MANAGING DIGITAL IDENTITY INFORMATION

• US 20110208778A1
• Filed: 04/29/2011
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Robertson, John M., Sabin, Jeffrey Neil, Earl, Douglas G., Perkins, Arn D., Young, Russell T., Sonderegger, Kelly E., Brough, Farrell Lynn, Phillips, Douglas, Sheridan, Robert Michael, Ferguson, Daniel T., Mellmer, Joseph Andrew, Higley, DeeAnne Barker, McDonald, Michael C., Carter, Stephen R., Nazeer, Nadeem Ahmad
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,420 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/783
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

A basic architecture for managing digital identity information in a network such as the World Wide Web is provided. A user of the architecture can organize his or her information into one or more profiles which reflect the nature of different relationships between the user and other entities, and grant or deny each entity access to a given profile. Various enhancements which may be provided through the architecture are also described, including tools for filtering email, controlling access to user web pages, locating other users and making one'"'"'s own location known, browsing or mailing anonymously, filling in web forms automatically with information already provided once by hand, logging in automatically, securely logging in to multiple sites with a single password and doing so from any machine on the network, and other enhancements.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. In a computing system environment, a method for managing digital identity information, comprising:

storing at least one electronic profile comprising identity information of a first user in a first user vault object;

storing at least one electronic profile comprising identity information of a second user in a second user vault object that is different from the first user vault object; and

on completion of an acceptable contact, automatically federating identity information between the first user vault object and the second user vault object whereby read-only access is granted between the first user'"'"'s and the second user'"'"'s respective at least one electronic profiles.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the acceptable contact comprises an accepted request sent between the first user and the second user.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the acceptable contact comprises the first user searching for information of the second user in the second user vault object and adding the second user information to a contacts database.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the contacts database includes only a listing of electronic profiles accessible by the first user.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one electronic profile information for the first user and the second user is displayed on a suitable user interface device as a representation of a card including at least one of textual information and images.

23. The method of claim 18, further including the steps of:

receiving an acceptable second user request for first user identity information;

providing first user identity information to the second user;

creating at least one second user electronic profile comprising at least the first user information provided to the second user, the profile including at least one of text or graphics designated by the first user; and

providing the at least one second user electronic profile to the first user.

24. The method of claim 23, further including the step of storing the at least one second user electronic profile in a first user contacts database.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the first user information includes at least one of a name, an address, a telephone number, an email address, one or more login credentials, and a credit card number.

26. The method of claim 25, further including the step of capturing at least a portion of the first user identity information and storing the captured information in a database for use in logging into a web site of the second user.

27. In a computing system environment, a method for managing digital identity information, comprising:

storing at least one electronic profile comprising identity information of a user in a first vault object;

storing at least one electronic profile comprising information of another entity in a second vault object that is different from the first vault object;

on completion of an acceptable contact between the user and another entity, automatically federating at least a portion of the user identity information and the another entity information across a network.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the user at least one electronic profile is graphically represented on a suitable user interface device as at least one card containing at least one of text and an image.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the user identity information includes at least one of a name, an address, a telephone number, an email address, one or more login credentials, and a credit card number.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the another entity information includes at least a uniform resource locator information of a web site of the another entity.

31. The method of claim 29, further including using at least a portion of the federated user identity information for automatically logging the user into the web site of the another entity.