Patent ID: 8266306
Filing Date: 2012-09-11
Classification: G06F,G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for delegating access to online accounts, at least a portion of the method being performed by a server-side computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising: receiving, at the server-side computing device, at least one request from an account owner to delegate access to at least one online account of the account owner, wherein the online account is provided by an online service and the request specifies at least one delegate that is to receive access to the online account; delegating access to the online account to the delegate specified in the request by: enabling the delegate to access the online account using the account owner's existing online-account credentials for accessing the online account without exposing the account owner's existing online-account credentials to the delegate by: receiving, at the server-side computing device, a request to access the online account from a browser plug-in running on the delegate's computing device, the request comprising user-account-authentication information for authenticating the delegate with the server-side computing device; using the user-account-authentication information to authenticate the delegate at the server-side computing device; identifying, at the server-side computing device, the account owner's existing online-account credentials for accessing the online account; providing the account owner's existing online-account credentials from the server-side computing device to the browser plug-in running on the delegate's computing device to enable the browser plug-in running on the delegate's computing device to automatically log into the online account using the account owner's existing online-account credentials without exposing the account owner's existing online-account credentials for the online account to the delegate.