IP Library › Granted Patent US 7,886,343
Granted Patent B2
US 7,886,343 · App. 11/697,635 · Granted Feb 8, 2011

Authentication service for facilitating access to services

Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,886,343
App. No.
11/697,635
Filed
Apr 6, 2007
Granted
Feb 8, 2011
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2436
USPC
726/5
Abstract

Authenticating a third party client system prior to providing Internet access via an Internet access point. In a distributed computing system including an Internet access point, an authentication service, and a third party client system, an authentication service receives an authorization request from a third party client system. The authorization request is initiated in response to a single action being performed by a user of the third party client system. The user is not required to manually submit any identification information. The authorization request includes a unique client identifier for identifying the third party client system. The method also includes verifying that the third party client system associated with the unique client identifier is authorized to access the Internet via the Internet access point. If the third party client system is authorized to access the Internet, Internet access is provided to the third party client system.

Claims (49)

1. In a distributed computing system including one or more Internet access points, an authentication service, and a third party client system, a method of authenticating the third party client system prior to providing Internet access via one of the Internet access points to the third party client system, the method comprising:

receiving, at the authentication service, information regarding at least a user of the third party client system via private Internet access or a first Internet access point;

transmitting to the third part client a single action module, the single action module including mechanisms configured to allow the third party client to implement a single action initiation of Internet access, the single action module being directly provided by the authentication service to the third party client;

transmitting a unique client identifier to the third party client system by the authentication service in response to receiving the information;

storing, at the authentication service, at least part of the information;

receiving, at the authentication service, subsequent to transmitting the unique client identifier to the third party client system, an authorization request from the third party client system via a second Internet access point, the authorization request being initiated in response to a single action being performed by a user of the third party client system without the manual submission of any identification information by the user, the authorization request including the unique client identifier for identifying the third party client system;

verifying that the third party client system associated with the unique client identifier is authorized to access the Internet via one of the Internet access points; and

providing Internet access to the third party client system associated with unique client identifier via one of the Internet access points.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the single action is a mouse click.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising billing the user of the third party client system a predefined amount for the Internet access.

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

receiving at the authentication service account information from the user of the third party client system during a one time initiation session;

assigning the unique client identifier to the third party client system for identifying the third party client system;

associating the unique client identifier with the account information; and

storing the unique client identifier at the authentication service and at the third party client system.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the account information includes billing information for the user of the third party client system.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the unique client identifier includes a username.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the unique client identifier includes an Internet Protocol address of the third party client system.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the Internet access point is a wireless Internet access point.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein receiving an authorization request more specifically comprises:

receiving the authorization request at the Internet access point; and

redirecting the authorization request to the authentication service.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising generating a single action user interface on the display of the third party client system for requesting the single action from the user.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving at the authentication service authorization requests from multiple third party client systems via two or more independent internet access points; and

managing a verification process for each internet access point.

12. In a distributed computing system including an Internet access point, an authentication service, and a third party client system, a method of requesting authorization to access the Internet via the Internet access point, the method comprising:

receiving a unique client identifier at the third party client system from the authentication service, the unique client identifier provided by the authentication service in response to receiving information regarding at least a user of the third party client system;

receiving at the third party client system from the authentication system, subsequent to receiving the unique client identifier, a single action module, the single action module including mechanisms configured to allow the third party client to implement a single action initiation of Internet access the single action module being directly provided by the authentication service to the third party client;

providing, subsequent to receiving the single action module, a single action user interface based on the mechanisms of the single action module on a display of the third party client system for receiving a single action from the user to initiate an authorization request for accessing the Internet via the Internet access point, wherein the single action user interface does not request the manual submission of any identification information from the user;

receiving at the third party client system the single action from the user;

communicating an authorization request to the authentication service via the Internet access point, the authorization request including the unique client identifier for identifying the user of the third party client system; and

receiving at the third party client system authorization to access the Internet via the Internet access point.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 , the method further comprising sending account information to the authentication service during a one-time initiation session.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 , wherein the account information includes billing information for the user.

15. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein the single action is a mouse click.

16. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein the unique client identifier includes a username.

17. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein the unique client identifier includes an Internet Protocol address of the third party client system.

18. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein the Internet access point is a wireless Internet access point.

