User authentication in a conversion system

1. A conversion system, comprising:

a first interface that receives a user ID and user credentials of a user in a first protocol from a first communication device;

a processing system that receives the user ID and the user credentials from the first interface, processes the user ID and a key to generate a computed password, derives credentials from the computed password, compares the user credentials and the derived credentials, authenticates the user of the first communication device if the user credentials correspond with the derived credentials, and generates new user credentials from the computed password according to a second protocol responsive to authenticating the user; and

a second interface that receives the user ID and the new user credentials in the second protocol from the processing system and transmits the user ID and the new user credentials in the second protocol to a second communication device.

2. The conversion system of claim 1 wherein the processing system denies authentication of the user of the first communication device if the user credentials do not correspond with the derived credentials.

3. The conversion system of claim 1 further comprising:

a third interface that receives the key from a service provider password system; and

transmits the key to the processing system.

4. The conversion system of claim 1 wherein the processing system processes the user ID and the key according to a one-way hashing function.

5. The conversion system of claim 1 wherein the first protocol comprises H.323 protocol and the second protocol comprises Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

6. The conversion system of claim 1 wherein the first communication device comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone and the second communication device comprises a telephony server of a service provider of VoIP service.

7. A method of authenticating users, the method comprising:

receiving a user ID and user credentials of a user in a first protocol in a conversion system from a first communication device;

processing the user ID and a key in the conversion system to generate a computed password;

deriving credentials based on the computed password;

comparing the user credentials and the derived credentials;

if the user credentials correspond with the derived credentials, then:

authenticating the user of the first communication device;

generating new user credentials from the computed password according to a second protocol; and

transmitting the user ID and the new user credentials in the second protocol to a second communication device.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

denying authentication of the user of the first communication device if the user credentials do not correspond with the derived credentials.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

receiving the user ID in a service provider password system;

processing the user ID and the key to generate the user password; and

transmitting the user ID and the user password to the first communication device and the second communication device.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

transmitting the key from the service provider password system to the conversion system.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of processing the user ID and a key to generate a computed password comprises:

processing the user ID and the key according to a one-way hashing function.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the first protocol comprises H.323 protocol and the second protocol comprises Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the first communication device comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone and the second communication device comprises a telephony server of a service provider of VoIP service.

14. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

receiving the user ID and the user credentials in the second protocol in the second communication device, and

processing the user ID and the user credentials to authenticate the user in the second communication device.

15. A software product, comprising:

conversion system software executable by a processing system to receive a user ID and user credentials of a user in a first protocol from a first communication device, process the user ID and a key to generate a computed password, derive credentials from the computed password, compare the user credentials and the derived credentials, authenticate the user of the first communication device if the user credentials correspond with the derived credentials, and generate new user credentials from the computed password according to a second protocol and transmit the user ID and the new user credentials in the second protocol to a second communication device responsive to authenticating the user; and

storage media that stores the conversion system software.

16. The software product of claim 15 wherein the conversion system software is executable by the processing system to deny authentication of the user of the first communication device if the user credentials do not correspond with the derived credentials.

17. The software product of claim 15 wherein the conversion system software is executable by the processing system to receive the key from a service provider password system.

18. The software product of claim 15 wherein the conversion system software is executable by the processing system to process the user ID and the key according to a one-way hashing function.

19. The software product of claim 15 wherein the first protocol comprises H.323 protocol and the second protocol comprises Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

20. The software product of claim 15 wherein the first communication device comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone and the second communication device comprises a telephony server of a service provider of VoIP service.