Identity persistence via executable scripts

• US 8,612,993 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Grant, Euan, Fulay, Amit, Riordan-Butterworth, Brendan
• Primary Examiner(s): Anya, Charles E
• Application Number:
  US12/035,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20090217301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,126 Days
• Field of Search: 711/113, 713/155, 719/311, 726/2, 726/26
• US Class Current: 719/311
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

Computing devices, computer-readable media, and methods are provided for generating and persisting a user identity associated with a client in a client-server network. A request for an identity script, the identity script comprising computer-executable instructions for creating one or more cookies, is sent from a client to a server. A dynamically generated identity script is returned to the client. User identities are persisted by utilizing cache validation to determine whether a new identity script should be generated.

Claims

1. One or more computer storage media, not being a signal per se, having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for generating and persisting a user identity corresponding to a recognized domain associated with a server in a client-server network, the method comprising:

requesting content from a server;

receiving a response from the server, the response comprising an instruction directing the client browser to execute a first identity script, wherein the first identity script comprises one or more identity cookies, wherein each of the one or more identity cookies is associated with at least one identity value corresponding to the first identity script;

determining whether the first identity script is stored in a cache, the cache being located at the client;

if it is determined that the first identity script is not stored in the cache, requesting a first identity script from the server, receiving a first identity script from the server, and executing the first identity script received from the server;

if it is determined that the first identity script is stored in the cache, determining whether the first identity script is expired, executing the first identity script if the first identity script is not expired, and requesting the server to perform a cache validation if the first identity script is expired; and

storing at least one identity cookie in the cache, wherein the at least one identity cookie is generated by execution of the first identity script.

2. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein executing the first identity script further comprises executing the first identity script within a closure.

3. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, further comprising receiving one of a second identity script or a response indicating that the first identity script is no longer expired.

4. A method for generating and persisting a user identity associated with a client in a client-server network, the method comprising:

receiving at a server a request for an identity script from a client;

determining whether the request for an identity script includes a first validation header, wherein the first validation header comprises a first identity value corresponding to a cached identity script, wherein the cached identity script is stored at the client;

determining whether the request for an identity script includes at least one identity cookie;

if it is determined that the request for an identity script includes at least one identity cookie;

(1) comparing the first identity value associated with the first validation header to a second identity value associated with the at least one identity cookie, wherein the server first determines that the request for an identity script includes at least one validation header and at least one identity cookie;

(2) generating a second identity script if the first identity value is not equal to the second identity value, wherein the second identity script comprises a reference to the second identity value; and

(3) transmitting the second identity script to the client, wherein transmitting the identity script further comprises transmitting to the client at least one of a first control header and a second validation header; and

if it is determined that the request for an identity script does not include at least one identity cookie, transmitting a response to the client, wherein the response comprises an instruction directing the client to continue using the cached identity script.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein if the request for an identity script does not include a first validation header, the method further comprises generating a third identity script.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising transmitting the third identity script to the client.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting at least one of a second control header and a third validation header.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein if the first identity value is equal to the second identity value, the method further comprises transmitting a response to the client, wherein the response comprises an instruction directing the client to continue using the cached identity script.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the first control header comprises instructions for directing the client to transmit a request for an identity script and a validation header to the server after a predetermined amount of time.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting an authorization list to the client that comprises an indication that the client is allowed to execute the second identity script within the context of the domain associated with the server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the authorization list comprises a list identifying one or more recognized domains, wherein each of the one or more recognized domains is associated with a server.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein the second identity script is configured to execute within a closure.

13. A system comprising:

a computing device operating within a client-server network, the computing device associated with one or more processors and one or more computer-readable storage media, wherein the computing device;

(1) receives a request for an identity script from a client and for returning a dynamically generated identity script to the client;

(2) generates the identity script in response to the request from the client, the identity script comprising computer-executable instructions for creating one or more identity cookies and hard-coded identity values, the hard-coded identity values being uniquely associated with a single client; and

(3) determines whether the identity script should be generated based on comparing at least one first hard-coded identity value with at least one second identity value, wherein the at least one second identity value is associated with at least one identity cookie received from the client.