Remote profile security system

• US 9,276,747 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2008
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bradley A. Handler
• Original Assignee: Technology Policy Associates, LLC
• Inventors: Handler, Bradley A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUVAN, LEYNNA THANH
• Application Number:
  US12/185,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20100031335A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,766 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1- 6, 726 18- 19, 726 27- 30, 709206-207, 709/217, 709/219, 709/225, 709/227, 705/76, 713/150, 713/165, 713/171, 713/182, 707/703, 707/758, 707/784, 707821-822, 380/228, 380/231, 380/255, 380/277
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083

Abstract

A method comprises storing, at the server computer system, user profile information for the remote user. The user profile information for the remote user (or a link to the user profile information) is encrypted using authentication information. The user profile information is associated with user identification information, at the server computer system, using the authentication information, which is selectively made available by the remote user via the network to the server computer system in order to enable the server computer system to associate the user profile information with the user identification information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing, at a server computer system, first user profile information for a remote user;

restricting access to the first user profile information for the remote user at the server computer system, the restricting access to the first user profile information for the remote user at the server computer system comprising using authentication information to encrypt user identification information;

accessing the first user profile information, at the server computer system, using the authentication information, the authentication information being selectively made available by the remote user via a network to the server computer system in order to enable the server computer system to access the first user profile information; and

restricting access to the first remote user profile information using the authentication information subsequent to an interaction session between the remote user of the server computer system and removing the authentication information from the server computer system subsequent to the encryption of the first remote user profile information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the restricting of the access to the first user profile information at the server computer system further comprises encrypting the first user profile information within a data store accessible by the server computer system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication information is received from the remote user at the server computer system and is temporarily stored at the server computer system to enable the access to the first user profile information.

4. The method of claim 3, including removing the authentication information from the server computer system subsequent to the access of the first user profile information using the authentication information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the authentication information is removed from the server computer system subsequent to a determinable interaction session by the remote user with the server computer system.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the receiving the authentication information from the remote user includes receiving the authentication information at the server computer system via the network as a network communication from the remote user, and wherein the authentication information is temporarily stored at the server computer system to enable a hosted application of the server computer system to access the first user profile information.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the authentication information is stored at a location accessible by the server computer system, and wherein the receiving the authentication information from the remote user includes receiving authorization, via the network and from the remote user, for the server computer system to access the authentication information at the accessible location.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving the authorization includes receiving a password authorizing access to the authentication information at the accessible location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a remote user profile for the remote user includes the first user profile information and second user profile information, and wherein the second user profile information has different access restrictions than the first user profile information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein access by the server computer system to the second remote user profile information is unrestricted.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing of the first remote user profile information includes updating the first remote user profile information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first user profile information is updated using remote user activity information determined during an interaction session by the remote user with the server computer system.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first user profile information is updated using user-provided information provided by the remote user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing of the first remote user profile information includes using the first profile information to customize an interaction by the remote user with a hosted application.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing includes accessing the first user profile information on an interaction session-by-session basis responsive to the provision of the authentication information to, or withholding of the authentication information from, the server computer system by the remote user.

16. A system comprising:

a data store, accessible by a server computer system, to store first remote user profile information for a remote user; and

an access component of the server computer system to associate the first remote user profile information with identification information of the remote user using a key, the key being selectively made available by the remote user to the access component in order to enable the association of the first remote user profile information with identification information of the remote user,

the access component further to encrypt the first remote user profile information using the key subsequent to an interaction session between the remote user of the server computer system, and to expunge the key from the server computer system subsequent to the encryption of the first remote user profile information.

17. The system of claim 16, including an interface to receive the key at the server computer system from the remote user, and wherein the access component is to temporarily store the key at the server computer system to associate the first remote user profile information with the identification information of the remote user.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the interface is to receive the key at the server computer system via a network as a network communication from the remote user.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the access component is to remove the key from the server computer system subsequent to the association of the first remote user profile information with the identification information of the remote user, using the key.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the access component is to remove the key from the server computer system subsequent to a determinable interaction session by the remote user with the server computer system.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the data store is to store the key at a location accessible by the server computer system, and wherein the access component is to receive authorization, from the remote user, for the server computer system to access the key at the accessible location.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the access component is to receive a key password authorizing access to the key at the accessible location.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein a remote user profile for the remote user includes the first remote user profile information and second remote user profile information, and wherein the access component is to enforce different association restrictions with respect to the first and second remote user profile information.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the access component is to provide unrestricted association by the server computer system of the second remote user profile information with the identification information.

