Web Ticket Authentication Using Symmetric Key Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional unified communications applications face issues with large authentication tokens, leading to suboptimal performance and increased data fees on mobile devices, and the scalability limitations due to long-term session identifier retention on servers.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of web tickets based on symmetric keys, which are small in size (200 bytes or less) and have expiration times, allowing for efficient authentication and reducing the need for long-term session identifiers, thereby minimizing resource usage and data fees.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional tokens are used for user authentication, then authentication reliability is maintained, but data transmission volume increases and data fees increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the size parameter of the authentication token from conventional large tokens (4KB) to compressed tokens (200 bytes or less). This parameter change maintains authentication reliability while dramatically reducing data transmission volume and associated fees.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses symmetric key cryptography to create a compressed copy of authentication data. Instead of transmitting the full session identifier, the system transmits a compressed token that can be verified using the symmetric key, achieving both reliability and data reduction.
2Reliability
If session identifiers are retained for long periods to maintain active UC clients, then authentication reliability is improved, but server resource usage increases and scalability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the time parameter of session identifier retention from long-term storage to short-term storage (only until the token expires). This reduces server resource usage while maintaining authentication reliability through the use of symmetric key verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The symmetric key system enables self-verification of authentication tokens without requiring the server to maintain long-term session state. The token itself contains sufficient information for verification, reducing server resource requirements.
3Use of energy by moving object
If UC application executes in background on mobile devices, then energy consumption is reduced, but authentication session continuity may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the duration parameter of token validity to extend beyond typical foreground execution periods. Tokens are valid for several hours, allowing background execution while maintaining session continuity without requiring continuous server communication.
4Reliability
If tokens are transmitted with every request to improve security, then authentication reliability is improved, but data transmission volume and request overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the size parameter of the token to 200 bytes or less, making it efficient to transmit with every request. This maintains strong authentication reliability while minimizing impact on request processing efficiency and data transmission costs.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are various aspects pertaining to generating web tickets for use with authenticating computing devices to a computing system. Symmetric keys are used when generating the web tickets, wherein a symmetric key is valid for use when generating web tickets for a first period of time, and a web ticket generated based upon the symmetric key is valid for use when authenticating a computing device for a second period of time that is longer than the first period of time. Thus, the symmetric key is used for authenticating computing devices after it has ceased being used to generate web tickets.