Patent ID: 7631060
Filing Date: 2009-12-08
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A system for identifying principals within a computing environment, the system comprising: one or more processing units; at least one memory including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, create a system comprising: a plurality of principal objects, wherein each principal object corresponds to a specific principal authenticated to perform a digital action within the computing environment and wherein each principal object is operable for use by a computer process within the computing environment to associate a plurality of resource objects with the specific principal corresponding to the principal object; a plurality of identity claims, wherein each identity claim uniquely identifies the specific principal corresponding to each specific principal object, and wherein at least one of the plurality of principal objects comprises two or more identity claims each uniquely identifying the specific principal corresponding to the at least one principal object; and a plurality of identity references, wherein each of the plurality of identity references comprise at least part of one of the resource objects within the computing environment, and wherein each of the plurality of identity references identifies its associated resource object as being associated with a specific principal based on a link assertion within the identity reference to a specific identity claim; wherein each of the plurality of identity claims comprises a type assertion and a value assertion that collectively identify the specific principal corresponding to the principal object to which each of the identity claims are associated; wherein the link assertion within each of the plurality of the identity references comprises the type assertion and the value assertion specified in the specific identity claim to which each identity reference is linked.