Method and device for invoking USI

• US 8,402,167 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2010
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Peng, Chenghui, Li, Bojie, Xie, Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US12/849,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20100299359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

In the field of communication technology, a method for invoking a Universal Service Interface (USI) and a USI system are provided. The schemes provide a user with a short-lived user ID for the application to interact with the USI system. The short-lived ID has a corresponding relation with the long-lived user ID and can be found according to the long-lived user ID regardless of whether the user is online or offline. The method and device can effectively ensure the security of USI invocation, and ensure that the application can initiate the USI service request even when the user is in an offline state.

Claims

1. A method for invoking a Universal Service Interface (USI), comprising:

when determined that no valid short-lived user identity (ID) of a target user exists in an application for invoking the USI,

initiating, by the application, a service request to a USI system using a long-lived user ID of the target user,

receiving, by the application from the USI system, a short-lived user ID corresponding to the long-lived user ID used in the service request, and

initiating, by the application, a service request to the USI system using the short-lived user ID.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

if the application needs to initiate a service request to the USI system, searching, by the application, for existence of a valid short-lived user ID of the target user in the application.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the searching, by the application, for existence of a valid short-lived user ID of the target user in the application, comprises:

using, by the application, the long-lived user ID of the user as an index to search for a short-lived user ID corresponding to the long-lived user ID according to a binding relation between the long-lived user ID and the short-lived user ID;

or

using, by the application, an application identity information of the user as an index to search for a short-lived user ID corresponding to the application identity information according to a binding relation between the application identity information of the user and the short-lived user ID.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein before the receiving the short-lived user ID, the method further comprises:

searching, by the USI system, for existence of a short-lived user ID corresponding to the long-lived user ID;

sending, by the USI system, the short-lived user ID and a lifetime of the short-lived user ID corresponding to the long-lived user ID to the application.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein before the sending the short-lived user ID, the method further comprises:

if no valid short-lived user ID corresponding to the long-lived user ID exists in the USI system, generating, by the USI system, the short-lived user ID and the lifetime of the short-lived user ID corresponding to the long-lived user ID.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein after the receiving the short-lived user ID corresponding to the long-lived user ID used in the service request, the method further comprises:

storing, by the application, the short-lived user ID and a binding relation between the short-lived user ID and the long-lived user ID or a binding relation between the short-lived user ID and application identity information of the user.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the application, a message sent by the USI system requesting for the long-lived user ID;

sending, by the application, the long-lived user ID to the USI system; and

receiving, by the application from the USI system, a maintained short-lived user ID corresponding to the long-lived user ID.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving a short-lived user ID corresponding to the long-lived user ID used in the service request comprises:

receiving, by the application from the USI system, the short-lived user ID and a lifetime of the short-lived user ID corresponding to the long-lived user ID used in the service request.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the short-lived user ID and the lifetime are generated and maintained by the USI system.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the short-lived user ID and the lifetime of the short-lived user ID are generated and maintained by an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server, and the method further comprises:

if the short-lived user ID and the lifetime of the short-lived user ID are generated or maintained by the AAA server, receiving, by the USI system, the short-lived user ID and the lifetime of the short-lived user ID from the AAA server.

11. A device for generating a short-lived user identity (ID) disposed for a Universal Service Interface (USI) system, comprising:

a first unit, configured to generate a short-lived user ID for a user, and maintain the short-lived user ID;

a second unit, configured to store a binding relation between the short-lived user ID and a long-lived user ID;

a third unit, configured to search in the second unit for a short-lived user ID corresponding to a long-lived user ID after receiving a service request carrying the long-lived user ID; and

a fifth unit, configured to send to an application a message requesting for a long-lived user ID corresponding to a short-lived user ID that is not maintained after receiving a service request carrying the short-lived user ID that is not maintained.

12. The device according to claim 11, further comprising:

a fourth unit, configured to send the short-lived user ID.

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein the device is disposed on an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server.

14. An application device, comprising:

a storage unit, configured to store a short-lived user ID, a long-lived user ID, application identity information of a user, and binding relations between the short-lived user ID, the long-lived user ID. the application identity information of the user;

a search unit, configured to search in the storage unit for a short-lived user ID of a target user;

a first sending unit, configured to send a service request to a Universal Service Interface (USI) system using the short-lived user ID of the target user if the search unit finds the short-lived user ID; and

a second sending unit, configured to send a service request to the USI system using a long-lived user ID if the search unit fails to find the short-lived user ID of the user.