Method and Apparatus for Processing Authentication Request Message in a Social Network

• US 20110113056A1
• Filed: 05/12/2010
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Ye, Jun, Mo, Jianxiang
• Granted Patent: US 9,544,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

The present disclosure presents a method and apparatus for processing an authentication request message in a social network. In order to resolve the problems of the inefficiency in confirming request to establish social relationship by a user and inadequacy of parameter provided for authentication under existing technologies, the present disclosure provides a method. The method includes: receiving, by a social network server, the authentication request message sent by a first client to a second client to establish a social relationship with the second client; determining, by the social network server, a relationship chain information indicative of an indirect social network relationship between the first client and the second client; and forwarding, by the social network server, the authentication request message and the obtained relationship chain information to the second client, the relationship chain information being used by the second client to authenticate the authentication request message.

Claims

1. A method for processing an authentication request message in social network, the method comprising:

receiving, by a social network server, the authentication request message sent by a first client to a second client to establish a social relationship with the second client;

determining, by the social network server, a relationship chain information indicative of an indirect social network relationship between the first client and the second client; and

forwarding, by the social network server, the authentication request message and the obtained relationship chain information to the second client, the relationship chain information being used by the second client to authenticate the authentication request message.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, by the social network server, the relationship chain information between the first client and the second client based on identification information of the first client and identification information of the second client and a correlation between the identification information of first and second clients and the relationship chain information between the first and second clients.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the method further comprises:

the social network server searching for a keyword in an inverted index;

the social network server locating index records in the inverted index file of which the identification information of the first client and identification information of the second client are keywords; and

the social network server obtaining the relationship chain information between the first client and the second client from the located index records, the inverted index using the identification information of the first and second clients as an index keyword and the relationship chain information between the first and second clients as an index value.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the method further comprises:

the social network server identifying one or more servers storing the identification information of the first client, identification information of the second client, and the corresponding relationship chain information between the first client and the second client, from a plurality of servers storing the identification information of the first and second clients and corresponding relationship chain information between the first and second clients based on the identification information of the first client and identification information of the second client; and

the social network server obtaining the relationship chain information between the first client and the second client from the identified one or more servers.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein, after receiving the authentication request message sent by a first client to a second client to establish a social relationship with the second client, the method further comprises:

sending, by the social network server, the obtained relationship chain information between the first client and the second client to the second client when the social network server obtains the relationship chain information between the first client and the second client; and

sending, by the social network server, a blank relationship chain information to the second client when the social network server does not obtain a relationship chain information between the first client and the second client.

6. An apparatus for processing an authentication request message in social network, the apparatus comprising:

an acquisition module that obtains a relationship chain information indicative of an indirect social network relationship between a first client and a second client after obtaining the authentication request message sent by the first client to the second client to establish a social relationship with the second client; and

a sending module that forwards the authentication request message and the obtained relationship chain information to the second client, the relationship chain information being used by the second client to authenticate the authentication request message.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the acquisition module determines the relationship chain information between the first client and the second client based on identification information of the first client and identification information of the second client and corresponding relationship between identification information of the first and second clients and the relationship chain information between the first and second clients.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the acquisition module searches for a keyword in an inverted index, locates index records in the inverted index of which keywords are identification information of the first client and identification information of the second client, and obtains the relationship chain information between the first client and the second client from the located index records, and wherein the inverted index uses the identification information of the first and second clients as an index keyword and the relationship chain information between the first and second clients as an index value.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a determination module that, based on the identification information of the first client and the identification information of the second client, determines a server storing the identification information of the first client, the identification information of the second client, and the corresponding relationship chain information between the first client and the second client, from a plurality of servers storing mutually bound identification information of two given clients and corresponding relationship chain information between the two given clients, and wherein the acquisition module obtains the relationship chain information between the first client and the second client from the determined server.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the sending module sends the obtained relationship chain information between the first client and the second client to the second client when the relationship chain information between the first client and the second client is obtained, and wherein the sending module sends a blank relationship chain information to the second client when a relationship chain information between the first client and the second client is not obtained.