METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING AN INTERACTIVE NETWORK SESSION

• US 20130041945A1
• Filed: 10/04/2012
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Barrett, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] H04L51/04; selective video distribution H04N21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

Methods for controlling online session inactivity timeouts between a user terminal and a server involves the server polling the user'"'"'s local terminal to determine whether the user presence at the terminal can be confirmed if there is a period of inactivity within the session. If so, or if the server can otherwise confirm that the terminal is secured from use by other users, then the user session is maintained. Otherwise, the user session is allowed to timeout due to inactivity. The server may issue an alert to the user whenever a timeout is imminent, and may restore any information entered by the user prior to the timeout, if the user later returns and validates his identification.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

polling, by the server system for managing an interactive session, a computing device outside of an interactive session, wherein the polling comprises installing programming code on a computing device, wherein the programming code enables the server system to interact with the operating system of the computing device to determine that a user is present at the computing device and that the computing device is secured from use by other users;

determining, by the server system, that a user is present at the computing device based on the polling of the computing device outside of the interactive session;

determining, by the server system, that the computing device is secured from use by other users by receiving a determination that a password protection scheme has been activated by the operating system, wherein the password protection scheme includes an entry of a valid password to continue using the computing device; and

maintaining, by the server system, the interactive session in response to the determining at least one of that the user is present and that the computing device is secured from use by other users.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating, by the server system, the interactive session over the computer network with the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating, by the server system, a timer of the interactive session, in response to a request to transmit sufficient information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the polling is in response to a timer reaching a predetermined threshold without sufficient information being transmitted.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the poling is absent receiving a response to a request for user input to confirm the presence of the user and absent the coupling of a physical peripheral device configured to solely confirm the presence of the user to the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising terminating, by the server system, the interactive session in response to a determination that the user is not present at the computing device or the computing device is not secured from use by other users.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the request to transmit information comprises at least one of a request to transmit confidential information and a request to open a financial account.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined threshold comprises a time period between ten minutes and twenty minutes, inclusive.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a timer is initiated at a start of the interactive session.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising resetting, by the server system, a timer upon receipt of any portion of information from the user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the programming code comprises at least one of:

ACTIVE-X code, JAVA code and JAVASCRIPT code.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the user is present at the computing device further comprises receiving, by the server system, a confirmation from the computing device, that the user is present at the computing device in response to at least one of the following events occurring at the computing device:

an update to an input device queue of the operating system,

an opening of an application registered in a registry of the operating system,

a closing of an application registered in the registry,

an insertion of media in the computing device,

a removal of media from the computing device,

an activation of any component in communication with the computing device,

deactivation of any component in communication with the computing device,

an expansion of any window of the operating system, and

a collapse of any window of the operating system.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising resetting a timer when a valid password is entered.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein any information received from the user prior to terminating the interactive session is stored by the computing device, and wherein the stored information is retrieved during a subsequent interactive session with the user, regardless of the user re-entering any of the stored information.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising resetting a timer of the interactive session, by the server system, in response to a determination that the user is present at the computing device and the computing device is secured from use by other users.

16. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a server system for managing an interactive session, cause the server system to be capable of performing operations comprising:

polling, by the server system, a computing device outside of an interactive session, wherein the polling comprises installing programming code on a computing device, wherein the programming code enables the server system to interact with the operating system of the computing device to determine that a user is present at the computing device and that the computing device is secured from use by other users;

determining, by the server system, that a user is present at the computing device based on the polling of the computing device outside of the interactive session;

determining, by the server system, that the computing device is secured from use by other users by receiving a determination that a password protection scheme has been activated by the operating system, wherein the password protection scheme includes an entry of a valid password to continue using the computing device; and

maintaining, by the server system, the interactive session in response to the determining at least one of that the user is present and that the computing device is secured from use by other users.

17. A server system comprising:

a processor for managing an interactive session,

a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor,

the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to be capable of performing operations comprising;

polling, by the processor, a computing device outside of an interactive session, wherein the polling comprises installing programming code on a computing device, wherein the programming code enables the server system to interact with the operating system of the computing device to determine that a user is present at the computing device and that the computing device is secured from use by other users;

determining, by the processor, that a user is present at the computing device based on the polling of the computing device outside of the interactive session;

determining, by the processor, that the computing device is secured from use by other users by receiving a determination that a password protection scheme has been activated by the operating system, wherein the password protection scheme includes an entry of a valid password to continue using the computing device; and

maintaining, by the processor, the interactive session in response to the determining at least one of that the user is present and that the computing device is secured from use by other users.