PORTAL AUTHENTICATION

• US 20150295915A1
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced New Technologies Company Limited (Ant Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Xiu, Chao
• Granted Patent: US 10,122,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/313 using a call-back technique via a telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• 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 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications

Abstract

When a portable terminal of a user receives an authentication prompt message pushed by an application server, an authentication prompt option corresponding to the authentication prompt message is output at the portable terminal. A portal authentication is initiated after the authentication prompt option is selected by the user. MAC address information of the portable terminal returned by a portal server is acquired after the portal authentication is initiated. A user name and password for the application client terminal to log into the application server terminal is used as a user name and password for portal authentication. The MAC address information of the portable terminal returned by the portal server is sent to the application server. The present disclosure facilitates the operation of using the portal authentication, prevents the user from forgetting to perform the portal authentication, and brings convenience to those who are not familiar with the portal authentication mechanism.

Claims

1. An application client terminal comprising:

a portal agent unit that;

obtains a media access control (MAC) address of the application client terminal or a portable terminal on which the application client terminal resides; and

uses a user name and password that the application client terminal logs into an application server terminal as a user name and password for a portal authentication.

2. The application client terminal of claim 1, wherein the portal agent unit further obtains the MAC address information by acquiring MAC address information from a redirected uniform resource locator (URL) returned by a portal server, the MAC address information being a parameter passed by the redirected URL.

3. The application client terminal of claim 1, wherein the portal authentication is sent by an application associated component of a browser.

4. The application client terminal of claim 1, wherein the portal agent unit further:

checks whether the application client terminal is logged into by a user prior to starting the portal authentication;

initiates the portal authentication in response to determining that the application client terminal is logged in; and

presents a log-in interface to request the user to log into the application client terminal in response to determining that the application client terminal is not logged in.

5. The application client terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a push processing unit that outputs an authentication prompt option corresponding to an authentication prompt message in a message prompt bar of the portable terminal.

6. The application client terminal of claim 5, wherein:

the authentication prompt message includes a third-party application identifier; and

the push processing unit further starts a corresponding third-party application according to the third-party application identifier after the portal authentication succeeds.

7. The application client terminal of claim 6, wherein the third-party application corresponds to a merchant associated with a wireless network to which the application client terminal connects.

8. The application client terminal of claim 5, wherein:

the authentication prompt message includes service information corresponding to a merchant; and

the push processing unit further displays the service information after the portal authentication succeeds.

9. The application client terminal of claim 5, wherein the portal agent unit initiates the portal authentication after determining that the authentication prompt option is selected by a user.

10. The application client terminal of claim 1, further comprising a MAC synchronization unit that sends the MAC address information to the application server terminal.

11. A portal authentication method comprising:

obtaining a media access control (MAC) address of an application client terminal or a portable terminal on which the application client terminal resides; and

using a user name and password that the application client terminal logs into an application server terminal as a user name and password for a portal authentication.

12. The portal authentication method of claim 11, wherein the obtaining the MAC address includes acquiring MAC address information from a redirected uniform resource locator (URL) returned by a portal server, the MAC address information being a parameter passed by the redirected URL.

13. The portal authentication method of claim 11, wherein the portal authentication is sent by an application associated component of a browser.

14. The portal authentication method of claim 11, further comprising:

checking whether the application client terminal is logged into by a user prior to starting the portal authentication;

initiating the portal authentication in response to determining that the application client terminal is logged in; and

presenting a log-in interface to request the user to log into the application client terminal in response to determining that the application client terminal is not logged in.

15. The portal authentication method of claim 14, further comprising:

outputting an authentication prompt option corresponding to an authentication prompt message in a message prompt bar of the portable terminal when receiving the authentication prompt message pushed by the application server terminal, the authentication prompt message including a third-party application identifier, the third-party application corresponding to a merchant associated with a wireless network to which the application client terminal connects; and

starting a corresponding third-party application according to the third-party application identifier after the portal authentication succeeds.

16. The portal authentication method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an authentication prompt message includes service information corresponding to a merchant; and

displaying the service information after the portal authentication succeeds.

17. A portal authentication service method comprising:

acquiring MAC address information of a portable terminal carried in a terminal connection message;

searching for a user corresponding to the MAC address in a user MAC table;

pushing an authentication prompt message to the portable terminal after the user is found;

determining whether a user name and password of the user for logging into an application included in an portal authentication request belongs to a registered user; and

determining that a portal authentication succeeds in response to determining that the user name and password of the user for logging into the portal authentication request belongs to the registered user.

18. The portal authentication service method of claim 17, further comprising updating the user MAC table with a correspondence relationship between the MAC address information and the registered user.

19. The portal authentication service method of claim 17, wherein:

the terminal connection message includes a merchant identifier corresponding to a wireless access device to which the portable connects.

20. The portal authentication method of claim 19, further comprising:

searching for corresponding service information in a local merchant information table according to the merchant identifier, and

sending the service information in the authentication prompt message to the user.