Method, apparatus, and system for managing user accounts

• US 9,811,655 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2015
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced New Technologies Company Limited (Ant Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Qian, Jianbo, Ni, Xingjun, Yu, Feng
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahim, Monjour
• Application Number:
  US14/703,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20150324579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 726 6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/46 by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords
• 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 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to a method and system for managing user accounts. The method includes receiving a registration request from a current user, wherein the registration request comprises a login name main part, determining, in a database, whether a conflicting old user exists, wherein a conflicting old user corresponds to another user that has a conflicting login name main part that is the same as the login name main part received in connection with the registration request, in the event that a conflicting old user exists, executing a login password differentiation process that requires a user to register a different login password that is different from a login password associated with the conflicting old user, and storing the different login password to the database in connection with a registration of the current user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a registration request from a current user, wherein the registration request comprises a login name main part;

determining, in a database, whether a conflicting old user exists, wherein the conflicting old user corresponds to another user that has a conflicting login name main part that is the same as the login name main part received in connection with the registration request;

in the event that the conflicting old user exists, executing a login password differentiation process that requires the current user to register a different login password that is different from a login password associated with the conflicting old user, wherein the login password differentiation process includes determining a login password rule for the registration request from the current user based at least in part on the login password associated with the conflicting old user; and

storing the different login password to the database in connection with a registration of the current user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the conflicting old user exists comprises searching an account table that stores account records for an account associated with the login name main part received in connection with the registration request.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in the event that the conflicting old user does not exist, creating an account record associated with the login name main part received in connection with the registration request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the process of login password differentiation comprises:

receiving a login password from the current user;

determining whether the login password from the current user satisfies the login password rule; and

in the event that the login password received from the current user satisfies the login password rule, creating an account for the current user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the creating of the account for the current user comprises:

creating a user record associated with the registration of the current user in an account table based at least in part on the login name main part and the login password received from the current user; and

introducing a conflict identification parameter in a login name field of the login name main part of the conflicting old user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the introducing the conflict identification parameter in the login name field of the login name main part of the conflicting old user comprises:

updating an account record corresponding to the conflicting old user in the account table to include the conflict identification parameter in the login name field.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a login request from a user, wherein a login name main part and a login password are received in connection with the login request;

determining whether an account that matches the combination of the login name main part and the login password received in connection with the login request exists;

in the event that the account associated with the login name main part and the login password exists, permitting the user to log in; and

in the event that the account associated with the login name main part and the login password does not exist, refusing to log in the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in the event that a user successfully logs in, determining whether a user account record associated with the user includes a conflict identification parameter; and

in the event that the user account record includes the conflict identification parameter, providing a login name main part revising interface to the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the login name main part revising interface guides the user to revise a login name main part associated with the user'"'"'s user account record.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a revised login name main part input to the login name main part revising interface;

determining whether a conflicting new user exists, wherein the conflicting new user corresponds to another user that has a conflicting login name main part that is the same as the revised login name main part;

in the event that the conflicting new user exists, updating a login name field of a user account record associated with the conflicting new user so as to include a conflict identification parameter; and

in the event that the conflicting new user does not exist, updating the login name main part in the account record of the current user using the revised login name main part.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein in the event that the conflicting new user exists, the user account record of the conflicting new user is updated so as to cause the conflicting new user to be converted to a conflicting old user and deleting a conflict identification parameter from the login name main part from the account record of the current user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the login password differentiation process includes a process of refuse registration guidance mode or a password rule guidance mode.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the refuse registration mode comprises:

determining whether the login password received in connection with the registration request from the current user is the same as a login password associated with an account of the conflicting old user; and

in the event that the login password received in connection with the registration request is the same as the login password associated with the account of the conflicting old user, refusing registration and providing an indication that the login password received in connection with the registration request does not satisfy a security rule to the current user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

selecting a positive integer N;

refusing N registration requests received from the current user and providing an indication that the login password does not comply with the security rule in response to receiving each of the N registration requests;

receiving an (N+1) registration request from the current user;

determining whether a login password received in connection with the (N+1) registration request from the current user is the same as the login password associated with the account of the conflicting old user;

in the event that the login password received in connection with the (N+1) registration request is the same as the login password associated with the account of the conflicting old user, providing an indication that the login password received in connection with the (N+1) registration request does not satisfy the security rule; and

