Patents by Inventor David J. Nicholson

David J. Nicholson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8978115
    Abstract: The authentication of identities within a realm in which some identities are authenticated using direct authentication, and some identities are authenticated using federated authentication. Requests for service from valid identities in the realm that are to be authenticated by direct authentication are responded to with a direct authentication interface. Requests for service from valid identities in the realm that are to be authenticated by federated authentication are responded to with a federated authentication interface. Requests for service from invalid identities are responded to pseudo-randomly with either the direct authentication interface or the federated authentication interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC
    Inventors: Ariel Gordon, David J. Nicholson
  • Publication number: 20140075529
    Abstract: The authentication of identities within a realm in which some identities are authenticated using direct authentication, and some identities are authenticated using federated authentication. Requests for service from valid identities in the realm that are to be authenticated by direct authentication are responded to with a direct authentication interface. Requests for service from valid identities in the realm that are to be authenticated by federated authentication are responded to with a federated authentication interface. Requests for service from invalid identities are responded to pseudo-randomly with either the direct authentication interface or the federated authentication interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Ariel Gordon, David J. Nicholson
  • Patent number: 8601554
    Abstract: The authentication of identities within a realm in which some identities are authenticated using direct authentication, and some identities are authenticated using federated authentication. Requests for service from valid identities in the realm that are to be authenticated by direct authentication are responded to with a direct authentication interface. Requests for service from valid identities in the realm that are to be authenticated by federated authentication are responded to with a federated authentication interface. Requests for service from invalid identities are responded to pseudo-randomly with either the direct authentication interface or the federated authentication interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Ariel Gordon, David J. Nicholson
  • Patent number: 8510564
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to establishing the integrity of a portion of data on at least one level of a plurality of network stack levels and automatically continuing an established federation relationship between at least two federation computer systems. In an embodiment, a first federation computer system receives a digital signature corresponding to a computer system signed by a digital signature which includes the computer system's identity and other federation relationship information configured to establish a trusted federation relationship between a first federation computer system and a second federation computer system. The first federation computer system attempts to validate the received digital signature at a first level of a network stack and determines that the validation at the first network stack layer was unsuccessful. The first federation computer system then validates the received digital signature at a second, different level of the network stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David J. Nicholson, David Lewis Fisher, Michael D. Ritche, Chun-Hung Lin, Christopher B. Dove, Kavitha Radhakrishnan
  • Publication number: 20130117826
    Abstract: The authentication of identities within a realm in which some identities are authenticated using direct authentication, and some identities are authenticated using federated authentication. Requests for service from valid identities in the realm that are to be authenticated by direct authentication are responded to with a direct authentication interface. Requests for service from valid identities in the realm that are to be authenticated by federated authentication are responded to with a federated authentication interface. Requests for service from invalid identities are responded to pseudo-randomly with either the direct authentication interface or the federated authentication interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ariel Gordon, David J. Nicholson
  • Publication number: 20120079088
    Abstract: Verification that a customer has ownership over a particular domain name. A computing system receives a request to provide a network service to a customer for action upon a particular domain name. In response, the computing system provides information to the customer over a network, and instructs the customer to edit a domain name record for the particular domain name using the provided information. For instance, the customer might be provided with a Globally-Unique IDentifier (GUID), and instruct the customer to insert the GUID into a particular record associated with the domain name in the DNS system. Upon verifying that the domain name record has indeed been edited using the provided information, the customer is confirmed as being an owner of the domain name.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2010
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventor: David J. Nicholson
  • Publication number: 20120036566
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to establishing the integrity of a portion of data on at least one level of a plurality of network stack levels and automatically continuing an established federation relationship between at least two federation computer systems. In an embodiment, a first federation computer system receives a digital signature corresponding to a computer system signed by a digital signature which includes the computer system's identity and other federation relationship information configured to establish a trusted federation relationship between a first federation computer system and a second federation computer system. The first federation computer system attempts to validate the received digital signature at a first level of a network stack and determines that the validation at the first network stack layer was unsuccessful. The first federation computer system then validates the received digital signature at a second, different level of the network stack.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: David J. Nicholson, David Lewis Fisher, Michael D. Ritche, Chun-Hung Lin, Christopher B. Dove, Kavitha Radhakrishnan
  • Patent number: 5365510
    Abstract: A communications system is provided having SONET communications channels extending between first and second locations. The channels include pairs of forward and reverse channels for carrying traffic in normal operation between first and second locations and a protection channel for carrying traffic of one channel in the event of a fault. Each pair of forward and reverse channels is provided on a shelf at each location, the shelves having the same relative position at both locations and the protection channel is provided on a protection shelf. The protection channel includes, between the first and second locations, a forward optical link and a reverse optical link and at each of the first and second locations, a single protection loop, coupling the forward and reverse optical links, that forms the protection channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited
    Inventors: David J. Nicholson, Donald R. Ellis, John B. Mills, Dino C. DiPerna, David W. Martin, Wang-Hsin Peng, Kim B. Roberts
  • Patent number: 5159595
    Abstract: A transmission system comprises nodes coupled in a ring via two multiplexed transmission paths having opposite transmission directions. The two paths can be time, space, or wavelength division multiplexed. Bidirectional communications between any two nodes are provided in normal operation using both paths around a first, most direct, part of the ring. In the event of a fault affecting such communications, a protection switch is made to maintain bidirectional communications between the two nodes using both paths around a second, remaining, part of the ring. In this manner, each path can simultaneously carry both normal and protection switched signals. In an embodiment of the invention, only the two nodes adjacent a fault need be aware of the fault, each of these nodes effecting a protection switch for signals terminated at the node and effecting a protective loopback for other signals needing protection. The invention enhances the total capacity of the paths for carrying normal and protection switched signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1992
    Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited
    Inventors: Thomas P. J. Flanagan, James A. McEachern, David J. Nicholson, Dino Diperna, Richard Romagnino, Wayne Ergle
  • Patent number: 4823360
    Abstract: A binary data signal is regenerated with respect to three threshold levels, one of which is derived from and lies between the other two so that it is an optimum level for producing a regenerated output signal. Two control loops are used to produce the other two threshold levels to produce regenerated signals with predetermined error rates, the errors occurring on the two control loops for the two respective states of the binary data signal, whereby the optimum threshold level is maintained regardless of the nature of signal degradation. The arrangement provides rapid performance monitoring which can also be used to adjust other parameters, such as detector bias, equalizer tuning, and clock phase, for optimum performance in an active and ongoing manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 18, 1989
    Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited
    Inventors: Yves Tremblay, David J. Nicholson