METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REGISTERING A PRESENCE USER WITH A PRESENCE SERVICE

• US 20100217982A1
• Filed: 11/16/2009
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Brown, Robert William, O'Rourke, Connor Patrick, Buffam, Bruce Eric
• Granted Patent: US 8,452,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

A method, performed by a registrar of a presence service, for registering a user with a presence service. The method entails negotiating a key with a client device operated by the user in order to establish an encrypted communications channel between the client device and the registrar via a proxy node, authenticating the user by exchanging messages through the encrypted communications channel and through a separate e-mail channel, binding a universally unique identifier identifying the user with one particular function node that is interposed between the proxy node and a publish-subscribe subsystem of the presence service and creating a user profile for the user and storing the user profile in a persistent data store.

Claims

1. A method of registering with a presence system, the method comprising:

negotiating a key with a registrar in order to establish an encrypted communications channel between a client device and the registrar via a proxy node; and

authenticating the user with the registrar by exchanging messages through the encrypted communications channel and through a separate e-mail channel to thereby enable the registrar to creating a user profile for the user and to bind the client device with one particular function node of the presence service for subsequently exchanging presence data.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein authenticating comprises:

transmitting to the registrar from the client device a token request with an e-mail address associated with the client device as a user identifier;

receiving a token response from the registrar via the encrypted communications channel while separately receiving an e-mail token via the separate e-mail channel;

sending the e-mail token back to the registrar through the encrypted communications channel to authenticate the e-mail address as belonging to the user; and

receiving via the encrypted communications channel an authentication acknowledgement from the registrar containing a universally unique identifier (UUID).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting a new token request from a new device having a new mobile device identifier, the token request comprising the e-mail address used in association with the device previously used by the user; and

receiving from the registrar the universally unique identifier and a subscription list stored in the persistent data store.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 further comprising revoking the authorization and key for each contact, thus inciting each contact to request re-authorization and to obtain a new key.

5. A wireless communications device for registering with a presence service, the device comprising:

a processor coupled to memory for executing a presence registration client, the presence registration client being programmed to interact with a radiofrequency transceiver on the device to;

negotiate a key with a registrar of the presence service in order to establish an encrypted communications channel between the device and the registrar; and

authenticate a user of the device with the registrar by exchanging messages through the encrypted communications channel and through a separate e-mail channel to thereby enable the registrar to creating a user profile for the user and to bind the client device with one particular function node of the presence service for subsequently exchanging presence data.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5 wherein the presence registration client is programmed to:

transmit to the registrar from the device a token request with an e-mail address associated with the device as a user identifier;

receive a token response from the registrar via the encrypted communications channel while separately receiving an e-mail token via the separate e-mail channel;

send the e-mail token back to the registrar through the encrypted communications channel to authenticate the e-mail address as belonging to the user; and

receive via the encrypted communications channel an authentication acknowledgement from the registrar containing a universally unique identifier (UUID).

7. A machine-readable medium comprising code which when loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device is programmed to cause the device to:

negotiate a key with a registrar of the presence service in order to establish an encrypted communications channel between the device and the registrar; and

authenticate a user of the device with the registrar by exchanging messages through the encrypted communications channel and through a separate e-mail channel to thereby enable the registrar to creating a user profile for the user and to bind the client device with one particular function node of the presence service for subsequently exchanging presence data.

8. The machine-readable medium as claimed in claim 7 wherein the presence client is programmed to:

transmit to the registrar from the device a token request with an e-mail address associated with the device as a user identifier;

receive a token response from the registrar via the encrypted communications channel while separately receiving an e-mail token via the separate e-mail channel;

send the e-mail token back to the registrar through the encrypted communications channel to authenticate the e-mail address as belonging to the user; and

receive via the encrypted communications channel an authentication acknowledgement from the registrar containing a universally unique identifier (UUID).

9. A method, performed by a registrar of a presence service, for registering a user with a presence service, the method comprising:

negotiating a key with a client device operated by the user in order to establish an encrypted communications channel between the client device and the registrar via a proxy node;

authenticating the user by exchanging messages through the encrypted communications channel and through a separate e-mail channel;

binding a universally unique identifier identifying the user with one particular function node that is interposed between the proxy node and a publish-subscribe subsystem of the presence service; and

creating a user profile for the user and storing the user profile in a persistent data store.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein authenticating comprises:

receiving from the client device a token request with an e-mail address associated with the client device as a user identifier;

transmitting a token response via the encrypted communications channel while separately transmitting an e-mail token via the separate e-mail channel;

receiving the e-mail token back from the device through the encrypted communications channel to authenticate the e-mail address as belonging to the user; and

sending an authentication acknowledgement containing a universally unique identifier (UUID) back to the device via the encrypted communications channel.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein storing the user profile comprises a universally unique identifier (UUID), the e-mail address, a mobile device identifier and a functional node binding.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9 further comprising:

receiving a new token request comprising a new e-mail address and the UUID; and

updating the user profile with the new e-mail address.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9 further comprising:

receiving a new token request comprising a new mobile device identifier and the UUID; and

updating the user profile in the persistent data store with the new mobile device identifier.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9 further comprising:

receiving a new token request from a new device having a new mobile device identifier, the token request comprising the e-mail address used in association with the device previously used by the user;

determining that the universally unique identifier does not correspond to the new mobile device identifier;

updating the user profile in the persistent data store with the new mobile device identifier;

obtaining the subscription list from the persistent data store; and

communicating the universally unique identifier and the subscription list to the new device.

15. A registration server acting as a registrar for registering a user with a presence system, the registration server comprising:

a first communication channel linked to a proxy node for negotiating a key with the client device and for exchange token request and token response messages;

a second communication channel linked to an e-mail server for communicating an e-mail token response to the client device;

a third communication channel for communicating with a presence function node for binding a universally unique identifier assigned to the client device with the function node for subsequent presence messaging; and

a fourth communication channel for communicating with a persistent data store for storing a user profile at the persistent data store.