System and method for verifying users' identity in a network using e-mail communication
AssigneeSmithmicro Software
InventorsRobert W. Scheussler, David P. Sperling
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Abstract
A communications network includes several computers connected to a communications medium. In one embodiment, a client computer has a unique identification number that is embedded within a processor. The client computer includes a client module which generates a message that includes the identification number and sends the message over the communications medium. Another computer receives the message and retrieves the identification number from the message. In addition, the computer processes the identification number and updates an identification database. The processing of the identification number and the updating of the identification database is triggered when the message is received.
Claims11
A method of maintaining a user identification database that indicates when users are in communication with a network, the method comprising the acts of:
- associating in a computer accessible storage medium electronic mail addresses, processor-embedded identifiers and status information;
- receiving a first electronic message from a first computer, the first electronic message containing an electronic mail address and a copy of the processor embedded identifier existing in the first computer;
- using the first electronic mail address to access the corresponding processor-embedded identifier stored in the storage medium;
- comparing the processor-embedded identifier from the first computer with the processor-embedded identifiers of the storage medium;
- modifying the status information in the storage medium to indicate that the first electronic mail address is authentic when the processor-embedded identifier from the first computer matches a processor-embedded identifier of storage medium;
- receiving a second electronic message from a second computer, the second electronic message requesting authentication of the first electronic mail address;
- comparing the first electronic mail address with the electronic mail addresses stored in the storage medium;
- and
- sending a third message to the second computer that indicates whether the first electronic mail address is authentic.
The method of claim;
- 1, wherein the act of associating electronic mail addresses includes registering the first and second computers in a computer accessible database.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.