Patent ID: 7721326

Claim:
A system for authenticating a user, the system comprising: a terminal, an authentication server for automatically selecting one of a plurality of authentications identified respectively by authentication identifiers in order to authenticate said user of said terminal in order to authorize said user to access a service dispensed by one of service servers of providers identified respectively by provider identifiers via a communication network, a memory for storing correspondences between authentication identifiers, provider identifiers, types of terminal and types of communication network, a reception arrangement for receiving from said terminal a provider identifier selected in said terminal in response to a connection set up between said user terminal and said authentication server without any prior connection between said user terminal and one of said service servers, a selector arrangement for selecting an authentication identifier in said memory as a function of said selected provider identifier and the type of at least one of said terminal and said communication network, an authenticator arrangement for authenticating said user by using an authentication associated with said selected authentication identifier, a redirection arrangement for redirecting said connection with said terminal to a service server corresponding to said selected provider identifier if said user has been authenticated, wherein said selector arrangement is arranged to transmit to said terminal a list of services identified by service identifiers in said memory in response to said connection set up between said user terminal and said authentication server, and said user terminal is arranged to transmit to said selector arrangement a service identifier of a service selected by said user in the transmitted list in order for said selector arrangement to select said authentication identifier in said memory as a function of said selected service identifier, and wherein said selector arrangement is arranged to transmit to said terminal a list of provider identifiers read in said memory in response to said connection set up between said user terminal and said authentication server, and said user terminal is arranged to transmit to said selector arrangement a provider identifier selected by said user in the transmitted list in order for said selector arrangement to select said authentication identifier as a function of said selected provider identifier.