Web site registration proxy system

• US 6,496,855 B1
• Filed: 01/21/2000
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hunt, John F. W., Gladstone, Benedict T. S., Morris, Kief S., Kalaher, Patrick B., Byrn, Mark A., Moilanen, Esa, Lidwell, Peter R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/516,048
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/217, 709/223, 709/228, 713/201, 713/202
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration

Abstract

The present invention provides a registration agent site (4) which presents a simple intermediary between sites (3) and internet users (1) that acts a single source of data entry, user name and password for users. This allows users to register with new sites automatically and move between registered sites via a single interface, while allowing changes in profile information via the same interface. The registration agent site (4) acts as the agent for the internet user (1) rather than the site owner, allowing registration by proxy in a manner which is transparent to other sites. The agent negotiates connectivity and connects the user.

Claims

1. An arrangement comprising at least one computer network connected to at least one service computer, the terminal being associated with at least one user, a method for managing the registration of the user with the at least one service computer, the method comprising the steps of:

gathering registration data for the at least one service computer;

storing the registration data in at least one data structure on at least one registration agent computer connected to the computer network;

gathering personal data for the user;

storing at least part of the personal data in at least one data structure on at least one registration agent computer connected to the computer network;

in response to a request from the user to a registration agent computer connected to the computer network to register the user with the at least one service computer, submitting an application to register the user with the at least one service computer by transmitting registration information from at least one registration agent computer to the service computer, the registration information being compiled from data obtained by accessing the user'"'"'s personal data stored in the associated data structure and by accessing registration data for the service computer stored in the associated data structure; and

providing a unique proxy address for the user in a registration application so that communications addressed to the user using the unique address are received by the at least one registration agent computer or registration agent server and are subsequently forwarded to the user, including a header indicating which service computer a communication originated from.

2. A method according to claim 1, in which a different proxy address for the user is allocated for each subsequent registration with other service computers or server nodes.

3. A method according to claim 1, in which the computer or communications network utilises an internet protocol.

4. A method according to claim 1, in which each of the service computer or server nodes is a website having a server connected to the internet or an intranet.

5. A method according to claim 1, in which the at least one registration agent computer or registration agent server node is connected to the internet, an intranet or an IP network.

6. A method according to claim 1, in which the at least one registration agent computer or registration agent server node is a World Wide Web server.

7. A method according to claim 6, in which the at least one registration agent computer or registration agent server node operates a World Wide Web site.

8. A method according to claim 1, in which the step of transmitting an application to register the user is preceded by the step of verifying a user identification and more preferably, a password, entered by the user which identifies the user with respect to the associated personal data.

9. A method according to claim 1, including the steps of storing personal data in the form of a master user profile data structure which uniquely describes the user, together with a number of personal registration data structures, each of which describes registration data associated with the successful registration of the user with a service computer or server node.

10. A method according to claim 9, in which the personal registration data structures permit repeat visits to the service computer or server node without the user having to go through the registration procedure again.

11. A method according to claim 9, including the step of accepting user inputs which define a privacy policy in relation to the user'"'"'s personal data which describes the extent to which the personal data is to be released for the purpose of submitting a registration application.

12. A method according to claim 1, in which the communications are forwarded to the user in dependence on an email filtering policy accepted by the user.

15. An apparatus for managing the registration of a user in accordance with the method of any preceding claim, comprising:

means for storing registration data;

means for storing personal data;

means for receiving a user request to submit a registration application on behalf of the user to a remote site;

means for completing a registration application based on a combination of personal data associated with the user and registration data associated with the remote site;

means for transmitting a completed registration application to the remote site on behalf of the user; and

means for providing a unique proxy address for the user in a registration application so that communications addressed to the user using the unique address are received by a registration agent computer or a registration agent server and are subsequently forwarded to the user, including a header indicating which remote site a communication originated from.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, comprising a computer storage medium containing computer executable instructions for performing a method of managing registration of a user, the method comprising:

gathering registration data for the at least one service computer;

storing the registration data in at least one data structure on at least one registration agent computer connected to the computer network;

gathering personal data for the user;

storing at least part of the personal data in at least one data structure on at least one registration agent computer connected to the computer network; and

,

in response to a request from the user to a registration agent computer connected to the computer network to register the user with the at least one service computer, submitting an application to register the user with the at least one service computer by transmitting registration information from at least one registration agent computer to the service computer, the registration information being compiled from data obtained by accessing the user'"'"'s personal data stored in the associated data structure and by accessing registration data for the service computer stored in the associated data structure.

17. An apparatus according to claim 2, comprising a server.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, in which the server is arranged to provide a website having a unique resource location (URL).

13. A method for registering a user at a client node of a communications network with at least one server node connected to the communications network by the use of at least one registration agent server node connected to the communications network which stores personal data associated with the user together with registration data associated with the at least one server node, the method comprising the steps of

registering the user with the at least one server node in response to a user request received at the registration agent server node by completing and transmitting on behalf of the user a registration application from the registration agent server node to the at least one server node based on the personal data associated with the user and the registration data associated with the at least one server node;

and

providing a unique proxy address for the user in a registration application so that communications addressed to the user using the unique address are received by the at least one registration agent computer or registration agent server and are subsequently forwarded to the user, including a header indicating which service computer a communication originated from.

14. A user interface and execution system for managing registration of a user with a service computer, wherein the user interface comprises:

memory means for storing registration data requirements for the at least one service computer in at least one data structure;

personal data input means for accepting personal data relating to the user;

memory means for storing at least part of the personal data in at least one data structure; and

,

processing means being operative to accept a request to register the user with the at least one service computer, to compile a registration request from data obtained by accessing the user'"'"'s personal data stored in the associated data structure and by accessing registration data for the service computer stored in the associated data structure, to register the user with at least one service computer by transmitting the registration request to the service computer, and to provide a unique proxy address for the user in a registration request so that communications addressed to the user using the unique address are received by the processing means and are subsequently forwarded to the user, including a header indicating which service computer a communication originated from.

19. A method of registering with a number of service computer systems comprising the steps of

visiting a WWW site hosting a registration management system;

submitting a registration application to the registration management system comprising a user identifier, password and personal data;

instructing the registration management system to submit a registration to one or more of the service computer systems using the submitted personal data; and

submitting inputs to the registration management system which define a privacy policy in relation to the user'"'"'s personal data, the extent to which the personal data is released for the purpose of submitting a registration application being dependent on the privacy policy.

20. A computer system for managing the registration of a user with a remote computer system comprising:

a memory storing registration data associated with one or more remote computer systems;

a memory storing personal data associated with one or more users;

a processor configured to accept a user request to submit a registration application on behalf of the user to a remote computer system, to complete a registration application based on a combination of personal data associated with the user and registration data associated with the remote computer system;

to submit the completed registration application to the remote site on behalf of the user; and

,

to provide a unique proxy address for the user in a registration application so that communications addressed to the user using the unique address are received by the processor and are subsequently forwarded to the user, including a header indicating which remote computer system a communication originated from.