Appeal No. 2003-1729 Page 2
Application No. 09/229,733
"User authentication" is a procedure whereby a user demonstrates to a process
executing in a computing environment that the user is who he purports to be. A
common form of authentication employs a user identification and a password. (Appeal
Br. at 4-5.) User authentication is typically required for e-business applications. When
such an application operates within an environment comprising multiple processes,
moreover, each process involved in each transaction must authenticate the user.
(Spec. at 1.) According to the appellants, such redundant authentication "negatively
impacts transaction speeds." (Id. at 2.)
In contrast, the appellants' invention initially authenticates a user by verifying his
identification and password. Responsive to the authentication, a first process (e.g., a
client in a client/server environment) receives a profile token representing the user. The
profile token includes at least one usage limitation (e.g., a time-out period) that restricts
processes receiving the token. (Id. at 4.)
The profile token is transferred from the first process to a second process (e.g., a
server) having no direct interface to the user. Subject to the usage limitation, the
second process may perform tasks for the user represented by the token. (Id.)
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