Customized ID generation

• US 8,856,540 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2010
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Akers, Morgan K., Kirubanandan, Nandakiran
• Primary Examiner(s): Revak, Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHIANG, JASON
• Application Number:
  US12/980,930
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 713/182
• US Class Current: 713/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/30 Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication

Abstract

Technologies are described herein for customized identifier (“ID”) generation by an ID service. One or more calling components (“components”) remote from the ID service generate requests for IDs. The requests can include one or more rules defining how the IDs are to be generated, type data identifying a type of IDs to be generated, encryption data specifying whether, and if so, how the IDs are to be encrypted, and number data defining how many IDs are to be generated at a particular time. The ID service receives the request, and in response to the request, generates the number of IDs specified, in accordance with the rules, type data, and encryption data provided in the request. An ID database can store one or more of the IDs and/or rules associated with the components, such that each component can be relieved from maintaining its own database for ID operations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating identifiers (“

IDs”

), the method comprising computer-implemented operations for;

receiving at an ID service a request to generate the IDs from one of a plurality of components, the request comprising type data identifying a type of the IDs, one or more rules specifying a scheme used to generate the IDs, encryption data specifying whether the IDs are to be encrypted, and number data specifying a number of IDs that are to be generated in response to the request;

in response to receiving the request, utilizing the one or more rules to generate the number of IDs of the type specified by the request by generating a first version of the IDs and a second version of the IDs;

associating the first version of the IDs with the second version of the IDs;

storing the second version of the IDs at a data storage device with data associating the second version of the IDs with the first version of the IDs;

determining that the encryption data specifies that the IDs are to be encrypted;

in response to determining that the encryption data specifies that the IDs are to be encrypted, encrypting the generated IDs;

providing the first version of the IDs to the one of the plurality of components requesting the IDs;

receiving a request to obtain the second version of the IDs from the one of the plurality of components, the request comprising data identifying the first version of the IDs;

identifying the second version of the IDs based, at least partially, upon the indication of the first version of the IDs; and

providing the second version of the IDs to the one of the plurality of components.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the type of the IDs comprises a type associated with a globally unique identifier (“

GUID”

); and

in response to determining that the type comprises the type associated with the GUID, generating the IDs by generating a GUID for each of the IDs.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that individual ones of the IDs are unique; and

in response to determining that one of the IDs is not unique, generating a further ID, and

determining that the further ID is unique.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining that individual ones of the IDs are unique comprises determining that individual ones of the IDs are unique within a specified region.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining that individual ones of the IDs are unique comprises determining that individual ones of the IDs are globally unique.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises an extensible markup language (“

XML”

) file comprising the one or more rules, and wherein the one or more rules further indicate a format for the IDs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein encrypting the IDs comprises generating a hash of each of the IDs by applying a hash algorithm to each of the IDs.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the encryption data of the request comprises the hash algorithm.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one of the plurality of components comprises one of a plurality of website components.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the one of the plurality of components to determine that the one of the plurality of components is authorized to request the IDs.

11. A non-transitory computer storage medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

in response to receiving at an ID service a request to generate an ID, the request being generated by one of a plurality of components and comprising one or more rules specifying a scheme used to generate the ID, type data indicating a type of the ID, encryption data specifying whether the ID is to be encrypted, and number data specifying that a number of IDs are to be generated, utilize the rules to generate the number of IDs specified by the number data by generating at least a first version and a second version of the ID of the type specified by the request;

associate the first version of the ID with the second version of the ID;

store the second version of the ID at a data storage device with data associating the second version of the ID with the first version of the ID;

determine that the encryption data specifies that the ID is to be encrypted;

in response to determining that the encryption data specifies that the ID is to be encrypted, encrypt the generated ID;

determine that the generated ID is unique;

in response to determining that the generated ID is unique, provide the first version of the ID to the one of the plurality of components requesting the ID;

receive a request to obtain the second version of the ID, the request comprising an indication of the first version of the ID;

identify the second version of the ID based, at least partially, upon the indication of the first version of the ID; and

provide the second version of the ID to the one of the plurality of components.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the request further comprises data specifying that the ID is to be encrypted using a hash algorithm and logic corresponding to the hash algorithm, and wherein encrypting the ID comprises generating a hash of the ID using the hash algorithm.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein determining that the generated ID is unique comprises determining that the generated ID is unique within a specified region.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein determining that the generated ID is unique comprises determining that the generated ID is globally unique.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the one of the plurality of components comprises one of a plurality of website components.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 11, having further computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to generate, in response to determining that the generated ID is not unique, an error for indicating to the one of the plurality of components that the one or more rules resulted in generation of the ID that is not unique.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 11, having further computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to authenticate the one of the plurality of components to determine that the one of the plurality of components is authorized to request the ID.

18. A system for generating an identifier (“

ID”

), the system comprising;

a data storage device for storing IDs and information associated with the stored IDs; and

one or more computing devices configured to

receive a request to generate an ID from one of a plurality of components, the request comprising one or more rules specifying a scheme used to generate the ID, type data indicating a type of the ID, encryption data specifying whether the ID is to be encrypted, and number data specifying that a number of IDs are to be generated,

in response to receiving the request, utilize the rules to generate the number of IDs specified by the number data by generating at least a first version and a second version of the ID of the type specified by the request,

associate the first version of the ID with the second version of the ID,

store the second version of the ID at the data storage device with data associating the second version of the ID with the first version of the ID,

determine that the encryption data specifies that the ID is to be encrypted;

in response to determining that the encryption data specifies that the ID is to be encrypted, encrypt the generated ID;

determine that the generated ID is unique,

in response to determining that the generated ID is unique, provide the first version of the ID to the one of the plurality of components requesting the ID,

receive a request to obtain the second version of the ID, the request comprising an indication of the first version of the ID,

identify the second version of the ID based, at least partially, upon the indication of the first version of the ID, and

provide the second version of the ID to the one of the plurality of components.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the request further comprises data specifying that the ID is to be encrypted using a hash algorithm and logic corresponding to the hash algorithm, and wherein encrypting the ID comprises generating a hash of the ID using the hash algorithm.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

in response to determining that the generated ID is not unique, generate an error for indicating to the one of the plurality of components that the one or more rules resulted in generation of the ID that is not unique.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of components comprise a plurality of website components for a website in communication with the one or more computing devices.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein determining that the generated ID is unique comprises determining that the generated ID is unique within a specified region.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein determining that the generated ID is unique comprises determining that the generated ID is globally unique.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to authenticate the one of the plurality of components to determine that the one of the plurality of components is authorized to request the ID.