Method for requesting user access to an application

• US 9,118,684 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2002
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Hallensleben, Sebastian
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): GYORFI, THOMAS A
• Application Number:
  US10/527,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,721 Days
• Field of Search: 726/2, 726/8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for requesting users access to an application by a network. The application is provided by an entity that is not part of the network. The invention allows a unified access to the application independent from the network used to access it. Therefore a network receiving an access request for the application from a user determines through which network the user attempted to access the application the first time. It then requires the identifier used by the network of first access and uses the same identifier towards an entity providing said application.

Claims

1. A method for requesting access for a user to an application in a further network, wherein an entity providing said application can be accessed only through a first network or a second network, the application being independent of the first and second network, and wherein the user attempted to access the application at least once through a first user equipment connected to the first network, the method comprising the following steps:

granting the user access to the second network via a second user equipment,

receiving a request for accessing the application from the user,

detecting by the second network that the user already contacted the application via the first user equipment connected to the first network,

requesting by the second network from the first network an identifier that was previously generated by and previously used by the first network to identify the user towards the entity that provides the application,

receiving the requested, generated identifier by the second network, and sending a request, by the second network, for accessing the application and the generated identifier received from the first network, towards the entity providing the application to identify the user to the entity that provides the application, the identifier being used by the first network is the same identifier used by the second network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second network are run by a different operator.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of sending authentication information to the first network.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the entity providing the service stores a profile of the user at reception of the first attempt of the user to access the service, wherein the profile is associated to the generated identifier sent from the first network and wherein the second network uses the same generated identifier for the user towards the entity providing the service in order to achieve that the stored profile is used for the user.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the generated identifier in the first network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the requested, generated identifier is not stored in or used by the first user equipment or the second user equipment associated with the user.

7. A system for granting user access to an application in a further network, wherein an entity providing said application can be accessed only through a first network or a second network, said application being independent of the first and second networks, and wherein the user attempted to access the application at least once through a first user equipment connected to the first network, comprising:

means for granting said user access to the second network via a second user equipment,

means for receiving a request for accessing the application from the user within said second network,

means for detecting, by the second network, that the user already attempted to access the application via the first user equipment connected to the first network,

means for requesting from the first network, by the second network, an identifier that was previously generated by and previously used by the first network to identify the user towards the entity that provides the application,

means for receiving the requested, generated identifier, from the first network, by the second network, and means for sending a request, by the second network, for accessing the application towards the entity providing the application, said request including the generated identifier received from the first network to identify the user to the entity that provides the application, the identifier being used by the first network is the same identifier used by the second network.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the first and the second network are run by different operators.

9. The system according to claim 7 further comprising means for sending authentication information to the first network.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the entity providing the service stores a profile of the user at reception of the first attempt of the user to access the service, wherein the profile is associated to the generated identifier sent from the first network and wherein the second network uses the same generated identifier for the user towards the entity providing the service in order to achieve that the stored profile is used for the user.

11. A system for handling a user request towards an external application wherein a network node providing said application is only accessible from a first communication network or a second communication network, the external application being independent of the first and second communication networks, said second communication network comprising:

means for receiving an access request from said user via a second user equipment connected to said second communication network wherein said access request is for accessing said application associated with said network node;

means for determining that the user had previously attempted to access said application using a first user equipment connected to said first communication network;

means for requesting user information associated with said user from said first communication network, said user information including an identifier that was previously generated by and previously used by the first communication network to identify the user towards the network node that provides the application;

means for receiving said requested user information, including the generated identifier from said first communication network; and

means for requesting access to said network node from said second communication network using said received user information, including the generated identifier, to identify the user to the network node that provides the application, the identifier being used by the first network is the same identifier used by the second network.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said user information including said generated identifier is used by said first communication network in communicating with said network node.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein said user information includes user preference information used by said first communication network in communicating with said network node.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprising means for sending authentication information from the second communication network to the first communication network.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein said means for determining that the user had previously attempted to access said application using said first communication network further comprises means for receiving an indicator from said user.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein said means for determining that the user had previously attempted to access said application using said first communication network further comprises means for determining that the user had been ported from said first communication network to said second communication network.