Method and system for account management

• US 20070078785A1
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Opendesign Inc (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Opendesign Inc (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Jung, Edward, Knight, Holly, Bush, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 9,171,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/72
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A method and system for managing accounts that control access to resources of different providers. The account management system allows providers to use a common logon procedure through an account management server. The account management system dynamically creates accounts when users request to access resources. To access to a resource, a user provides their credentials (e.g., user identifier and password) through a certain location (e.g., client computer) and identifies the resource (e.g., application). The account management system determines whether an account has already been created for those credentials. If not, the account management system authenticates the user, creates a new account for those credentials (i.e., registration), and associates the identified resource with the account.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for identifying common accounts, the method comprising:

assigning a first user identifier to a first account, the first account being associated with a first node;

assigning a second user identifier to a second account, the second account being associated with a second node;

receiving a request from the second node that includes the first user identifier, when the first account is not already associated to the second node,

determining whether the first and second accounts represent the same account; and

when it is determined that the first and second accounts represent the same account, combining the first and second accounts into a single account.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining includes requesting a user to indicate whether the first and second accounts represent the same account.

3. The method of claim 2 including identifying the second account to the user by specifying a user name associated with the second account.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein when the user indicates that the first and second accounts represent the same account, requesting that the user provide credentials associated with the second account.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein each account has a user and the user of the first account is the same as the user of the second account.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each account has a user and the user of the first account is not the same as the user of the second account.

7. A method of claim 1 wherein the combining includes deleting one of the accounts and assigning the user identifier assigned to the deleted account to the remaining account.

8. The method of claim 7 including associating with the remaining account a resource that was associated with the deleted account.

9. The method of claim 1 including:

when it is determined that the first and second accounts do not represent the same account, associating the first account with the second node.

10. A computer-based method of generating a common account, one account being associated with a node, the method comprising:

receiving at the node information relating to an account; and

when the account to which the information is related is not currently associated with the node,

determining whether the account associated with the node and the node not currently associated with the node should be common accounts; and

when it is determined that the accounts should be common accounts, directing the combining the accounts into a single account.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the determining includes requesting a user to indicate whether the accounts are common accounts.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the determining includes identifying the account associated with the node to the user by specifying a user name associated with that account.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein each account is associated with one or more user identifiers.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the information relating to the account is a user identifier associated with the account.

15. The method of claim 10 including determining that the account to which the information is related is not currently associated with the node by receiving an indication of that account from another computer.

16. A method in a computer system for identifying common accounts, the method comprising:

receiving a user identifier from a user;

sending a log on request to a server computer, the request including the received user identifier, but not including an account identifier;

receiving a log on response from the server, the response including an account identifier associated with the received user identifier; and

when the received account identifier does not match an account identifier previously stored at the node, prompting the user to indicate whether the account identified by the received account identifier should be the same account as an account identified by an account identifier previously stored at the node.

17. The method of claim 16 including when the user indicates that the accounts should be common accounts, sending a log on request to the server computer, the request including the received user identifier and an account identifier previously stored at the node.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the prompting occurs only if at least one account identifier was previously stored at the node.

19-73. -73. (canceled)