Systems, devices, methods and computer program products for establishing network connections between service providers and applications that run natively on devices

• US 9,560,035 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2010
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Glasgow, Jay O., Jaskolski, Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLDER, BRADLEY W
• Application Number:
  US12/850,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20120036563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,372 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2- 6, 713/182, 713/185
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• 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 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications

Abstract

A login session server is configured to establish a communications session between an application that runs natively on a device and a service that is secured by a web services gateway by supporting a temporary login session socket between the device and the login session server and by passing a login session token to the device over the temporary login session socket. The temporary login session socket can be used to verify that the application that runs natively on the device is authorized to use the services of the service provider. Related systems, devices, methods and computer program products are disclosed.

Claims

1. A communications method for establishing a communications session between an application that runs natively on a computing device and a service provided by a web services gateway, the communications method comprising:

supporting, by the computing device, a temporary login session socket between the computing device and a login session server;

receiving, by the computing device, a login session token from the login session server, the login session token indicating that the application that runs natively on the computing device is verified to access the service provided by the web services gateway;

accepting, by the computing device, a userid and a password for the service;

launching, by the computing device, a web browser;

communicating, from the computing device to the web services gateway via the web browser, the userid and the password for the service along with the login session token that indicates that the application that runs natively on the computing device is verified to access the service; and

establishing, by the computing device, the communications session between the application and the service in response to a verification by the web services gateway of the userid and the password, so that the application that runs natively on the computing device is allowed to access the service from the web services gateway utilizing the web browser.

2. The communications method according to claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a temporary bidirectional secure socket between the computing device and the login session server; and

receiving the login session token that indicates that the application that runs natively on the computing device is verified to access the service, from the login session server at the computing device over the temporary bidirectional secure socket.

3. The communications method according to claim 1, further comprising closing the temporary login session socket in response to a receipt of the login session token.

4. The communications method according to claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a user interface that accepts an input of the userid and the password for the service; and

accepting the userid and the password via the user interface.

5. The communications method according to claim 1, further comprising closing, by the computing device, the browser in response to a receipt by the web services gateway of the userid and the password.

6. The communications method according to claim 1, further comprising directly bidirectionally communicating between the application and the web services gateway in response to a receipt by the web services gateway of the userid and the password.

7. The communications method according to claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a bidirectional link between the computing device and the service; and

allowing the application to access the service over the bidirectional link.

8. The communications method according to claim 1, further comprising:

combining the userid and the password for the service and the login session token to produce an application-specific login for the computing device; and

establishing the communications session between the application and the service in response to the verification by the web services gateway of the application-specific login.

9. The communications method according to claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the userid and the password along with the login session token from the computing device to a security server; and

communicating the userid and the password along with the login session token from the security server to the web services gateway.

10. The communications method according to claim 1, wherein the communicating the userid and the password along with the login session token is preceded by sending the userid and the password along with the login session token from the login session server to the web services gateway.

11. The communications method according to claim 10, further comprising:

sending the userid and the password along with the login session token from the login session server to a security server; and

sending the userid and the password along with the login session token from the security server to the web services gateway.

12. A communications method for establishing a communications session between an application that runs natively on a computing device and a service provided by a web services gateway, the communications method comprising:

establishing, by a login session server, a temporary login session socket with the computing device in response to a request by the computing device;

establishing, by the login session server, a temporary bidirectional secure socket with the computing device in response to the request by the computing device;

sending, by the login session server, a login session token to the computing device via the temporary bidirectional secure socket, the login session token indicating that the application that runs natively on the computing device is verified to access the service that is secured by the web services gateway, the login session token sent over the temporary login session socket in response to a verification that the application is authorized to access the service;

closing, by the login session server, the temporary login session socket in response to a receipt of the login session token that indicates that the application that runs natively on the computing device is verified to access the service by the computing device; and

communicating, by the login session server, the login session token to the web services gateway.

13. The communications method according to claim 12, further comprising:

communicating the login session token from the login session server to a security server; and

communicating the login session token from the security server to the web services gateway.

14. A login session server for establishing a communications session between an application that runs natively on a computing device and a service that is secured by a web services gateway, the login session server comprising:

a hardware processor, and

a computer readable medium, the computer readable medium storing computer readable program code, the computer readable program code when executed by the processor configures the processor to;

establish a temporary login session socket with the computing device in response to a request by the computing device;

establish a temporary bidirectional secure socket with the computing device in response to the request;

send a login session token to the computing device over the temporary bidirectional secure socket, the login session token indicating that the application is verified to access the service that is secured by the web services gateway;

close the temporary login session socket in response to a receipt of the login session token that indicates that the application is verified to access the service by the computing device; and

communicate the login session token to the web services gateway.

15. The login session server according to claim 14, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to send the login session token from the login session server to a security server.