Associating computing devices with common credentials

• US 8,510,808 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sheldon, Michael G., Seixeiro, Steve, Ramasubramanian, Ramkumar, Koh, Jerry K., Rawat, Anshul, Davidson, Andrew V., Oliver, Daniel, McNeil, Brian L., McCormack, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Thanhnga B
• Application Number:
  US11/971,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20090178122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,044 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2- 5, 726 11- 12, 709/206, 709223-226, 709201-203, 370/352, 370/356, 718/100
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations

Abstract

Method and computer storage media for sharing resources between a plurality of computing devices associated with a common non-enterprise network. A common set of credentials is stored on at least two or more of a plurality of computing devices that reside behind a routing device and are associated through a common non-enterprise network. Upon storing the common set of credentials, each of the two or more of a plurality of computing devices create a local account that contains, at least, the common set of credentials. The common set of credentials allow for the sharing, among the two or more of the plurality of computing devices, of resource that reside on or are associated with the computing devices.

Claims

1. A peer-to-peer network system, comprising:

two or more computing devices connected to a peer-to-peer network and residing behind a routing device; and

a common set of credentials, the common set of credentials stored with two or more computing devices grouped in a common homegroup, the common set of credentials and the common homegroup allowing for the sharing of one or more resources residing on or associated with the at least two of the two or more computing devices, wherein a first computing device of the two or more computing devices includes a first resource shareable with a second computing device and a third computing device of the two or more computing devices and a second resource that is sharable with the second computing device and is explicitly selected as non-shareable to the third computing device.

2. The peer-to-peer network of claim 1, wherein the common set of credentials are associated with each of the two or more computing devices.

3. The peer-to-peer network of claim 1, wherein the common set of credentials allow sharing of the one or more resources residing on or associated with the two or more computers without one of a user entered username, a user entered password, or combination thereof

4. The peer-to-peer network of claim 3, wherein the sharing of the one or more resources residing on or associated with the two or more computers is independent of one of a user entered username, a user entered password, or combination thereof.

5. The peer-to-peer network of claim 4, wherein the peer-topeer network is a peer-to-peer non-enterprise computer network.

6. The peer-to-peer network of claim 5, wherein the peer-to-peer network does not utilize a central server.

7. The peer-to-peer network of claim 6, wherein the one or more resources are at least one of a printing device and a computer readable media.

8. The peer-to-peer network of claim 7 wherein the one or more resources are accessible without a user selection.

9. The peer-to-peer network of claim 1, wherein the common set of credentials are stored in a local account of each of the two or more computing devices.

10. One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for sharing resources between a plurality of computing devices associated with a common peer-to-peer network, the method comprising:

receiving and storing a set of credentials, the set of credentials being common to two or more of a plurality of computing devices associated with a common peer-to-peer network and grouped in a common homegroup;

requesting access to one or more resources, the one or more resources residing on or being associated with another computing device associated with the common peer-to-peer network, wherein a first computing device of the two or more computing devices includes a first resource shareable with a second computing device and a third computing device of the two or more computing devices and a second resource that is sharable with the second computing device and is explicitly selected as non-shareable to the third computing device; and

accessing the one or more resources utilizing the common set of credentials and the common homegroup.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises creating a local account that is associated with the common credential on the two or more computing devices.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the common set of credentials are stored on all of the plurality of computing devices associated with the peer-topeer network.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the peer-to-peer network does not utilize a central server.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the two or more computing devices grouped into a common homegroup utilize a peer-to-peer communication model.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the access to the one or more resources is independent of a username and/or a password.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more resources are at least one of a printer and a computer readable media.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more resources of the plurality of computing devices is accessible without a user selection.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein requesting access to one or more resources is presenting the common set of credentials to another computing device associated with the common peer-to-peer network.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the creation of local account that is associated with the common credential on the two or more computing devices includes updating of an existing local account.

20. One or more computer storage media having computerexecutable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for sharing resources between a plurality of computing devices associated with a common peer-to-peer network, the method comprising:

storing a common set of credentials on two or more of the plurality of computing devices associated with the common peer-to-peer network, wherein the common peer-to-peer network does not contain a central server;

grouping the two or more of the plurality of computing devices into a common homegroup, wherein the two or more of the plurality of computing devices grouped into a common homegroup utilize a peer-to-peer communication model;

creating a local account on each of the two or more of the plurality of computing devices within the homegroup, wherein the local account contains the stored common set of credentials;

sharing access to one or more resources, wherein the one or more resources reside on or are associated with at least one of the computing devices within the common homegroup, further wherein the one or more resources is comprised of a printer and a computer readable media; and

allowing access to the one or more resources of the two or more of the plurality of computing devices grouped into the common homegroup utilizing the common set of credentials, wherein the access to the one or more resources is independent of a user entered username or a password, wherein a first computing device of the two or more of the plurality computing devices includes a first resource shareable with a second computing device and a third computing device of the two or more computing devices and a second resource that is sharable with the second computing device and is explicitly selected as non-shareable to the third computing device.