CUSTOMIZABLE SIGN-ON SERVICE

• US 20100263037A1
• Filed: 06/28/2010
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peter Sirota
• Original Assignee: Peter Sirota
• Inventors: Sirota, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,108,922 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• 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 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

Techniques are described for providing customizable sign-on functionality, such as via an access manager system that provides single sign-on functionality and other functionality to other services for use with those services'"'"' users. The access manager system may maintain various sign-on and other account information for various users, and provide single sign-on functionality for those users using that maintained information on behalf of multiple unrelated services with which those users interact. The access manager may allow a variety of types of customizations to single sign-on functionality and/or other functionality available from the access manager, such as on a per-service basis via configuration by an operator of the service, such as co-branding customizations, customizations of information to be gathered from users, customizations of authority that may be delegated to other services to act on behalf of users, etc., and with the customizations that are available being determined specifically for that service.

Claims

1-36. -36. (canceled)

37. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose stored contents configure a computing device to enable customized interactions with users, by performing a method comprising:

receiving one or more indications of multiple types of customization that are available to a requester for use with a process involving interactions with users, the indicated customization types being identified based at least in part on information specific to the requester;

providing one or more indications of one or more customizations of the sign-on process that are selected for use with the users, the selected customizations each being of one of the indicated customization types, the providing of the one or indications being performed by the configured computing device; and

after each of the users successfully completes a process involving one or more interactions that are customized in accordance with the indicated customizations, receiving an indication of the successful completion of the process by the user.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the requester is an operator of a service, wherein the interactions with the users involve access to the service, and wherein the indicated customization types are identified based at least in part on information specific to the service.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the indicated customization types include one or more types of co-branding customizations and one or more types of other customizations.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the process involving interactions with users is a process of gathering indicated types of information from the users.

41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the configured computing device operates on behalf of a sign-on service that provides sign-on capabilities to users of multiple services, and wherein the process involving interactions with users is a process of performing sign-on of the users to the sign-on service.

42. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 41 wherein the requester is a first service distinct from the sign-on service, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an indication that customized use of the sign-on service is requested on behalf of the first service;

determining the multiple types of customization that are available for the customized sign-on process of the first service based at least in part on information specific to the first service;

sending the one or more indications of the multiple customization types that are received; and

after receiving the provided one or more indications of the one or more selected customizations of the sign-on process, providing to each of multiple users of the first service a sign-on process on behalf of the first service that is customized in accordance with the selected customizations.

43. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the process involving interactions with users includes providing one or more customized Web pages to the users.

44. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the process involving interactions with users includes providing one or more customized email messages to the users.

45. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory of the configured computing device.

47. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the contents are instructions that when executed program the computing device to perform the method.

48. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the contents include one or more data structures for use in customizing the interactions with the users, the data structure comprising multiple entries that each correspond to one of the multiple indicated customization types and contain information comprising one or more customization options of the customization type.

46. (canceled)

49-53. -53. (canceled)

54. A computer-implemented method for enabling customized interactions with users, the method comprising:

receiving one or more indications of multiple types of customization that are available to a requester for use with a process involving interactions with users, the indicated customization types being identified based at least in part on information specific to the requester;

providing one or more indications of one or more customizations of the sign-on process that are selected for use with the users, the selected customizations each being of one of the indicated customization types, the providing of the one or indications being performed by at least one of one or more configured computing systems; and

after each of the users successfully completes a process involving one or more interactions that are customized in accordance with the indicated customizations, receiving an indication of the successful completion of the process by the user, the receiving of the indication being performed by at least one of the one or more configured computing systems.

55. The method of claim 54 wherein the requester is an operator of a service, wherein the interactions with the users involve access to the service, wherein the one or more customizations are selected by the requester, and wherein the indicated customization types are identified based at least in part on information specific to the service.

56. The method of claim 54 wherein the indicated customization types include one or more types of co-branding customizations and one or more types of other customizations.

57. The method of claim 54 wherein the process involving interactions with users is a process of gathering indicated types of information from the users.

58. The method of claim 54 wherein the one or more configured computing systems operate on behalf of a sign-on service that provides sign-on capabilities to users of multiple other services, and wherein the process involving interactions with users is a process of performing sign-on of the users to the sign-on service.

59. The method of claim 58 wherein the requester is a first service distinct from the sign-on service, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an indication that customized use of the sign-on service is requested on behalf of the first service;

determining the multiple types of customizations that are available for the customized sign-on process of the first service based at least in part on information specific to the first service;

sending the one or more indications of the multiple customization types that are received; and

after receiving the provided one or more indications of the one or more selected customizations of the sign-on process, providing to each of multiple users of the first service a sign-on process on behalf of the first service that is customized in accordance with the selected customizations.

60. The method of claim 54 wherein the process involving interactions with users includes at least one of providing one or more customized Web pages to the users and of providing one or more customized email messages to the users.

61. A system configured to enable customized interactions with users, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more modules configured to, when executed by the one or more processors,

receive one or more indications of multiple types of customization that are available to a requester for use with a process involving interactions with users, the indicated customization types being identified based at least in part on information specific to the requester;

provide one or more indications of one or more customizations of the sign-on process that are selected for use with the users, the selected customizations each being of one of the indicated customization types; and

after each of the users successfully completes a process involving one or more interactions that are customized in accordance with the indicated customizations, receive an indication of the successful completion of the process by the user.

62. The system of claim 61 wherein the requester is an operator of a service, wherein the interactions with the users involve access to the service, wherein the one or more customizations are selected by the requester, and wherein the indicated customization types are identified based at least in part on information specific to the service.

63. The system of claim 62 wherein the indicated customization types include one or more types of co-branding customizations and one or more types of other customizations.

64. The system of claim 63 wherein the process involving interactions with users is a process of gathering indicated types of information from the users.

65. The system of claim 61 wherein the configured system includes one or more computing systems that operate on behalf of a sign-on service to provide sign-on capabilities to users of multiple other services, and wherein the process involving interactions with users is a process of performing sign-on of the users to the sign-on service.

66. The system of claim 65 wherein the requester is a first service distinct from the sign-on service, and wherein the one or more modules are further configured to:

receive an indication that customized use of the sign-on service is requested on behalf of the first service;

determine the multiple types of customizations that are available for the customized sign-on process of the first service based at least in part on information specific to the first service;

send the one or more indications of the multiple customization types that are received; and

after receiving the provided one or more indications of the one or more selected customizations of the sign-on process, provide to each of multiple users of the first service a sign-on process on behalf of the first service that is customized in accordance with the selected customizations.

67. The system of claim 61 wherein the one or more modules each include software instructions for execution by at least one of the one or more processors.

68. The system of claim 61 wherein the one or more modules consists of a means for receiving one or more indications of multiple types of customization that are available to a requester for use with a process involving interactions with users, the indicated customization types being identified based at least in part on information specific to the requester, for providing one or more indications of one or more customizations of the sign-on process that are selected for use with the users, the selected customizations each being of one of the indicated customization types, and for, after each of the users successfully completes a process involving one or more interactions that are customized in accordance with the indicated customizations, receive an indication of the successful completion of the process by the user.