Device Authority for Authenticating a User of an Online Service

• US 20100325040A1
• Filed: 06/03/2010
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Uniloc Luxembourg S.à r.l. (f/k/a Uniloc Luxembourg S.A.) (Uniloc Corporation Pty. Limited)
• Original Assignee: Uniloc Luxembourg S.à r.l. (f/k/a Uniloc Luxembourg S.A.) (Uniloc Corporation Pty. Limited)
• Inventors: Etchegoyen, Craig Stephen
• Application Number:
  US12/792,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20100325040A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks

Abstract

A method for authenticating a user of a third party online service includes steps for receiving a device identifier and registration information from a client device of the user, the registration information comprising data that links the device identifier with a third-party account, gathering reputational information regarding the third-party account from one or more reputational sources, associating the reputational information with the device identifier, verifying, in response to receiving a reputation request regarding the third-party account, a request source of the reputation request, and providing, in response to verification of the request source, the reputational information to the request source. The method may be executed by a device authority, such as a computer server, operating through a computer network.

Claims

1. A method, at a device authority, for authenticating a user of a third party online service, comprising steps for:

receiving a device identifier and registration information from a client device of the user, the registration information comprising data that links the device identifier with at least one third-party account;

gathering reputational information regarding the at least one third-party account from one or more reputational sources;

associating the reputational information with the device identifier;

verifying, in response to receiving a reputation request regarding the at least one third-party account, a request source of the reputation request; and

providing, in response to verification of the request source, the reputational information to the request source.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathering step comprises obtaining a credit score regarding a credit score regarding the user and associating the credit score with the device identifier.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the credit score comprises a FICO score.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein gathering comprises obtaining any credit scores previously associated with the device identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein gathering comprises receiving the reputational information from the service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reputation request comprises the device identifier of the client device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request source comprises the service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reputational information comprises a warning about the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the warning comprises instructions to ban at least one of the at least one third-party account and the client device.

10. A method, at an online service provider, for authenticating a user of a third party online service, comprising:

sending a reputation request for reputational information regarding a service account to a device authority, the request comprising a device identifier associated with the service account;

receiving, in response to the device authority verifying the reputation request, the reputational information; and

providing for display the reputational information regarding the service account to one or more other users of the service.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the reputational information comprises receiving at least one credit score associated with the device identifier.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the reputational information comprises receiving the reputational information from the device authority.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the reputational information comprises receiving the reputational information from a remote a server associated with the device authority.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the reputational information comprises a warning about the user.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising banning at least one of the service account and a client device associated with the device identifier.

16. A system for authenticating a user of a third party online service, comprising:

a server connected to a computer network, the server being adapted to provide functions of;

receiving a device identifier and a registration information from a client device of the user, the registration information comprising data that links the device identifier with at least one third-party account;

gathering reputational information regarding the at least one third-party account from one or more reputational sources;

associating the reputational information with the device identifier;

verifying, in response to receiving a reputation request regarding the at least one third-party account, a request source of the reputation request; and

providing, in response to verification of the request source, the reputational information to the request source.