Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Prashant Malik

Vinay Krishnaswamy

Chandramouli Venkatesh

Marco A Demello

Frank Byrum

Taroon Mandhana

Attila Narin

Peter David Waxman

Andrew Thomas Baron

Saurabh Mahajan

Steven Bourne

Jason Matthew Cahill

Scott C Cottrille

Lauren Nicole Antonoff

Rushmi U Malaviarachchi

Pavel Zeman

Gregory Kostal

Vladimir Yarmolenko

Steve Bourne

Kathryn E Hughes

Thomas K Lindeman

Yevgeniy (Eugene) Rozenfeld

Amir Zohrenejad

Attilla Narin

Karthik Ranganathan

James B Shobe, Jr

An EAP-based authentication framework is provided that decouples credential acquisition from EAP methods that use credentials for authentication. An application may request from an EAP method parameters of credentials required by the EAP method. In response, the EAP method provides credential parameters, which may then be used by the application to acquire credentials consistent with the parameters from the user or other entity. The framework enables an application to request credentials in a context specific way. In addition, the application may simultaneously obtain credentials used in multiple authentication operations through a single user interface, or retain credentials for later use without further prompting a user such that a Single Sign-on user experience may be implemented. Additionally, the application can obtain credentials from a device so that the device may gain network access without requiring a user logon.

Generic framework for EAP

A framework is provided that decouples credential acquisition from authentication processes using those credentials in a way that facilitates dynamic update of credential information. An authentication component may receive credential information for authentication of a user or a device for access to a resource. During interactions with an external authenticator, the authentication component may identify that updated credential information is required and issue a request to the application including credential parameters defining the updated credential information. An application component receiving the request may acquire updated credential information from a user or another entity. In addition, the authentication method may issue notifications to the application. The framework enables the application to update credentials in a context specific way.

Dynamic update of authentication information

Systems and methods for providing digital rights management services are disclosed. Such a system includes a service program that provides a processing framework for performing a digital rights management service, such as publishing or licensing rights managed digital content. A plurality of plug-in components are provided, each of which performs a respective task associated with the digital rights management service. The plug-in components are integrated into the processing framework according to predefined sets of interface rules.

Secure server plug-in architecture for digital rights management systems

A licensor receives a request from a requestor including an identifier identifying the requestor and rights data associated with digital content, where the rights data lists at least one identifier and rights associated therewith. The licensor thereafter locates the identifier of the requestor in a directory, and locates in the directory based thereon an identifier of each group which the requestor is a member of. Each of the located requestor identifier and each located group identifier is compared to each identifier listed in the rights data to find a match, and a digital license to render the content is issued to the requestor with the rights associated with the matching identifier.

Publishing digital content within a defined universe such as an organization in accordance with a digital rights management (DRM) system

Content is encrypted according to a content key (CK) to result in (CK(content)) and the content key (CK) is protected according to a public key for a license server (PU-RM). Rights data is retrieved from a rights template to be associated with the content, and rules for modifying the retrieved rights data are also retrieved from the retrieved rights template. The retrieved rights data from the rights template is modified according to the rules, and the rights data and the protected content key (CK)) are submitted as a rights label to the license server for signing thereby. The license server thus validates the rights label and, if valid, creates a digital signature based on a private key (PR-RM) corresponding to (PU-RM) and based at least in part on the rights data to result in a signed rights label (SRL), and returns the SRL.

Using a flexible rights template to obtain a signed rights label (SRL) for digital content in a rights management system

Content is encrypted according to a content key (CK) ((CK(content))), (CK) is protected according to a license server public key (PU-DRM), and rights data associated with the content is protected according to (PU-DRM). The protected items are submitted as a rights label to the license server for signing. The license server validates the rights label and, if valid, digitally signs based on the protected rights data to result in a signed rights label (SRL), and returns same. The SRL is concatenated with (CK(content)) and both are distributed to a user. To render the content, the user submits the SRL to the license server to request a license. The license server verifies the SRL signature and reviews the SRL protected rights data to determine whether the user is entitled to the license, and if so issues the license, including (CK) in a protected form accessible to the user.

Obtaining a signed rights label (SRL) for digital content and obtaining a digital license corresponding to the content based on the SRL in a digital rights management system

A server architecture for a digital rights management system that distributes and protects rights in content. The server architecture includes a retail site which sells content items to consumers, a fulfillment site which provides to consumers the content items sold by the retail site. The fulfillment site includes an asynchronous fulfillment pipeline which logs information about processed transactions using a store-and-forward messaging service. The fulfillment site may be implemented as several server devices, each having a cache which stores frequently downloaded content items, in which case the asynchronous fulfillment pipeline may also be used to invalidate the cache if a change is made at one server that affects the cached content items.

Asynchronous communication within a server arrangement

Growing community of inventors

Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Prashant Malik