Patent ID: 7975292

Claim:
A method of controlling access to an interaction context of an application, the method comprising: receiving login requests pertaining to an access account, including a login request, each login request including a login password to be matched against an access password associated with the access account; maintaining a database comprising at least one account record including a password state field indicating whether the access password is a temporary password or a permanent password and a security hold field indicating whether a security hold has been placed on the access account by an administrator; denying access upon receipt of the login request when the login password fails to match the access password; denying access upon receipt of the login request when the login password matches the access password, the password state field indicates that the access password is a permanent password, and the security hold field indicates that there is a security hold on the access account; granting access upon receipt of the login request when the login password matches the access password, the password state field indicates that the access password is a permanent password, and the security hold field indicates that there is no security hold on the access account; and granting limited access to change the access password from a temporary password to a permanent password upon receipt of the login request when the login password matches the access password and the access password is a temporary password and, upon a change of the access password from the temporary password to a permanent password: granting access if the security hold field indicates that there is no security hold on the access account; and denying access if the security hold field indicates that there is a security hold on the access account.