British Telecommunications Public Limited Company

British Telecommunications Corporation

Michael J Kenning

Robert E Semos

David Anthony Roberts

Richard B Ward

David A Roberts

Michael I Strange

Patrick S Brady

Robert I Tibbitt-Eggleton

Philip C Leveridge

David W Parkinson

Mark J Stirland

An authentication server (AS) is provided which stores authentication details of authorised users, and a list of currently-authenticated users. A number of application servers (APS) are connected to the authentication server (AS), to allow the application servers (APS) to check the current authentication status of a user (T, T, T) which requests service by the application servers (APS). There is also provided a method of authenticating a user for access via a terminal (T, T, T) connected by an Internet Protocol connection to a Web server (APS), said method comprising: storing authentication details of authorised users; performing authentication of a user with reference to said stored authentication details; transmitting an identifier for the user's terminal (T, T, T) to said terminal (T, T, T) for storage thereon, the identifier being transmitted in such a manner that the identifier is transmitted by said user terminal (T, T, T) with document requests directed at said Web server (APS); storing status data indicating said identifier to be an identifier of a terminal (T, T, T) of a currently authenticated user; and allowing said Web server (APS) to access said status data in order to check the authentication status of a user on receipt of a document request containing said identifier.

Data communications

In personal identification systems which compare passwords in a verification computer to identify a user, successive passwords are generated, or retrieved from a stored list in the verification computer in response to each entry of a public username into the verification computer. A user device carried by the user retrieves the next successive password from a stored list in response to a command from the user and displays the password. The user then reads this password and offers it to the verification computer via a keyboard entry to be compared with the password already generated or retrieved in response to the username (the expected password).

Personal identification systems

Growing community of inventors

Suffolk, United Kingdom

Michael J Kenning