Method and Apparatus for Configuring and Establishing a Secure Credential-Based Network Link Between a Client and a Service over a Data-Packet-Network

• US 20100205079A1
• Filed: 04/21/2010
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yodlee Incorporated (Envestnet Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Yodlee.com, Inc. (Envestnet Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ferguson, Hill, Hayward, Blake, Satyavolu, Ramakrishna
• Granted Patent: US 7,990,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers

Abstract

A system for establishing a direct network connection between a first and a second node over a data-packet-network includes a third network node having connection to the data-packet-network for providing an electronic interface accessible to the first node; a navigation agent directed by the third network node for navigating over the network to the second node to gather information; and at least one machine-readable instruction containing the instruction for directing and implementing the direct network connection. The electronic interface may be a Web page providing bill consolidation and payment services to a client operating the first node and wherein the connection established via the instruction enables transparent login payment of a bill at the second node, which may be a direct billing party interface of the client registered and listed on the Web page.

Claims

1. A bill payment method, comprising steps of:

(a) accessing, by a service enterprise, a plurality of billing servers, logging in with credentials supplied by a client, and downloading, to a data repository of the service enterprise, indicators of bills which the client is responsible to pay;

(b) providing an interactive interface via the Internet to a computerized appliance operated by the client;

(c) receiving via the interface a selection by the client indicating one of the bills the client is responsible to pay;

(d) transmitting to the client appliance a deep-link plug-in (DLP) for the billing server where the bill selected by the client is associated;

(e) executing by the client the DLP, connecting the client directly to an interactive page on the billing server where the client may pay the bill.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the client'"'"'s connection to the interactive interface provided by the service enterprise remains intact when the client machine is directly connected to the billing server by the DLP, such that the client is enabled to select and pay bills to individual ones of the billing servers in sequence, and log-in at billing servers are accomplished for the client automatically by the DLP using credentials provided by the client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the DLP provides confirmation and acceptance of new payment information.