in the event that the login password received in connection with the (N+1) registration request is not the same as the login password associated with the account of the conflicting old user, registering the current user.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the password rule guidance mode corresponds to a length rule guidance mode, a specified character guidance mode, or a character class guidance mode.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the length rule guidance mode comprises:

determining whether the login password received in connection with the registration request from the current user comprises a specified character;

in the event that the login password comprises the specified character, registering the user; and

in the event that the login password does not comprise the specified character, prompting the current user to input a login password that comprises the specified character, wherein the login password associated with an account of the conflicting old user does not comprise the specified character.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the specified character guidance mode comprises:

determining whether the login password received in connection with the registration request from the current user satisfies a predetermined length rule;

in the event that the login password satisfies the predetermined length rule, registering the user; and

in the event that the login password does not satisfy the predetermined length rule, prompting the current user to input a login password that satisfies the predetermined length rule, wherein the login password associated with an account of the conflicting old user does not satisfy the predetermined length rule.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the character class guidance mode comprises:

determining whether the login password received in connection with the registration request from the current user satisfies a predetermined character class rule;

in the event that the login password satisfies the predetermined character class rule, registering the user; and

in the event that the login password does not satisfy the predetermined character class rule, prompting the current user to input a login password that satisfies the predetermined character class rule, wherein the login password associated with an account of the conflicting old user does not satisfy the predetermined character class rule.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a password retrieval request, wherein a login name main part is received in connection with the retrieval request;

determining whether multiple accounts are associated with the login name main part;

in response to determining that multiple accounts are associated with the login name main part received in connection with the retrieval request, providing, to a user from whom the password retrieval request is received, a selective retrieval validation interface, wherein the selective retrieval validation interface comprises verification options corresponding to each of the multiple accounts associated with the login name main part; and

in response to determining that a verification option corresponding to any one of the multiple accounts is successfully validated, providing a password reset interface for the validated account to the user from whom the password retrieval request is received, wherein each verification option is a verification option unrelated to the login name main part.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a sub-account creation request from a user after successful user login;

pushing to the user from whom the sub-account creation request is received a sub-account creation interface;

receiving a login password input to the sub-account creation interface;

determining whether the login password input to the sub-account creation interface is the same as a login password associated with an account for which the user is currently logged in;

in the event that the login password input to the sub-account creation interface is the same, prompting the user to re-input the login password; and

in the event that the login password input to the sub-account creation interface is not the same, creating a sub-account based on the login name main part of the currently logged in account and the login password input to the sub-account creation interface by the user, and adding a relational identification parameter to a sub-account login name field.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein a login name field of an account table that stores user accounts comprises a login name main part, a random character string and a separator character, wherein a conflict identification parameter is located between the login name main part and the random character string, and wherein the separator character is located between the conflict identification parameter and the login name main part.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the login password rule includes one or more requirements for the different login password to be registered in connection with the registration request from the current user.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the login password rule comprises determining one or more criteria for ensuring that the different login password is different from the login password associated with the conflicting old user.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the login password differentiation process requires that the different login password satisfies the one or more criteria for ensuring that the different login password is different from the login password associated with the conflicting old user.

22. A device comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive a registration request from a current user, wherein the registration request comprises a login name main part;

determine whether a conflicting old user exists in a database, wherein the conflicting old user corresponds to another user that has a conflicting login name main part that is the same as the login name main part received in connection with the registration request;

in the event that the conflicting old user exists, execute a password differentiation process that requires the current user to register a different login password that is different from a login password associated with the conflicting old user, wherein the login password differentiation process includes determining a login password rule for the registration request from the current user based at least in part on the login password associated with the conflicting old user; and

store the different login password to the database in connection with a registration of the current user; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor and configured to provide the at least one processor with instructions.

23. A computer program product for generating a transaction, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a registration request from a current user, wherein the registration request comprises a login name main part;

determining whether a conflicting old user exists, wherein the conflicting old user corresponds to another user that has a conflicting login name main part that is the same as the login name main part received in connection with the registration request;

in the event that the conflicting old user exists, executing a login password differentiation process that requires the current user to register a different login password that is different from a login password associated with the conflicting old user, wherein the login password differentiation process includes determining a login password rule for the registration request from the current user based at least in part on the login password associated with the conflicting old user; and

storing the different login password to a database in connection with a registration of the current user.