User-centric session management for client-server interaction using multiple applications and devices

• US 20030084165A1
• Filed: 10/10/2002
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Openwave Systems Incorporated (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Openwave Systems Incorporated (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Lund, Tomas G., Kjellberg, Rikard M.
• Application Number:
  US10/269,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20030084165A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/75 Temporary identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A user-centric session management system and method are provided, in which a user remains authenticated and connected to a session while migrating between provisioning applications, protocols and/or client devices. Each user has a unique user identification (UI), and each session has a unique session identifier (USI). The USI supports anonymous users and maintains authentication without requiring authentication for each request. The system includes a session manager that accesses session state memory and virtual device memory. The session state memory provides short-term storage of records of all current client-server sessions, including USIs and associated UIs). The virtual device memory provides long-term storage of state mirroring the current state of a client device involved in a transaction during a session. Using the USI or UI and the virtual device associated therewith, the client device is synchronized at re-connect to an ongoing session or to an interrupted transaction associated with a terminated session.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a session associated with a client device operated by a user and a server; and

terminating the session; and

re-establishing the session in a user-transparent manner.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

storing state information associated with the session;

wherein said re-establishing the session in a user-transparent manner comprises re-establishing the session using the stored session state information.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

associating a unique user identifier with the user;

associating a unique session identifier with the session

associating the unique session identifier with the unique user identifier; and

storing the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier in a session state memory.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating the user in association with establishing the session;

wherein said re-establishing the session comprises re-establishing the session without re-authenticating the user.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the session is independent of a particular device used by the user.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the session is independent of a protocol used to communicate with the client device.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the session is an anonymous but uniquely identifiable session.

8. A method of providing user-centric services to a user, the method comprising:

assigning a unique user identifier to the user;

initiating a session between a client device associated with the user and a provisioning server using the unique user identifier, the provisioning server being capable of provisioning objects and applications to the client device;

assigning a unique session identifier associated with the session;

associating the unique session identifier with the unique user identifier;

terminating the session; and

using the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier to re-connect with the session.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein said using the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier to re-connect with the session comprises re-connecting with the session transparently to the user.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the client device is a mobile device that operates on a wireless network.

11. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

storing state information associated with the session;

wherein said using the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier to re-connect with the session comprises re-connecting with the session using the stored session state information.

12. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein:

said using the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier to re-connect with the session comprises re-connecting with the session transparently to the user; and

the client device is a mobile device that operates on a wireless network.

13. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

authenticating the user in association with initiating the session;

wherein said using the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier to re-connect with the session comprises re-connecting with the session without re-authenticating the user.

14. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein said using the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier to re-connect with the session comprises re-establishing the session with a device used by the user other than said client device.

15. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

using a first communication protocol to communicate with the client device during the session prior to said terminating the session; and

using a second communication protocol to communicate with the client device upon said re-establishing the session, the second communication protocol not having been used during the session prior to said terminating the session.

16. A method of providing user-centric services to a user, the method comprising:

assigning a unique user identifier to the user;

initiating a session between a mobile client device associated with the user and a provisioning server using the unique user identifier, the provisioning server being capable of provisioning objects and applications to the mobile client device;

authenticating the user;

assigning a unique session identifier associated with the session;

associating the unique session identifier with the unique user identifier;

storing the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier in a session state memory;

terminating the session; and

in response to a request from a device used by the user, using the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier stored in the session state memory to re-establish the session in a user-transparent manner, including re-establishing the session without re-authenticating the user.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the device used by the user is other than said client device.

18. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

using a first protocol to communicate with the client device during the session prior to said terminating the session; and

using a second protocol to communicate with the client device upon said re-establishing the session, the second protocol not having been used during the session prior to said terminating the session.

19. A system comprising:

a session state memory to store a user identifier that uniquely identifies a user of a client device and a session identifier that uniquely identifies a session between the client device and a server;

a virtual device memory to store information representing a current state of the client device; and

a session manager to establish the session between the client device and the server, to re-establish the session in a user-transparent manner after the session has been terminated by using the session identifier, and to synchronize the client device with the session after the session is re-established.

20. A system as recited in claim 19, further comprising a deployment manager to retrieve a target entity requested by the client device during the session and to package the target entity in a manner suitable for the client device.

21. A system as recited in claim 19, wherein the client device is a mobile device that operates on a wireless network.

22. A system as recited in claim 19, wherein the session manager further is to authenticate the user in association with establishing the session;

and

wherein the session manager re-establishes the session without re-authenticating the user.

23. A system as recited in claim 19, wherein the session manager re-establishes the session with a device used by the user other than said client device.

24. A system as recited in claim 19, wherein:

the system uses a first communication protocol to communicate with the client device during the session prior to said termination of the session; and

the system uses a second communication protocol to communicate with the client device upon said re-establishment of the session, the second communication protocol not having been used during the session prior to said termination of the session.

25. A system as recited in claim 19, wherein the session is an anonymous but uniquely identifiable session.

26. A machine-readable storage device having stored therein instructions which, when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to perform a process comprising:

assigning a unique user identifier to a user;

initiating a session between a client device associated with the user and a server using the unique user identifier, the server being capable of provisioning objects and applications to the client device;

assigning a unique session identifier associated with the session;

associating the unique session identifier with the unique user identifier;

terminating the session; and

using the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier to re-connect with the session.

27. A machine-readable storage device as recited in claim 26, wherein said using the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier to re-connect with the session comprises re-connecting with the session transparently to the user.

28. A machine-readable storage device as recited in claim 26, wherein the client device is a mobile device that operates on a wireless network.

29. A machine-readable storage device as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

storing state information associated with the session;

wherein said using the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier to re-connect with the session comprises re-connecting with the session using the stored session state information.

30. A machine-readable storage device as recited in claim 26, wherein:

said using the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier to re-connect with the session comprises re-connecting with the session transparently to the user; and

the client device is a mobile device that operates on a wireless network.

31. A machine-readable storage device as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

authenticating the user in association with initiating the session;

wherein said using the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier to re-connect with the session comprises re-connecting with the session without re-authenticating the user.

32. A machine-readable storage device as recited in claim 26, wherein said using the unique session identifier and the unique user identifier to re-connect with the session comprises re-establishing the session with a device used by the user other than said client device.

33. A machine-readable storage device as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

using a first communication protocol to communicate with the client device during the session prior to said terminating the session; and

using a second communication protocol to communicate with the client device upon said re-establishing the session, the second communication protocol not having been used during the session prior to said terminating the session.

34. An apparatus comprising:

means for establishing a session associated with a client device operated by a user and a server; and

means for terminating the session; and

means for re-establishing the session in a user-transparent manner.