SYSTEMS, DEVICES, METHODS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR ESTABLISHING NETWORK CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SERVICE PROVIDERS AND APPLICATIONS THAT RUN NATIVELY ON DEVICES

• US 20120036563A1
• Filed: 08/04/2010
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Glasgow, Jay O., Jaskolski, Johannes
• Granted Patent: US 9,560,035 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• 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 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications

Abstract

A login session server is configured to establish a communications session between an application that runs natively on a device and a service that is secured by a web services gateway by supporting a temporary login session socket between the device and the login session server and by passing a login session token to the device over the temporary login session socket. The temporary login session socket can be used to verify that the application that runs natively on the device is authorized to use the services of the service provider. Related systems, devices, methods and computer program products are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a communications session between an application that runs natively on a device and a service that is secured by a web services gateway, the method comprising the following that are performed by the device:

supporting a temporary login session socket between the device and a login session server;

receiving a login session token at the device from the login session server;

accepting a userid and a password for the service;

communicating the userid and password along with the login session token from the device to the web services gateway; and

establishing the communications session between the application that runs natively on the device and the service that is secured by the web services gateway in response to verification by the web services gateway of the userid, the password and the login session token.

2. A method according to claim 1:

wherein supporting a temporary login session socket between the device and a login session server comprises establishing a temporary bidirectional secure socket between the device and the login session server; and

wherein receiving a login session token at the device from the login session server comprises receiving the login session token from the login session server at the device over the temporary bidirectional secure socket.

3. A method according to claim 1 further comprising closing the temporary login session socket in response to the receiving a login session token at the device from the login session server.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein accepting a userid and a password for the service comprises:

presenting at the device a user interface that identifies both the service and the application and that accepts input of the userid and the password; and

accepting the userid and the password that are input to the user interface.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein communicating the userid and password along with the login session token from the device to the web services gateway comprises:

launching a browser at the device;

communicating the userid and the password along with the login session token from the device to the web services gateway using the browser.

6. A method according to claim 5 further comprising closing the browser in response to receipt of the userid and password along with the login session token by the web services gateway.

7. A method according to claim 5 further comprising directly bidirectionally communicating between the application program that runs natively on the device and the web services gateway in response to receipt of the userid and password along with the login session token by the web services gateway.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein establishing the communications session between the application program that runs natively on the device and the service that is secured by the web services gateway in response to verification by the web services gateway of the userid, the password and the login session token comprises:

establishing a bidirectional link between the device and the service in response to verification by the web services gateway of the userid, the password and the login session token; and

allowing the application program that that runs natively on the device to access the service that is secured by the web services gateway over the bidirectional link between the device and the service.

9. A method according to claim 1:

wherein communicating the userid and password along with the login session token from the device to the web services gateway comprises combining the userid, the password and the login session token to produce an application-specific login for the device; and

wherein establishing the communications session between the application that runs natively on the device and the service that is secured by the web services gateway in response to verification by the web services gateway of the userid, the password and the login session token comprises establishing the communications session between the application that runs natively on the device and the service that is secured by the web services gateway in response to verification by the web services gateway of the application-specific login.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein communicating the userid and password along with the login session token from the device to the web services gateway comprises:

communicating the userid and password along with the login session token from the device to a security server; and

communicating the userid and password along with the login session token from the security server to the web services gateway.

11. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the following that is performed prior to communicating the userid and password along with the login session token from the device to the web services gateway:

communicating the userid and password along with the login session token from the login session server to the web services gateway.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein communicating the userid and password along with the login session token from the login session server to the web services gateway comprises:

communicating the userid and password along with the login session token from the login session server to a security server; and

communicating the userid and password along with the login session token from the security server to the web services gateway.

13. A method for establishing a communications session between an application that runs natively on a device and a service that is secured by a web services gateway, the method comprising the following that are performed by a login session server:

establishing a temporary login session socket with the device in response to a request by the device;

sending a login session token to the device over the temporary login session socket in response to verification that the application is authorized to access the service;

closing the temporary login session socket in response to receipt of the login session token by the device; and

communicating the login session token to the web services gateway.

14. A method according to claim 13:

wherein establishing a temporary login session socket with the device in response to a request by the device comprises establishing a temporary bidirectional secure socket with the device in response to a request by the device; and

wherein sending a login session token to the device over the temporary login session socket comprises sending a login session token to the device over the temporary bidirectional secure socket in response to verification that the application is authorized to access the service.

15. A method according to claim 13 wherein communicating the login session token to the web services gateway comprises:

communicating the login session token from the login session server to a security server; and

communicating the login session token from the security server to the web services gateway.

16. A method according to claim 13 wherein establishing a temporary login session socket, sending a login session token, closing the temporary login session socket and communicating the login session token are performed repeatedly by the login session server for a plurality of applications on a plurality of devices and for a plurality of services that are secured by a plurality of web services gateways.

17. A login session server for establishing a communications session between an application that runs natively on a device and a service that is secured by a web services gateway, the login session server comprising at least one computer system that is configured to:

establish a temporary login session socket with the device in response to a request by the device;

send a login session token to the device over the temporary login session socket in response to verification that the application is authorized to access the service;

close the temporary login session socket in response to receipt of the login session token by the device; and

communicate the login session token to the web services gateway.

18. A login session server according to claim 17:

wherein the at least one computer system is configured to establish a temporary login session socket with the device in response to a request by the device by establishing a temporary bidirectional secure socket with the device in response to the request by the device; and

wherein the at least one computer system is configured to send a login session token to the device over the temporary login session socket by sending a login session token to the device over the temporary bidirectional secure socket in response to verification that the application is authorized to access the service.

19. A login session server according to claim 17 wherein the at least one computer system is configured to communicate the login session token to the web services gateway by communicating the login session token from the login session server to a security server.

20. A login session server according to claim 17 wherein the at least one computer system is configured to establish a plurality of communications sessions between a plurality of applications that run natively on a plurality of devices and a plurality of services that are secured by a plurality of web services gateways.