Facilitating single sign-on to software applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9548976-B2
Application number	US-201514703644-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2015
Priority date	May 6, 2014
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

After an initial user sign-on with an identity provider, and in response to an intention of the user to use a third-party application executing on a client device of the user and requiring user sign-on, the identity provider provides a client script to the third-party application. The client script facilitates user and application authentication and invokes a trusted broker application that interacts with the identity provider to enable the user to use the third-party application. The use of the trusted broker application provided by the identity provider frees the authors of third-party applications from the need to modify their applications to explicitly sign in with the identify provider.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating single sign-on to third-party applications, the method comprising:
receiving, by an identity provider (IDP) from a remote third-party application being used on a client device by a user, a request for identity verification of the user;
generating, by the IDP, a token comprising a public token portion and a corresponding private token portion;
providing, by the IDP to the remote third-party application, a client script implemented in a browser scripting language;
requesting, by the client script, the token;
receiving, by the client script from the IDP, the token;
invoking, by the client script, a trusted broker application executing on the client device, the invocation using an application uniform resource locator (URL) and including the public token portion;
verifying, by the trusted broker application in response to the invocation by the client script, that the third-party application is authorized for use with single sign-on;
providing, by the trusted broker application, the public token portion to the IDP;
associating, by the IDP, the public token portion with the user; and
initiating, by the identity provider, authentication of the user by the third-party application, the initiating comprising sending an identifier indicating verification of an identity of the user to the third-party application.

2. A computer-implemented method for facilitating single sign-on to third-party applications, the method performed by a client device and comprising:
receiving a request from a user to initiate single sign-on to a third-party application;
requesting an identity provider (IDP) to verify an identity of the user; and
responsive to requesting the IDP to verify the identity of the user:
receiving a client script from the IDP;
obtaining, by the client script from the IDP, a token comprising a public token portion and a corresponding private token portion;
invoking, by the client script, a trusted broker application of the client device to perform verification, the invoking using an application uniform resource locator interpreted by an operating system of the client device;
verifying, by the trusted broker application, that the user is authorized to use single sign-on with the third-party application; and
providing, by the trusted broker application to the IDP, the public token portion and an indication that the user is authorized to use single sign-on with the third-party application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising:
responsive to receiving a notification from the IDP that the user is authorized to use the third-party application, invoking the third-party application.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein invoking the third-party application uses an application uniform resource locator interpreted by an operating system of the client device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , further comprising:
receiving, by the third-party application from the IDP, an initiation of an authentication flow, the initiation comprising an indication of verification that the user is authorized to use single sign-on with the third-party application.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising:
the trusted broker application of the client device polling the IDP to determine whether the user has been verified to be authorized to use the third-party application, the polling comprising the trusted broker application providing the IDP with the private token portion.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions executable by a processor, the instructions comprising:
instructions for receiving a request from a user to initiate single sign-on to a third-party application;
instructions for requesting an identity provider (IDP) to verify an identity of the user; and
instructions for, responsive to requesting the IDP to verify the identity of the user:
receiving a client script from the IDP;
obtaining, by the client script from the IDP, a token comprising a public token portion and a corresponding private token portion;
invoking, by the client script, a trusted broker application of the client device to perform verification, the invoking using an application uniform resource locator interpreted by an operating system of the client device;
verifying, by the trusted broker application, that the user is authorized to use single sign-on with the third-party application; and
providing, to the IDP, the public token portion and an indication that the user is authorized to use single sign-on with the third-party application.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , the instructions further comprising:
instructions for, responsive to receiving a notification from the IDP that the user is authorized to use the third-party application, invoking the third-party application.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein invoking the third-party application uses an application uniform resource locator interpreted by an operating system of the client device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , the instructions further comprising:
instructions for receiving, by the third-party application from the IDP, an initiation of an authentication flow, the initiation comprising an indication of verification that the user is authorized to use single sign-on with the third-party application.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , the instructions further comprising:
instructions for polling the IDP to determine whether the user has been verified to be authorized to use the third-party application, the polling comprising the trusted broker application providing the IDP with the private token portion.

Assignees

• Okta Inc

Inventors

• Belote Thomas M
• Karaa Hassen
• Wang Christine
• Jayaraman Vinoth

Classifications

• H04L67/20

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L67/34

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title

• H04L63/0815 Primary

  providing single-sign-on or federations · CPC title

• H04L67/53

  using third party service providers · CPC title

• G06F21/41

  where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers · CPC title