System and method of user credential management

• US 8,219,814 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Psion Inc (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Psion Teklogix (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Elbury, Ian, Hodul, Rastislav
• Primary Examiner(s): Shiferaw, Eleni
• Assistant Examiner(s): CALLAHAN, PAUL E
• Application Number:
  US11/172,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20070006299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,567 Days
• Field of Search: 380/283, 380/270, 713/155, 713/159, 713/170, 713/183, 726/6, 726/19, 726/20
• US Class Current: 713/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers

Abstract

A user credential management system and method for managing user credentials are provided. The user credential management system comprises an authentication module for authenticating a user login to a mobile device, and a message transforming module for associating a user credential to a message sent from the mobile device to a server. The method comprising the steps of authenticating a user login to a mobile device, locating a user credential associated with the user login, and associating the user credential to a message between the mobile device and a server.

Claims

1. A user credential management system in a mobile device, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium in the mobile device, for storing instructions or statements for use in the execution in a computer of a method of managing user credentials, the method comprising

receiving, by a receiver of the mobile device, at least one user credential sent by an authentication server;

storing, in a repository of the mobile device, the at least one user credential received by the receiver;

authenticating, on the mobile device, the user login based on the at least one user credential stored in the repository of the mobile device thereby enabling authentication of the user login even when a connection to the authentication server is not available;

determining, on the mobile device, a user credential associated with the user login; and

associating the user credential associated with the user login to a message sent from the mobile device to the authentication server after authentication of the user login, and

wherein the at least one user credential is stored in a repository of the authentication server, and

wherein the step of associating the user credential associated with the user login to the message sent from the mobile device to the authentication server comprises associating the message between a foreign server and the mobile device with the at least one user credential.

2. The user credential management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one user credential sent from the authentication server to the mobile device is encrypted and includes a username and a string of characters.

3. The user credential management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the repository of the mobile device includes a mapping between the at least one user credential and a username.

4. The user credential management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one user credential in the repository of the authentication server is grouped.

5. The user credential management system according to claim 1, wherein the repository of the authentication server stores at least one extended credential for user login to at least one foreign system, and the at least one extended credential is further associated with the message sent by the mobile device.

6. The user credential management system according to claim 1, wherein the message sent by the mobile device is re-authenticated by the authentication server.

7. The user credential management system according to claim 1, wherein determining the user credential associated with the user login comprises determining the user credential associated with the user login by locating, in the repository of the mobile device, the user credential associated with the user login.

8. The user credential management system according to claim 1, wherein determining the user credential associated with the user login comprises generating the user credential associated with the user login based on the user login.

9. A method of managing user credentials in a mobile device, the method comprising:

authenticating a user login to a mobile device based on at least one user credential stored in the mobile device, the at least one user credential stored in the mobile device enabling authentication of the user login when a connection to an authentication server is lost;

determining, on the mobile device, a user credential associated with the user login; and

associating the user credential associated with the user login to a message sent from the mobile device after authentication of the user login, and

storing, in a repository of the authentication server, at least one extended credential for user login to at least one foreign system; and

further associating the message sent by the mobile device with the at least one extended credential belonging to the authenticated user login of the mobile device, and

wherein the at least one extended credential allows the authenticated user login of the mobile device to login to the at least one foreign system.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one user credential is stored in a repository on the authentication server and sent to the mobile device.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one user credential in the repository of the authentication server is grouped.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a group of user credentials is sent from the authentication server to the mobile device.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, on a receiver of the mobile device, the group of user credentials from the authentication server.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, on a receiver of the mobile device, the at least one user credential from the authentication server.

15. The method as claimed in claim 9, comprising:

storing the at least one user credential in a local credential repository of the mobile device.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein determining the user credential associated with the user login comprises locating, in the repository of the mobile device, the user credential associated with the user login.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein determining the user credential associated with the user login comprises generating the user credential based on the user login.

18. The method according to claim 9, wherein

the user credential associated with the user login with the message sent from the mobile device is re-authenticated.

19. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one user credential is encrypted.

20. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one user credential contains random string appended to a user password.