Application Locking via User Authentication for Mobile Privacy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile terminals lack effective mechanisms to ensure that sensitive applications related to personal privacy are securely locked when the user is not the owner, leading to potential privacy breaches if not properly locked in time.

Innovation Solution

An application controlling method that determines the control authority of the current user through face recognition, voice recognition, or a combination of both, and locks specific applications when the user lacks authority, while capturing and storing image information of unauthorized users attempting to access these applications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the terminal locks applications when user change is detected, then privacy security is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional authentication mechanisms

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy securityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary user authentication (face recognition, voice recognition, or fingerprint identification) when the terminal detects a user change through acceleration sensing. This preliminary action determines control authority before allowing application access, ensuring privacy security is maintained while the authentication results are cached for subsequent application locking decisions without repeating full authentication sequences

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary control mechanism that mediates between user detection and application locking. When a user change is detected via acceleration sensing, the system uses authentication results as an intermediary to determine control authority, which then triggers appropriate application locking actions. This intermediary layer manages the complexity by centralizing the decision-making logic

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If face recognition and voice recognition are performed continuously, then control authority determination accuracy is improved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol authority determination accuracyVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic authentication actions triggered by specific events rather than continuous operation. Face recognition and voice recognition are performed periodically when user change is detected through acceleration sensing patterns, rather than continuously monitoring. This event-driven periodic action maintains accurate control authority determination while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous authentication

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses partial authentication actions based on the situation. When user change is detected, it performs face recognition or voice recognition as needed to determine control authority. The system does not excessively perform all authentication methods simultaneously but selects appropriate authentication actions based on the specific context and detected acceleration patterns

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If the terminal captures and stores image information of unauthorized users, then security monitoring capability is improved, but loss of information increases due to storage of sensitive data

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecurity monitoring capabilityVSAvoidloss of information

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the necessary image information (photographs of unauthorized users) when authentication fails and control authority cannot be confirmed. This extracted information is stored for security monitoring purposes while the system separates this from other sensitive user data. The extraction principle allows security monitoring capability to be improved by capturing only essential evidence of unauthorized access attempts

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Ease of operation

If the system maintains current setting state of locking function, then ease of operation is improved, but security reliability decreases when user authority changes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of operationVSAvoidsecurity reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The locking function setting state is made dynamic rather than static. When user change is detected through acceleration sensing, the system dynamically adjusts the locking state based on the authentication results and control authority determination. If the new user lacks authority, applications are locked; if authority is confirmed, access is granted. This dynamic adaptation maintains ease of operation for authorized users while ensuring security reliability when authority changes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11825300B2Application controlling method, application controlling apparatus and storage medium

Publication Date: 2023.11.21 BEIJING XIAOMI MOBILE SOFTWARE CO LTD

AI summary

An application controlling method includes: determining a control authority of a current user of a terminal when it is determined that the current user of the terminal is changed; and locking a predetermined application in the terminal when the current user does not have control authority. As such, privacy of the authorized user can be protected.