Identifying users of network environments

• US 20040250140A1
• Filed: 05/02/2003
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, John C., Lee, Sean, Potter, Hilon R. Jr., Dayka, John C., DeGilio, Frank J., Chavis, Ira L., Wanish, Paul J.
• Application Number:
  US10/428,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20040250140A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A user identification capability for network environrnents. A user'"'"'s identity is created using information provided by a user, as well as information provided by a third party, such as an internet service provider, a business, a service, an access device, etc. The identity is used to determine the context in which a user is accessing a process, such as a server, application, network entity, firewall, router, etc.

Claims

1. A method of creating identifiers of users of network environments, said method comprising:

providing a portion of an identifier, said portion being provided by a user of a network environment; and

providing another portion of the identifier, said another portion being provided by a third party, and wherein the identifier is usable in identifying the user of the network environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is usable in identifying a context in which the user is using the network environment.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the identifier, by a process, to determine a context in which the user is accessing the process.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the using comprises determining whether the another portion of the identifier is recognizable by the process, wherein a result of the determining indicates the context.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein recognization by the process of the another portion of the identifier indicates a relationship between the user and an organization using the process.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein non-recognition of the another portion of the identifier indicates the user is accessing the process as a private entity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the identifier to obtain one or more attributes of the user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more attributes include business affiliation of the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the third party is a business.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the third party is a service provider.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the service provider comprises an internet service provider.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the service provider comprises a wireless service provider.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the third party is an access device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the another portion comprises location information.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the another portion comprises information from a hardware certificate.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the another portion comprises information from a certificate associated with a virtual private network.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the network environment is a multi-organizational environment.

18. A system of creating identifiers of users of network environments, said system comprising:

means for providing a portion of an identifier, said portion being provided by a user of a network environment; and

means for providing another portion of the identifier, said another portion being provided by a third party, and wherein the identifier is usable in identifying the user of the network environment.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the identifier is usable in identifying a context in which the user is using the network environment.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for using the identifier, by a process, to determine a context in which the user is accessing the process.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for using comprises means for determining whether the another portion of the identifier is recognizable by the process, wherein a result of the determining indicates the context.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein recognization by the process of the another portion of the identifier indicates a relationship between the user and an organization using the process.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein non-recognition of the another portion of the identifier indicates the user is accessing the process as a private entity.

24. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for using the identifier to obtain one or more attributes of the user.

25. A system of facilitating identification of users of network environments, said system comprising:

a communications unit to use an identifier to identify a user of the network environment, wherein the identifier comprises a portion of the identifier being provided by a user of the network environment and another portion of the identifier being provided by a third party.

26. At least one program storage device readable by a machine embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of creating identifiers of users of network environments, said method comprising:

providing a portion of an identifier, said portion being provided by a user of a network environment; and

providing another portion of the identifier, said another portion being provided by a third party, and wherein the identifier is usable in identifying the user of the network environment.

27. The at least one program storage device of claim 26, wherein the identifier is usable in identifying a context in which the user is using the network environment.

28. The at least one program storage device of claim 26, wherein said method further comprises using the identifier, by a process, to determine a context in which the user is accessing the process.

29. The at least one program storage device of claim 28, wherein the using comprises determining whether the another portion of the identifier is recognizable by the process, wherein a result of the determining indicates the context.

30. The at least one program storage device of claim 29, wherein recognization by the process of the another portion of the identifier indicates a relationship between the user and an organization using the process.

31. The at least one program storage device of claim 26, further comprising using the identifier to obtain one or more attributes of the user.