Methods and systems for coordinating sessions on one or more systems

• US 7,093,020 B1
• Filed: 11/13/2001
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ellucian Company L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sungard SCT Incorporated (Fidelity National Information Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hammock, Jeanette L., McCarty, Scott F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue, Larry D.
• Application Number:
  US10/010,783
• Time in Patent Office: 1,736 Days
• Field of Search: 726/8, 726/10, 709227-229
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods and systems for providing a seamless user interface to one or more web-based external systems and applications that monitor and control access to information, products, and/or services provided by such web-based external systems. Accordingly, the methods and systems enable a user to utilize a single web-based graphical user interface to access external systems with minimal input from the user. Further, the invention coordinates the log-on, log-off, and time-out of the user from the external systems so that user has a seamless on-line experience. The user remains logged into each of the external systems so long as the user is logged into a main system and can log-out of all the external systems by logging out of the main system. In addition, the user is not timed out of any external system unless the user is timed out of the main system.

Claims

1. In a system comprising at least one external system and an integration module for facilitating communication with the at least one external system, a method for maintaining access to the at least one external system, the method comprising:

receiving a notification that a session for a user on at least one external system has been terminated;

upon receiving the notification, verifying that the user has an active session on the integration module;

when the user has the active session, searching the integration module for access information associated with the at least one external system; and

upon locating the access information associated with the user and the at least one external system, delivering the access information to the at least one external system to re-establish the session on the at least one external system and maintain access to the at least one external system.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one external system and the integration module are included within an information system.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one external system is external to an information system.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the access information comprises at least one credential.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the integration module controls access to the at least one external system.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the access information comprises a session identifier and a destination uniform resource locator.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein delivering the access information comprises delivering the access information in a manner that maintains a seamless interface for the user that results in the user being unaware that the session on the at least one external system was terminated and the user was re-authenticated on the at least one external system.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving from the at least one external system a one-time use uniform resource locator.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising delivering the one-time use uniform resource locator to a user module accessible to the user, the user module being configured to deliver the one-time use uniform resource locator to the at least one external system to request a session on the at least one external system.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving from the at least one external system a session identifier and a destination uniform resource locator.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising delivering the session identifier and the destination uniform resource locator to a user module accessible to the user, the user module being configured to deliver the session identifier and the destination uniform resource locator to the at least one external system to request access to the at least one external system.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, using a graphical user interface, requesting access to the at least one external system.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a header portion that is constantly displayed to the user while the user has an active session on the integration module and an external system web page when the user accesses the at least one external system.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising displaying the always-present header and the external system web page simultaneously with the header.

15. In a system comprising at least one external system and an integration module for facilitating communication between to at least one external system, a method for reestablishing a session on the at least one external system, the method comprising:

upon receiving a request from at least one user to access at least one external system, retrieving access information specific to the at least one external system stored within a user account on an integration module;

using the access information, requesting access to the at least one external system for the at least one user to create an active session on the at least one external system;

upon the integration module receiving a notification that the at least one user has been denied access to the at least one external system because of inactivity of the at least one user on the at least one external system, searching the integration module for the access information associated with the at least one external system; and

upon locating the access information related to the at least one user and the at least one external system, interfacing with the at least one external system to re-establish the active session on the at least one external system without notifying the at least one user that the at least one user was denied access to the at least one external system.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the at least one external system is external to an information system.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the access information comprises at least one uniform resource locator.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the access information comprises a username and a password.

19. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the integration module controls access to the at least one external system.

20. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the user module comprises a browser.

21. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the access information comprises a session identifier and a destination uniform resource locator.

22. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein interfacing with the at least one external system comprises:

(a) delivering the access information to the at least one external system for authentication;

(b) upon the at least one external system authenticating the access information, receiving a session identifier or a one-time usage uniform resource locator from the at least one external system for use by the user module in reestablishing the active session on the at least one external system; and

(c) delivering the session identifier or the one-time usage uniform resource locator to the user module to enable the user module to reestablish the active session.

23. The method as recited in claim 22, further comprising delivering the session identifier or the one-time usage uniform resource locator to the at least one external system.

24. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein upon the at least one external system receiving the one-time usage uniform resource locator, delivering a cookie to the user module.

25. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein upon the at least one external system receiving the session identifier, redirecting the user module to the uniform resource locator.

26. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

(a) in the event that the at least one external system rejects access for the user, querying the user for new access information, the new access information comprising changes made to the access information by the user upon the user accessing the at least one external system directly without interfacing with the at least one external system through the integration module; and

(b) delivering the new access information to the at least one external system to obtain access for the at least one user module.

27. A computer product for implementing, in a system comprising one or more external systems and an integration module for facilitating communication to one or more external systems, a method for seamlessly communicating information and data to the one or more external systems when a session on the one or more external systems has been terminated, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium carrying computer-executable instructions for implementing the method, wherein the computer-executable instructions causing the system to perform;

a step for receiving a notification, at an integration module from one of the one or more external systems, that an external system session upon the one external system has been terminated and a user module is denied access to the one external system;

upon receiving the notification, a verifying that the user module has as an active session on the integration module;

searching the integration module for access information associated with the one external system;

upon locating the access information associated with the user and the one external system, delivering the access information to the external system to re-establish the session on the one external system and maintain access to the one external system.

28. The computer product as recited in claim 27, wherein the computer-executable instructions causing delivering the access information in a manner that maintains a seamless interface for the user that results in the user being unaware that the session on the at least one external system was terminated and the user was re-authenticated on the at least one external system.

29. The computer product as recited in claim 27, wherein the access information comprises at least one credential.

30. The computer product as recited in claim 27, wherein the access information comprises a session identifier and a destination uniform resource locator.

31. The computer product as recited in claim 27, wherein the computer-executable instructions causing receiving from the at least one external system a one-time use uniform resource locator.

32. The computer product as recited in claim 31, wherein the computer-executable instructions causing delivering the one-time use uniform resource locator to a user module accessible to the user, the user module being configured to deliver the one-time use uniform resource locator to the at least one external system to request a session on the at least one external system.

33. The computer product as recited in claim 27, wherein the computer-executable instructions causing receiving from the at least one external system a session identifier and a destination uniform resource locator.

34. The computer product as recited in claim 33, wherein the computer-executable instructions causing delivering the session identifier and the destination uniform resource locator to a user module accessible to the user, the user module being configured to deliver the session identifier and the destination uniform resource locator to the at least one external system to request access to the at least one external system.

35. The computer product as recited in claim 27, wherein the computer-executable instructions causing requesting access to the at least one external system using a graphical user interface.

36. The computer product as recited in claim 27, wherein the computer-executable instructions causing the graphical user interface, comprises a header portion, to be constantly displayed to the user while the user has an active session on the integration module and an external system web page when the user accesses the at least one external system.

37. The computer product as recited in claim 27, wherein the computer-executable instructions causing displaying of the always-present header and the external system web page simultaneously with the header.