Method for signing into a mobile device over a network

• US 7,707,292 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Henderson, Irvin, Sanjeeva, Naveen Dasa, Ramakrishnan, Thyagarajapuram Swaminathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas; Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; Tae K
• Application Number:
  US11/084,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20060230112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/230, 709/224, 709/206, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A system, apparatus, and method are directed to managing automatic sign in to an Instant Messaging (IM) session on mobile device from another computing device, such as a personal computer (PC), over a network. The end-user of the PC may provide an account identifier, password, and the like, and in response, receive a cookie, that may further include the account identifier, encoded string, and the like. The end-user may then request initiation of the IM session using a toolbar selection, a script, applet, form, web page selection, and the like. As part of the request, the cookie may be provided to the server. If the request is authenticated based, in part, on the cookie information, the server uses the account identifier to locate an associated a mobile device identifier. The mobile device identifier is employed to log the end-user automatically into the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for use in managing an Instant Messaging (IM) session over a network, comprising:

receiving information indicating that a computing device is logged into an end-user account;

providing a cookie to the computing device, wherein the cookie includes an end-user account identifier associated with the logged in end-user account on the computing device;

receiving a request to sign into the IM session on a mobile device from the computing device independent of whether an IM session is active on the computer device, the request being initiated by a client application other than an IM client application on the computing device; and

in response to receiving the request;

authenticating the request, remotely from the mobile device and the computing device, based at least on the cookie and the end-user account identifier,

using the end-user account identifier to locate a mobile device identifier for the mobile device through a mapping between the end-user account identifier and the mobile device identifier,

employing the end-user account identifier and the mobile device identifier that is associated with the end-user account identifier to automatically log into the IM session on the mobile device associated with the mobile device identifier,

automatically logging out of the IM session on the computing device and

sending a message to the mobile device that the IM session is started.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein employing the end-user account identifier further comprises searching a mapping between a plurality of end-user account identifiers and mobile device identifiers to locate the mobile device identifier that is mapped to the provided end-user account identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request from the computing device further comprises receiving the cookie, and optionally a crumb, wherein the crumb indicates that the request is through a pre-determined web page.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein logging out of the IM session on the computing device is performed such that the IM session currently active on the computing device is transferred to the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an encoded string to the computing device, wherein the encoded string indicates that a pre-determined web page is accessed by the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is initiated employing at least one of a toolbar selection, a button, a menu, a script, an applet, a web page, or a form.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein authenticating the request further comprises authenticating that the request to sign into the IM session based further on authenticating a crumb that is associated with an authorized end-user selection.

8. A server for use in managing access to an Instant Messaging (IM) session, comprising:

a transceiver for receiving and sending information to another computing device;

a processor in communication with the transceiver; and

a memory in communication with the processor and for use in storing data and machine instructions that cause the processor to perform a plurality of operations, including;

providing information to a computing device, wherein the information includes an end-user account identifier associated with an end-user account for a user on the computing device;

receiving a request from the computing device to sign into the IM session on a mobile device, wherein the request is from a client application other than an IM client application on the computing device and the request is received independent of whether an IM session is active on the computing device; and

in response to receiving the request,

authenticating the request remotely from the computing device and the mobile device based on at least the end-user account identifier;

using the end-user account identifier to automatically locate a pre-determined mobile device identifier for the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is mapped to the end-user account identifier;

employing the end-user account identifier of the user and the pre-determined mobile device identifier that is also associated with the end-user account identifier to automatically log into the IM session on the mobile device associated with mobile device identifier; and

automatically logging out of the other IM session on the computing device.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein employing the end-user account identifier and the pre-determined mobile device identifier to log into the IM session on the mobile device further comprises sending a notification to the mobile device that enables a client application on the mobile device to log into the IM session.

10. The server of claim 8, wherein the plurality of operation further comprise sending a message to the mobile device that the IM session is started on the mobile device.

11. The server of claim 8, wherein providing the cookie further comprises:

enabling the computing device to log into the end-user account; and

sending the information to computing device in response to a successful log in to the end-user account.

12. The server of claim 8, wherein receiving the request from the computing device further comprises receiving a cookie, and optionally a crumb, wherein the crumb indicates that the request through a pre-determined web page.

13. The server of claim 8, wherein receiving the request from the computing device further comprises receiving a cookie, and a crumb, wherein the crumb indicates that the request through a pre-determined web page.

14. The server of claim 8, wherein automatically logging out of the other IM session on the computing device is performed such that the other IM session on the computing device is seamlessly transferred to the IM session on the mobile device such that the IM session and the other IM session appear as the same IM session.

15. The server of claim 8, further comprising providing an encoded string to the computing device, wherein the encoded string indicates the computing device made the request to sign into the IM session employing a pre-determined web page.

16. The server of claim 8, wherein the request is initiated employing at least one of a toolbar selection, a button, a menu, a script, an applet, a web page, or a form.

17. A computer readable storage medium that includes data and instructions, wherein the execution of the instructions on a computing device provides for managing access to an instant messaging (IM) session over a network by performing the actions of:

providing, to a computing device, a cookie that includes an end-user account identifier associated with an end-user account;

receiving a request to sign into the IM session on a mobile device from the computing device using other than an IM client on the computing device wherein the request is received independent of an IM session being active on the computing device; and

in response to receiving the request;

remotely authenticating the request using at least the end-user account identifier;

enabling a search for a mobile device identifier using the end-user account identifier and a mapping between the mobile device identifier and the end-user account identifier,

employing the end-user account identifier and the mobile device identifier to log into the IM session on the mobile device associated with the mobile device identifier,

sending a message to the mobile device that the IM session is started, and

automatically logging out of the IM session on the computing device.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein searching for the mobile device identifier further comprises performing a search on a mapping between end-user account identifiers and mobile device identifiers, wherein the mapping is created during a pre-registration of a mobile device.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein employing the end-user account identifier and a pre-determined mobile device identifier to log into the IM session on the mobile device further comprises sending a notification to the mobile device that enables a client application on the mobile device to log into the IM session.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein receiving the request from the computing device further comprises receiving a cookie, and optionally a crumb, wherein the crumb indicates that the request is through a pre-determined web page.