Form filling with digital identities, and automatic password generation

• US 8,910,256 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2008
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sharif, Tariq, Nanda, Arun K., Franco, Roberto A., Randall, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Tae
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shepperd, Eric W
• Application Number:
  US12/188,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20100037303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,314 Days
• Field of Search: 715224-226, 713/182, 713/185, 726 2- 5, 726 26- 28
• US Class Current: 726/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

In one implementation, form field(s) of a form of a website or application are populated with data obtained using a digital identity, and the populated form field(s) are submitted to the website or application. A form field specification specifying information about the form fields of the form is obtained. A user selects or creates a digital identity. Data is obtained using the digital identity, and the data is used to provide values to the form. The data is submitted to the website or application. In another implementation, a username and password are automatically generated. The username and password that are generated meet parameters that may be specified by the website or application. The username and password are submitted to the website or application for a purpose such as registration or authentication, and stored away for future authentication.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage devices having thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, causes the computing system to perform the following:

obtaining from a website, by the computing system, a form field specification specifying a plurality of form fields of a form;

prompting, by the computing system, a user of the computing system to select a digital identity to be used to provide at least one value into at least one of the plurality of form fields of the form, the digital identity associated with the website and the form such that the digital identity enables the computing system to execute code that connects the computing system to one or more identity providers in order to access data associated with the digital identity stored by the one or more identity providers and which comprises information about the user and field data to be used to populate the at least one of the plurality of form fields;

connecting the computing system via a network to at least one of the one or more identity providers using the digital identity;

using, by the computing system, the digital identity to obtain from the at least one of the one or more identity providers the data associated with the digital identity including the field data to be used to populate the at least one of the plurality of form fields of the form;

populating, by the computing system, the at least one of the plurality of form fields of the form with the field data to generate at least one populated form field; and

submitting, by the computing system automatically, the at least one populated form field to the website.

2. A computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the form is for registering a new account at the website.

3. A computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the form is for logging in to the website or otherwise authenticating at the website.

4. A computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein one or more of the at least one of the form fields of the form is a password field.

5. A computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the form field specification also specifies one or more form field restrictions for one or more of the plurality of form fields of the form.

6. A computer program product in accordance with claim 5, wherein, in populating the at least one of the plurality of form fields of the form with the field data, the one or more form field restrictions specified in the form field specification are satisfied.

7. A computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein a plurality of digital identities are presented to the user as information cards and the user is prompted to select at least one of the plurality of digital identities.

8. In a network that includes a browser client computing system and at least one page server computing system which provides at least one webpage, a method for the browser client computing system to provide data to the at least one page server computing system, the method comprising the following:

obtaining, by the browser client computing system, a form field specification for the at least one webpage, which specifies a plurality of form fields of a form;

prompting, by the browser client computing system, a user to select a digital identity, the digital identity enabling the browser client computing system to execute code that connects the browser client computing system to one or more identity providers in order to access data associated with the digital identity stored by the one or more identity providers, the digital identity associated with the user, page server computing system, and the form, and the data associated with the digital identity comprising information about the user and field data to be used to populate at least one of the plurality of form fields of the form;

connecting the browser client computing system via the network to at least one of the one or more identity providers using the digital identity;

using, by the browser client computing system, the digital identity to obtain from the at least one of the one or more identity providers the data associated with the digital identity including the field data to be used to populate at least one of the plurality of form fields of the form;

populating, by the browser client computing system, the at least one of the plurality of form fields of the form with the field data; and

submitting, by the browser client computing system automatically, the at least one populated form field of the form to the at least one page server computing system.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the data obtained to populate the at least one of the plurality of form fields of the form comprises data obtained using the user-selected digital identity.

10. A method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the data obtained to populate the at least one of the plurality of form fields of the form comprises a username and password pair which is dynamically generated.

11. A method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the data obtained to populate the at least one of the plurality of form fields of the form comprises a username and password pair which has been previously generated.