25. The system of claim 16, including an update component, coupled to the access component, to update the first remote user profile information.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the update component is to update the first remote user profile information using remote user activity information determined during an interaction session by the remote user with the server computer system.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the update component is to update the first remote user profile information using user-provided information provided by the remote user.

28. The system of claim 16, including a customization component, coupled to the access component, to customize an interaction of the remote user with the server computer system using the first profile information.

29. The system of claim 16, wherein the access component is to access the first remote user profile information on an interaction session-by-session basis responsive to the provision of the key to, or withholding of the key from, the server computer system by the remote user.

30. One or more machine-readable hardware storage device embodying instructions that, when executed by a server computer system, cause the server computer system to perform a method comprising:

storing, at the server computer system, first user profile information for a remote user;

restricting access to the first user profile information for the remote user at the server computer system, the restricting of the access to the first user profile information at the server computer system comprising using authentication information for encrypting remote user identification; and

accessing the first user profile information, at the server computer system, using the authentication information, the authentication information being selectively made available by the remote user via a network to the server computer system in order to enable the server computer system to access the first user profile information; and

restricting access to the first remote user profile information using the authentication information subsequent to an interaction session between the first remote user of the server computer system and removing the authentication information from the server computer system subsequent to the encryption of the first remote user profile information.

31. A method comprising:

storing, at a server computer system, first user profile information for a remote user;

restricting access to the first user profile information for the remote user at the server computer system using authentication information, the restricting access to the first user profile information for the remote user at the server computer system comprising encrypting remote user identification information;

accessing the first user profile information, at the server computer system, using the authentication information, the authentication information being selectively made available by the remote user via a network to the server computer system in order to enable the server computer system to access the first user profile information; and

restricting access to the first remote user profile information using the authentication information subsequent to an interaction session between the first remote user of the server computer system and removing the authentication information from the server computer system subsequent to the encryption of the first remote user profile information.

32. A method comprising:

storing, in a first table of a relational database at a server computer system, unrestricted identification information for a remote user;

storing, in a second table, restricted profile information for the remote user;

using the unrestricted identification information for the remote user as an index to associate the stored unrestricted identification information with the stored restricted profile information;

restricting access to the restricted profile information for the remote user at the server computer system using authentication information, the restricting access to the restricted profile information for the remote user at the server computer system comprising encrypting the unrestricted identification information;

accessing the restricted profile information, at the server computer system, using the authentication information, the authentication information being selectively made available by the remote user via a network to the server computer system in order to enable the server computer system to access the restricted profile information; and

restricting access to the unrestricted profile information using the authentication information subsequent to an interaction session between the first remote user of the server computer system and removing the authentication information from the server computer system subsequent to the encryption of the unrestricted profile information.

33. A hardware machine-readable storage device having embedded therein a

set of instructions which, when executed by the machine, causes the machine to execute the operations comprising:

storing in a first table unrestricted identification information for a remote user;

storing, in a second table, restricted profile information for the remote user;

using the unrestricted identification information for the remote user as an index to associate the stored unrestricted identification information with the stored restricted profile information;

restricting access to the restricted profile information for the remote user using authentication information, the restricting access to the restricted profile information for the remote user comprising encrypting the unrestricted identification information for the remote user that associates the restricted profile information with the unrestricted identification information;

accessing the restricted profile information using the authentication information, the authentication information being selectively made available by the remote user via a network to the server computer system in order to enable the server computer system to access the restricted profile information; and

restricting access to the unrestricted profile information using the authentication information subsequent to an interaction session between the first remote user of the server computer system and removing the authentication information from the server computer system subsequent to the encryption of the unrestricted profile information.