the status of the access token comprises storing the status of the access token in a database.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the status of the access token comprises the application using the access token.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the status of the access token comprises the internet protocol address of the available network resource to which the access token was provided.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein terminating the access token comprises revoking the access provided by the access token.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the status of the access token after the access token is terminated.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein an available network resource comprises a resource coupled to the network that has unused processing capability.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the available network resource further comprises a network resource used simultaneously by a user, the user having an access level unrelated to the access token.

26. A directory user secured account system, comprising:

an access token, the access token operable to provide access to at least a portion of a network;

an administrator, the administrator operable to identify at least one available network resource, provide the access token to the at least one available network resource, and store a status corresponding to the access token; and

a database, the database operable to maintain the stored status corresponding to the access token.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the access token is operable to allow an application resident on the at least one available network resource to access the at least a portion of the network.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the at least one available network resource is coupled to a super-group, coupled to the administrator via the network.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one available network resource is coupled to a sub-group, the sub-group coupled to the super-group.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least a portion of the network comprises the super-group.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the at least a portion of the network comprises the subgroup.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein the access token comprises a unique user identifier, the user identifier operable to track the application'"'"'s access to the network.

33. The system of claim 26, wherein the administrator comprises an application resident on an administrator, the administrator coupled to the network.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the database is coupled to the administrator, the administrator further operable to direct the database to maintain the status of the access token.

35. The system of claim 26, wherein the at least one available network resource comprises a terminal coupled to the network, the terminal comprising a processor having available processing capability.

36. The system of claim 26, wherein maintaining the stored status corresponding to the access token comprises storing the access token according to the unique identifier.

37. The system of claim 27, wherein the access token is operable to expire in a pre-determined length of time.

38. The system of claim 27, wherein the access token is operable to expire at the conclusion of a pre-defined event.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the pre-determined event comprises the completion or a task assigned to the application resident on the at least one available network resource.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the task comprises a file search on the portion of the network.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the task comprises processing data stored on the portion of the network.

42. A system for a directory secured user account, comprising:

an access management module operable to generate at least one access token, each of the at least one access tokens comprising a unique identifier;

a resource communication module operable to transmit the at least one access token to a resource coupled to the network; and

a token management module operable to maintain the status of the at least one access token and the resource.

43. The system of claim 42, further comprising a database, the database operable to store the status of the access token and the resource.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the resource communication module is further operable to receive notification from the resource that the resource has available processing capability.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the access management module is further operable to define a portion of the network for access through the access token, the portion of the network corresponding to the location of the resource.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the access management module is further operable to provide the at least one access token automatically upon receipt of notification by the resource communication module.

47. The system of claim 45, wherein the resource communication module is further operable to transmit a task to the resource, wherein the task is specific to a first application resident in the resource, the task capable of performance by the available processing capability.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the resource is concurrently engaged by a user, the user accessing a second application, the second application accessing processing capability separate from the available processing capability.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the resource comprises a server, the server coupled to a super-group, the super-group coupled to the resource communication module via the network.

50. The system of claim 47, wherein the resource comprises a server, the server coupled to a sub-group, the sub-group coupled to a super-group via a sub-network, the super-group coupled to the resource communication module via the network.

51. The system of claim 47, wherein the resource comprises a terminal, the terminal coupled to the resource communication module via the network.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein the resource is coupled to a super-group, the super-group coupled to the resource communication module via the network.

53. The system of claim 51, wherein the resource is coupled to a sub-group, the sub-group coupled to a super-group via sub-network, the super-group coupled to the resource communication module via the network.

54. The system of claim 48, wherein the user comprises a human operator, wherein the human operator has an access level unrelated to the access through the access token.

55. The system of claim 48, wherein the user comprises a second resource, wherein the second resource has an access level unrelated to the access through the access token.

56. The system of claim 47, wherein the database is further operable to store the status of the task provided to the resource.