AUTHENTICATION AND AUTHORIZATION OF USER AND ACCESS TO NETWORK RESOURCES USING OPENID

• US 20110225637A1
• Filed: 03/10/2010
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Counterman, Raymond C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,646,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A method includes receiving by an OpenID network device a user log in; logging in, by the OpenID network device, the user to an OpenID account; receiving, by the OpenID network device and from a third party service provider network device, a request to authenticate the user and a request to receive user data associated with the user; providing, by the OpenID network device, a user interface to an end device to allow the user to confirm his/her sign-in to the third party service provider network device and release of the user data; receiving, by the OpenID network device, a confirmation with regard to the user'"'"'s sign-in to the third party service provider network device and release of the user data; and sending, by the OpenID network device and to the third party service provider network device, a message indicating that the user is authenticated and the user data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by an OpenID network device and from an end device, a user log in;

logging in, by the OpenID network device, the user to an OpenID account;

receiving, by the OpenID network device and from a third party service provider network device, a request to authenticate the user and a request to receive user data associated with the user;

providing, by the OpenID network device, a user interface to the end device to allow the user to confirm his/her sign-in to the third party service provider network device and confirm a release of the user data;

receiving, by the OpenID network device and from the end device, a confirmation with regard to the user'"'"'s sign-in to the third party service provider network device and the release of the user data; and

sending, by the OpenID network device and to the third party service provider network device, a message including an indication that the user is authenticated and the user data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the third party service provider network device and to a network operator network with which the user is a subscriber, a request to utilize resources of the network operator network, wherein the request includes the user data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing, by the network operator network and to the third party service provider network device, a response.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user data includes a mobile phone number of the user and the response includes a location of the user.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the response includes a buddy list associated with the user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

logging on, by the end device to the third party service provider network device, using an OpenID identifier;

discovering, by the third party service provider network device, the OpenID network device; and

causing, by the third party service provider network device, the end device to be redirected to the OpenID network device associated with an OpenID service provider.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, by a network operator network device and from an end device, a log-in of a user to a user account;

providing, by the network operator network device and to the end device, a user interface to allow the user to select an OpenID service provider;

receiving, by the network operator network device and from the end device, a user selection of an OpenID service provider;

causing, by the network operator network device, the end device to be redirected to an OpenID service provider network device associated with the OpenID service provider;

providing, by the network operator network device and to the OpenID service provider network device, a user identifier that identifies the user;

receiving, by the network operator network device and from the OpenID service provider network device, a request for user data associated with the user, wherein the request includes the user identifier;

sending, by the OpenID service provider network device and to the end device, the user data;

receiving, by the OpenID service provider network device and from the end device, an authorization from the user to use the user data or a portion of the user data to create an OpenID service account; and

creating the OpenID service account using the user data or the portion of the user data.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing, by the network operator network device, a web portal to allow the user to log-in to the user account.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the OpenID service provider network device and from the end device, a user request to create an OpenID service account.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

authenticating, by the OpenID service provider network device, the user.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the OpenID service provider network device and from the end device, a user selection to indicate which user data can be used as the user data to create the OpenID service account.

12. A network device comprising:

a processing system configured to;

provide OpenID services;

receive a log-in to an OpenID account by an end device associated with a user;

receive a request to authenticate the user and to receive user data associated with the user from another network device;

provide a user interface to the end device to allow the user to confirm his/her sign-in to the other network device and confirm a release of the user data to the other network device;

receive a confirmation via the user interface with regard to the user'"'"'s sign-in to the other network device and the release of the user data to the other network device; and

send to the other network device a message including an indication that the user is authenticated and the user data.

13. The network device of claim 12, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

cause the end device to be redirected to the other network device once the confirmation is received.

14. The network device of claim 12, wherein the network device comprises an OpenID server.

15. The network device of claim 12, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

retrieve the user data from a user database.

16. A network device comprising:

a processing system configured to;

provide OpenID services;

receive a user identifier of a user from another network device;

receive a request from an end device associated with the user to create an OpenID account;

send a request for user data associated with the user, wherein the request includes the user identifier;

receive the user data;

send a user interface that includes the user data to the user via the end device, wherein the user interface permits the user to authorize use of the user data or a portion of the user data to create the OpenID account;

receive via the user interface an authorization of the user to utilize the user data or the portion of the user data; and

create the OpenID account using the user data or the portion of the user data.

17. The network device of claim 16, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

generate the user interface to permit the user to select particular user data to be utilized to create the OpenID account and permit the user to select particular user data to not be utilized to create the OpenID account.

18. A network device comprising:

a processing system configured to;

provide a service, an asset, information, or a function to users;

provide an OpenID user interface to permit a user to sign-in to OpenID services;

receive via the OpenID user interface an OpenID identifier associated with the user;

discover an OpenID service provider network device associated with the user;

request authentication of the user and user data from the OpenID service provider network device; and

receive authentication of the user and the user data from the OpenID service provider network device.

19. The network device of claim 18, wherein the network device comprises an application server.

20. The network device of claim 18, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

send a request to utilize network resources associated with a network operator network with which the user is a subscriber and is provided network access, wherein the request includes the user data; and

provide the service to the user based on a response from the network operator network.

21. The network device of claim 20, wherein the service comprises providing a map of the user'"'"'s current surroundings and the response includes coordinates of the user.