Universal registration system

• US 7,620,952 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2004
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Havemose, Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr.; Lewis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): To; Jennifer N
• Application Number:
  US10/806,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20040177254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,065 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1- 36, 709200-253, 713 1-601, 718100-108, 705/39, 705/50, 719/310, 719/316
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for implementing universal registration in an information appliance network. The method includes providing user registration information of a user to a universal registration resource, the user registration information accessible by providers of resources via the information appliance network. The method further includes requesting use of a provider resource which requires the user registration information, wherein the provider resource automatically retrieves the user registration information from the universal registration resource to enable the user to access the provider resource. Additionally, the present invention provides a method for providing universal registration, including accessing a resource, passing a registration interface dynamic base object to the resource, and interrogating the registration interface dynamic base object for registration information. The registration interface dynamic base object transfers the interrogation for registration information to a registration implementation dynamic base object, the registration implementation dynamic base object capable of providing registration information.

Claims

1. A method for providing universal registration in an information appliance network, comprising:

providing user registration information of a user to a universal registration resource, said user registration information accessible by providers of resources via said information appliance network, such that said user registration information is pre-registered user data and wherein said universal registration resource comprises a registration dynamic base object;

requesting use of a first provider resource which requires said user registration information, wherein said first provider resource automatically retrieves said user registration information from said registration dynamic base object of said universal registration resource to enable said user to access said first provider resource; and

requesting use of a second provider resource which requires said user registration information, wherein said second provider resource automatically retrieves said user registration information from said registration dynamic base object of said universal registration resource to enable said user to access said second provider resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said user registration information is contained in a program object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said program object is embedded in a request for accessing said first provider resource.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said program object is included in a universal register.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said program object includes data formatted in a string naming convention.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said convention includes data formatted as

<

generalname>

, <

objectname>

, <

method/property>

.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said registration information includes at least one of name, address, credit card, expiration date of said credit card, phone number, and email address of said user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said requesting further comprises:

determining that the first provider resource does not have said user registration information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said requesting use of the first provider resource is a first time request for the use of the first provider resource.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

granting access to said first provider resource in response to the user registration information being retrieved from said universal registration resource; and

granting access to said second provider resource in response to the user registration

information being retrieved from said universal registration resource.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first provider resource is associated with a first content provider and the second provider resource is associated with a second content provider.

12. A method for accessing contents of multiple resources by a user, comprising:

registering the user, utilizing a registration dynamic base object, of a universal registration resource;

accessing a first resource, wherein said first resource supports universal registration;

in response to said first resource supporting universal registration and said user being universally registered, obtaining registration information for the first resource from the registration dynamic base object of the universal registration resource;

allowing said user to access contents of said first resource in response to obtaining said registration information for the first resource;

accessing a second resource, wherein said second resource supports universal registration;

in response to said second resource supporting universal registration and said user being universally registered, obtaining registration information for the second resource from the registration dynamic base object of the universal registration resource; and

allowing said user to access contents of said second resource in response to obtaining said registration information for the second resource.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

when said first resource fails to support universal registration and said user utilizes the registration dynamic base object, registering said user by said registration dynamic base object per pre-registered user data.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

when said first resource supports universal registration and said user is not universally registered, entering registration information by said user.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said registration information includes at least one of name, address, credit card, expiration date of said credit card, phone number, and email address of said user.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining that the first resource does not have said registration information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said accessing a first resource is an attempt to access the first resource for a first time.

18. A system for universal registration, comprising:

a digital information appliance for sending a registration interface dynamic base object;

a universal register for hosting a registration implementation dynamic base object, said registration implementation dynamic base object corresponding to said registration interface dynamic base object;

plurality of resources, communicatively coupled to said digital information appliance and said universal register via a network, requiring user registration; and

wherein the universal register registering a user of said digital information appliance, and in response to using said registration implementation dynamic base object to provide user registration information, the user of said digital information appliance gains access to contents of any of said plurality of resources.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said digital information appliance is a thin appliance with a limited amount of memory.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said user registration information includes at least one of name, address, credit card, expiration date of said credit card, phone number, and email address of said user.

21. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for accessing contents of a resource by a user, said method comprising:

registering the user, utilizing a registration dynamic base object, of a universal registration resource;

accessing a first resource, wherein said first resource supports universal registration;

in response to said first resource supporting universal registration and said user being universally registered, obtaining registration information for the first resource from the registration dynamic base object of the universal registration resource;

allowing said user to access contents of said first resource in response to obtaining said registration information for the first resource from the registration dynamic object;

accessing a second resource, wherein said second resource supports universal registration;

in response to said second resource supporting universal registration and said user being universally registered, obtaining registration information for the second resource from the registration dynamic base object of the universal registration resource; and

allowing said user to access contents of said second resource in response to obtaining said registration information for the second resource from the registration dynamic object.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein said method further comprising:

when said first resource fails to support universal registration and said user utilizes the registration dynamic base object, registering said user by said registration dynamic base object per pre-registered user data.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein said method further comprising:

when said first resource supports universal registration and said user is not universally registered, entering registration information by said user.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein said registration information includes at least one of name, address, credit card, expiration date of said credit card, phone number, and email address of said user.