IDENTITY MANAGEMENT VIA CLOUD

• US 20110302630A1
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Welingkar, Bharat, NAIR, Jiji
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• 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: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

A system and method of maintaining a user profile for a handheld computer in a shared, scalable computing resource is described. The method includes receiving user profile data from the handheld computer at the shared, scalable computing resource, the user profile data comprising a user security factor. The user profile data is received via a secure wireless communication protocol having authentication of an identity of the handheld computer. The method includes storing the user profile data on the shared, scalable computing resource as a portion of a user profile, the user profile further comprising user preference data. The method further includes receiving the user security factor from a second computing device. The user security factor is received via a secure wireless communication protocol having authentication of an identity of the second computing device. The method further includes downloading user preference data to the second computing device.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining a user profile for a handheld computer in a shared, scalable computing resource, comprising:

receiving user profile data from the handheld computer at the shared, scalable computing resource, the user profile data comprising a user security factor, wherein the user profile data is received via a secure wireless communication protocol having authentication of an identity of the handheld computer;

storing the user profile data on the shared, scalable computing resource as a portion of a user profile, the user profile further comprising user preference data;

receiving the user security factor from a second computing device, wherein the user security factor is received via a secure wireless communication protocol having authentication of an identity of the second computing device; and

downloading user preference data to the second computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user security factor comprises an email address, wherein the computing resource is configured to store only one user profile associated with the email address.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile data is received from the handheld computer via a wireless communication network operated by a first wireless carrier, wherein the user identifier and password are received from the second computing device via a wireless communication network operated by a second wireless carrier different than the first wireless carrier.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from a user selections of a plurality of applications operable on the handheld computer, storing identifiers of the user selections in the user profile, and downloading the plurality of applications to the second computing device in response to receiving the user security factor from the second computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computing device is a printer or a digital picture frame.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing at least one of credit card information, bank account information, and billing information in the user profile.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request to manage a resource associated with the user account and executing the request.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving data indicating a maximum number of devices that may be associated with the user profile and storing the number in the user account.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing device identifier data and a plurality of device characteristics for each of a plurality of different devices in the user profile.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the device characteristics comprise a different wireless carrier for each of the plurality of different devices.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user security factor comprises a user name and a user password.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user preference data comprises at least one of an email address, a security question/answer, a billing address, a mailing address, a list of bookmarks, a list of favorites, a screen color or a background photo.

13. A system for maintaining a user profile for a handheld computer in a shared, scalable computing system, comprising:

a shared, scalable computing system configured to receive user profile data from the handheld computer, the user profile data comprising a user security factor, wherein the user profile data is received via a secure wireless communication protocol having authentication of an identity of the handheld computer, to store the user profile data as a portion of a user profile, the user profile further comprising user preference data, to receive the user security factor from a second computing device, wherein the user security factor is received via a secure wireless communication protocol having authentication of an identity of the second computing device, and to download user preference data to the second computing device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each of the handheld computer and the second computing device comprise a circuit configured to store and communicate an authentication key to be used by the shared, scalable computing resource to authenticate the identities of the handheld computer and the second computing device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable media configured to store machine-executable instructions to implement a method comprising:

receiving user profile data from a handheld computer at a shared, scalable computing resource, the user profile data comprising a user security factor, wherein the user profile data is received via a secure wireless communication protocol having authentication of an identity of the handheld computer;

storing the user profile data on the shared, scalable computing resource as a portion of a user profile, the user profile further comprising user preference data;

receiving the user security factor from a second computing device, wherein the user security factor is received via a secure wireless communication protocol having authentication of an identity of the second computing device; and

downloading user preference data to the second computing device.