Patent ID: 8880872

Claim:
A method for authenticating a user at a first computer to first and second applications installed in a second computer, the method comprising the steps of: the second computer receiving from the user a request to access the first application, and in response, the second computer redirecting the request to a third computer, and in response, the third computer determining that the user was previously authenticated based on a userID and password and notifying the second computer that the user is authentic, and in response, the second computer returning a session key to the third computer, the session key enabling a session with the first application but not with the second application, the first, second, and third computers being three different computers, the first and second applications installed in the second computer being different applications; and in response to the third computer receiving the session key the third computer generating another session key which enables a session with both the first and second applications and sending the other session key to the first computer; and the second computer receiving from the user another request with the other session key to access the first application, and in response the second computer determining that the user is authentic and notifying the first application that the user is authentic so that the first application can respond to the first computer to the other request; and the second computer receiving from the user another request with the other session key to access the second application, and in response the second computer determining that the user is authentic and notifying the second application that the user is authentic so the second application can respond to the first computer to the other request to the second application.