# US 8,544,072 B1 · Single sign-on service > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,544,072 B1 - Document ID: US8544072B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 12/828,026 - Filed: 2010-06-30 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2009-10-13 - Assignees: Google Inc. - Applicants: Christopher Masone; Kan Liu - Inventors: Christopher Masone; Kan Liu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8544072B1 ## CPC - H04L 63/0815: {providing single-sign-on or federations} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Methods and apparatus for providing a single-sign-on service are disclosed. An example method includes receiving, at a computing device, a username and a password. The example method further includes providing the username and the password to a cloud-based credential server. The example method also includes receiving, from the cloud-based credential server, authentication information corresponding with the username and the password. The example method still further includes granting or denying access to the computing device and one or more cloud-based services based on the authentication information. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, at a computing device, a username and a password; providing the username and the password to a cloud-based credential server; receiving, from the cloud-based credential server, authentication information corresponding with the username and the password; and granting or denying access to the computing device and a first cloud-based service included on a first cloud-based service provider server based on the authentication information; receiving, at the computing device, a request to access a second cloud-based service included on a second cloud-based service provider server, the second cloud-based service provider server being operationally separate from the first cloud-based service provider server; determining if the authentication information includes a credential corresponding with the username for the second cloud-based service; in the event the credential is included in the authentication information, accessing the second cloud-based service using the credential; and in the event the credential is not included in the authentication information: automatically generating the credential; and accessing the second cloud-based service using the automatically-generated credential. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: storing the authentication information on the computing device; receiving, at the computing device, an indication to log off the computing device; logging an account associated with the username off the computing device; again receiving, at the computing device, the username and the password; and granting or denying access to the computing device based on the stored authentication information. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising granting or denying access to at least one of the first cloud-based service and the second cloud-based service based on the stored authentication information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing the automatically-generated credential to the cloud-based credential server for addition to the authentication information. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically generating the credential comprises: sending, from the computing device to the cloud-based credential server, a request to automatically generate the credential, the request including an indication of the second cloud-based service; and receiving, from the cloud-based credential server, the automatically-generated credential. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically generating the credential comprises automatically generating the credential in response to the request to automatically generate the credential. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically generating the credential comprises randomly generating a username/password pair for accessing the second cloud-based service. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein randomly generating the username/password pair comprises randomly generating the username/password pair in accordance with criteria provided to the computing device from the second cloud-based service. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein: the authentication information includes a credential corresponding with the username for a cloud-based federated authentication service; and the method further includes accessing at least one of the first cloud-based service and the second cloud-based service using the credential. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the authentication information comprises receiving one or more browser cookies. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: storing the authentication information on the computing device; receiving updated authentication information from the cloud-based credential server; and updating the stored authentication information with the updated authentication information. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the updated authentication information includes a credential associated with the username for at least one additional cloud-based service. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the cloud-based credential server and the first cloud-based service provider server are a same server. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the credential is one of an authorization token, a cookie, and a username/password combination. ### Claim 15 A computer-implemented method for automatically generating an account credential for accessing a cloud-based service located on a cloud-based service provider server, the method comprising: receiving, in a browser, a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for the cloud-based service; transmitting, to the cloud-based service provider server, a request to send a document identified by the URI; receiving, from the cloud-based service provider server, the document identified by the URI, wherein the document includes a fillable form for establishing an account for accessing the cloud-based service, the fillable form including a request for an account credential; transmitting, to a cloud-based credential server, a request to auto-generate the account credential, the request to auto-generate the account credintial including the URI for the cloud-based service and the cloud-based credential server being operationally separate from the cloud-based service provider server; receiving, from the cloud-based credential server, the auto-generated account credential; and transmitting, to the cloud-based service provider server, a request to generate a user account, the request to generate the user account including the auto-generated account credential. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the auto-generated account credential includes a credential selected from the group consisting of: a username and a password. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the auto-generated account credential is one of an authorization token, a cookie, and a username/password combination. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein auto-generating the account credential comprises randomly generating a username/password pair for accessing a second cloud-based service. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein randomly generating the username/password pair comprises randomly generating the username/password pair in accordance with criteria provided to the computing device from the second cloud-based service.