19. The method as recited in claim 12 , further comprising receiving data from the authentication service for generating the single action user interface on the display of the third party client system for requesting the single action from the user.

20. In a distributed computing system including an Internet access point, an authentication service, and a third party client system, a method of authenticating the third party client system prior to providing Internet access via the Internet access point to the third party client system, the method comprising:

receiving at the authentication service account information from a user of the third party client system during a one time initiation session;

assigning a unique client identifier to the third party client system for identifying the third party client system in response to receiving the account information, and associating the unique client identifier with the account information;

transmitting the unique client identifier to the third party client system by the authentication service;

storing the unique client identifier at the authentication service and at the third party client system;

transmitting to the third part client a single action module, the single action module including mechanisms configured to allow the third party client to implement a single action initiation of Internet access, the single action module being directly provided by the authentication service to the third party client;

receiving at the authentication service, subsequent to transmitting the unique client identifier to the third party client system, an authorization request from the third party client system via one of the Internet access points, the authorization request being initiated in response to a single action being performed by a user of the third party client system without the manual submission of any identification information by the user, the authorization request including the unique client identifier;

verifying that the third party client system associated with the unique client identifier is authorized to access the Internet via the Internet access point; and

providing Internet access to the third party client system via the Internet access point.

Assignments (16)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (045455/0001) Recorded May 20, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.); DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC CORPORATION (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MAGINATICS LLC); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MOZY, INC.); SCALEIO LLC
Reel/Frame 061753/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (040136/0001) Recorded Apr 26, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.); DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC CORPORATION (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MAGINATICS LLC); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MOZY, INC.); SCALEIO LLC
Reel/Frame 061324/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 3, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; AVENTAIL LLC; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL, L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL SYSTEMS CORPORATION; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; MAGINATICS LLC; MOZY, INC.; SCALEIO LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 058216/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 21, 2019
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049452/0223 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 21, 2016
From: ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; AVENTAIL LLC; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL SYSTEMS CORPORATION; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; MAGINATICS LLC; MOZY, INC.; SCALEIO LLC; SPANNING CLOUD APPS LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 040136/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 21, 2016
From: ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; AVENTAIL LLC; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL SYSTEMS CORPORATION; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; MAGINATICS LLC; MOZY, INC.; SCALEIO LLC; SPANNING CLOUD APPS LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 040134/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 14, 2016
From: BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P.; ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; APPASSURE SOFTWARE, INC.; COMPELLENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INC.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; PEROT SYSTEMS CORPORATION; SECUREWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 040065/0618 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 14, 2016
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P.; ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; APPASSURE SOFTWARE, INC.; COMPELLENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INC.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; PEROT SYSTEMS CORPORATION; SECUREWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 040040/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 13, 2016
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P.; ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; APPASSURE SOFTWARE, INC.; COMPELLANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INC.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; PEROT SYSTEMS CORPORATION; SECUREWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 040065/0216 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Jan 2, 2014
From: APPASSURE SOFTWARE, INC.; ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; BOOMI, INC.; COMPELLENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INC.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL USA L.P.; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; GALE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; PEROT SYSTEMS CORPORATION; SECUREWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS FIRST LIEN COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 031897/0348 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (ABL) Recorded Jan 2, 2014
From: DELL INC.; APPASSURE SOFTWARE, INC.; ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; BOOMI, INC.; COMPELLENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL USA L.P.; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; GALE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; PEROT SYSTEMS CORPORATION; SECUREWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 031898/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (TERM LOAN) Recorded Jan 2, 2014
From: DELL INC.; APPASSURE SOFTWARE, INC.; ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; BOOMI, INC.; COMPELLENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL USA L.P.; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; GALE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; PEROT SYSTEMS CORPORATION; SECUREWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 031899/0261 →
MERGER Recorded Jan 11, 2008
From: ZING SYSTEMS, INC.
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 020353/0262 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 6, 2007
From: SULLIVAN, TIMOTHY; NICHOLS, TIMOTHY C.; BUCHER, TIMOTHY; EVANS, JOHN S.
To: ZING SYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 019128/0728 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 60790246 · Apr 7, 2006
Related Publication 20070240202A1 · Oct 11, 2007