Managed authentication service

• US 7,457,950 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2000
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Deklotz, Wesley, Brickell, Erine F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh; Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henning; Matthew T
• Application Number:
  US09/676,319
• Time in Patent Office: 2,979 Days
• Field of Search: 713/156, 705/51, 705/76, 705 1- 3, 340 58- 585
• US Class Current: 713/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/88 Medical equipments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

A managed authentication service provides relying parties an out-sourced authentication service for verifying the identity of online visitors. The service provides real-time, managed authentication and usage monitoring, multiple identity confirmation levels and a highly scalable and secure solution for authenticating online transactions.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method comprising:

receiving digital credential information from a relying party at an authentication service, wherein the digital credential information is indicative of a first user being professionally licensed but has been received by the relying party from an unauthorized user;

verifying that the digital credential information is valid using professional license status information that has been stored for a plurality of users;

providing verification information indicative of a valid professional license of the first user from the authentication service to the relying party; and

providing information from the authentication service to the first user, the information indicative of the provision of verification information indicative of the valid professional license to the relying party,

wherein the relying party, the unauthorized user, and the first user are distinct from each other.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing information to the first user comprises providing access to an activity log associated with the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the professional license status information comprises registration information indicative of a professional license registration status with a registration authority; and

the method further comprises, prior to providing the verification information to the relying party, verifying the registration information with the registration authority.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the professional license status information comprises registration information indicative of a professional license registration status with a registration authority; and

the method further comprises verifying the registration information with the registration authority.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing access information associated with the relying party, the access information including information indicative of the providing the verification information; and

providing the access information to the relying party.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the relying party and the authentication service issuing a challenge in response to receiving digital credential information associated with the first user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the relying party, the valid digital credential information from an unauthorized user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying that the digital credential information is valid comprises verifying that no disciplinary action has been taken against the first user.

9. An article comprising a machine-readable medium embodying information indicative of instructions that when performed by one or more machines of an authentication service result in operations comprising:

receiving digital credential information from a relying party at the authentication service, wherein the digital credential information is indicative of a first user being professionally licensed but has been received by the relying party from an unauthorized user;

verifying that the digital credential information is valid using professional license status information that has been stored for a plurality of users;

providing verification information indicative of a valid professional license of the first user from the authentication service to the relying party; and

providing information from the authentication service to the first user, the information indicative of the provision of verification information indicative of the valid professional license to the relying party,

wherein the relying party, the unauthorized user, and the first user are distinct from each other.

10. The article of claim 9, wherein providing information to the first user comprises providing access to an activity log associated with the first user.

11. The article of claim 9, wherein:

the professional license status information comprises registration information indicative of a professional license registration status with a registration authority; and

the operations further comprise, prior to providing the verification information to the relying party, verifying the registration information with the registration authority.

12. The article of claim 9, wherein:

the professional license status information comprises registration information indicative of a professional license registration status with a registration authority; and

the operations further comprise verifying the registration information with the registration authority.

13. The article of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing access information associated with the relying party, the access information including information indicative of the providing of the verification information; and

providing the access information to the relying party.

14. The article of claim 9, wherein verifying that the digital credential information is valid comprises verifying that no disciplinary action has been taken against the first user.

15. A system comprising:

storage configured to store professional license status information for a plurality of users; and

an authentication service configured to;

receive digital credential information from a relying party, wherein the digital credential information is indicative of a first user being professionally licensed;

verify the digital credential information using the professional license status information;

provide verification information indicative of a valid professional license of the first user to the relying party; and

provide information to the first user, the information indicative of the provision of verification information indicative of the valid professional license to the relying party,

wherein the authentication server is configured to provide the information indicative of receipt of valid digital credential information without regard to whether the relying party has received the valid digital credential information from the first user,

and wherein the relying party is distinct from the first user.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the authentication service is configured to provide information to the first user at least by providing access to an activity log associated with the first user.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the authentication information comprises registration information indicative of a registration status with a registration authority, and wherein the authentication service is further configured to:

verify the registration information with the registration authority prior to providing the verification information to the relying party.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the professional license status information comprises registration information indicative of a professional license registration status with a registration authority; and

the authentication service is further configured to verify the registration information with the registration authority.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the authentication service is further configured to:

store access information associated with the relying party, the access information including information indicative of the providing the verification information; and

provide the access information to the relying party.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the authentication service is further configured to issue a challenge in response to receiving digital credential information associated with the first user.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the authentication server is configured to provide the information in response to the relying party having received the valid digital credential information from an unauthorized user.

22. The system of claim 15, further comprising a relying party configured to receive the digital credential information associated with the first user and relay it to the authentication service.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein the authentication service configured to verify the digital credential information by verifying that no disciplinary action has been taken against the first user.