Patent ID: 7987501

Claim:
A method for validating credentials comprising: inputting, at a first apparatus that grants session credentials based on successful authentication, a request from a client to access a protected resource on the first apparatus, the protected resource on the first apparatus being accessible by the client only after successful authentication of the client at the first apparatus; determining, at the first apparatus that a client does not have a valid session credential granted by the first apparatus; after the determining, retrieving, at the first apparatus, information from a session token held by the client, the information being retrieved from the client, the information corresponding to a session credential for a second apparatus, the second apparatus (1) grants session credentials based on successful authentication at the second apparatus, and (2) includes a protected resource on the second apparatus that is accessible by the client; the protected resource on the second apparatus being accessible by the client only after successful authentication of the client at the second apparatus; the first apparatus presenting at least some of the information from the session token to the second apparatus; the first apparatus inputting a determination from the second apparatus that the client has a valid session credential with the second apparatus; the first apparatus effecting successful authentication to the client so as to grant access, to the protected resource on the first apparatus, to the client based on the determination from the second apparatus that the client has a valid session credential with the second apparatus; and directing the client to the first apparatus to establish a session credential based on successful authentication at the first apparatus, after determining that the client does not have a valid session credential granted by the second apparatus.