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EP0717339B1 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Access to independent network resources

Assignee: Microsoft Corp
•
Filing: 1995-12-11
•
Granted: 2002-04-03
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Expires: 2015-12-11
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Abstract

No abstract record available.

Inventors

  • 👤 Vladimir Sadovsky

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 14:31
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F21/00; G06F21/30; G06F21/31; G06F21/70; G06F21/82; G06F21/85; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99931; Y10S707/99939

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim 179 words
A method for accessing independent resources in a computer network, the method comprising: storing logon data for a user when the user logs on to a local computer system (20) in the computer network; storing authentication data when a user accesses an independent network resource: and, in response to a request to access an independent network resource, attempting to access the independent network resource using the logon data and the stored authentication data; which method is characterised by the steps of: routing the request to one of a plurality of network providers (62, 64, 66) which each provide access to a different type of network and which share authentication data; attempting to access the independent network resource from the network provider (62, 64, 66) using the stored logon data that is shared among the network providers (62, 64, 66) providing access to different network types; and attempting to access the independent network resource from the network provider (62, 64, 66) using the stored authentication data that is shared among the network providers (62,64,66) providing access to different network types.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 15 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the authentication data is stored in a cache (101).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 20 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the cache (101) resides in main memory (38) of the local computer system (20).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 20 words
The method of claim 2 or 3 wherein the authentication data in the cache (101) is encrypted using logon data.
Claim 5
Independent Claim 56 words
The method of any preceding claim wherein the request to access an independent network occurs during browsing for network resources, the browsing comprising: receiving a request from a user to display network resources available on one or more network servers; and establishing a connection with the one or more network servers to determine available network resources.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 35 words
The method of claim 3, comprising: if the attempts to access the independent network resource using the stored logon data and the stored authentication data both fail, then prompting the user to enter authentication data.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 79 words
The method of claim 6 wherein the attempting to access the independent network resource using the stored authentication data includes: searching the cache (101) in main memory (38) of the local computer system (20) for a server name (102); if the server is present in the cache (101), then reading the stored authentication data associated with the server name in the cache (101) and applying the stored authentication data to access the server associated with the server name (102).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 16 words
The method of claim 7 wherein the stored authentication data in the cache (101) is encrypted.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 60 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the stored authentication data in the cache (101) is encrypted using logon data, and the cache (101) in main memory (38) of the local computer system (20) is accessible to a user at the local computer system when logon data associated with the local computer system (20) is entered in the local computer system.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 55 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the request to access the independent network resource is a request to enumerate resources available via the independent network resource without specifying a particular resource, the method comprising: establishing a connection to the independent network resource; and enumerating the resources available via the independent network resource using the connection.
Claim 11
Independent Claim 19 words
The method of any preceding claim wherein the authentication data includes a user identification (104) and a password (106).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 191 words
A networking subsystem located in memory of a client computer system (20) in a computer network, the networking subsystem accessing independent servers in the computer network, the networking subsystem comprising: means for storing authentication data when a user accesses an independent network resource; and means for attempting to access the independent network resource using the stored authentication data; which subsystem is characterised by : a plurality of network providers (62, 64, 66), each network provider being responsible for accessing a particular network type, the network providers (62, 64, 66) being in communication with a shared cache (101) for storing the authentication data, the network providers (62, 64, 66) being operable to use authentication data stored in the shared cache (101) to access network resources; a multiple provider router (52) in communication with an application program (50) for receiving a request to access one of the network resources and in communication with the network providers (62, 64, 66) for routing the request to access the network resource to the relevant network provider; and a redirector (68, 70, 72) associated with each network provider (62, 64, 66) for communicating with the network resource.

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