Association Search System Tracing User Relationship Chains
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing association search systems face challenges in allowing users to access data elements they do not have direct access rights to, as they rely solely on user permissions and lack efficient methods to traverse relationships between users and data elements through chains of connections.
Innovation Solution
An association search system that utilizes a graph database structure, where user relationships are represented as nodes and links, allowing users to search for data elements by specifying attributes and traversing chains of relationships to find accessible paths through registered users with access rights, using RDF and SPARQL protocols to identify and connect relevant nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users are restricted to only accessing data elements they have direct access rights to, then data security is maintained, but data accessibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (graph database and chain investigation system) that mediates between users and data elements. Instead of direct access control only, the system investigates chains of relationships (links) between users and data elements through intermediate users who have access rights. This intermediary layer enables indirect access while maintaining security through controlled relationship traversal.
2Device complexity
If the system implements direct access control only, then system complexity is low, but the ability to traverse user relationships is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds another dimension to the access control system by introducing relationship chains beyond direct access. Instead of a flat one-to-one access model, the system creates a multi-dimensional access path through graph database structures where users can reach data elements through chains of intermediate relationships. This dimensional expansion enables versatile relationship traversal while managing complexity through structured graph operations.
3Ease of operation
If the system allows indirect access through user relationships, then data accessibility is improved, but security control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the access control system into distinct functional components: graph database storage for relationship data, chain investigation mechanisms for path finding, and response generation for access determination. By dividing the security control into modular segments, the system can manage complexity through organized subsystems while enabling indirect access through relationship chains.
4Measurement precision
If comprehensive relationship chains are investigated, then access accuracy is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by investigating relationship chains to a sufficient depth to determine access rights, without necessarily traversing all possible relationships in the system. The chain investigation focuses on finding valid access paths rather than exhaustively analyzing all relationships, achieving accurate access determination with reasonable processing time by performing just enough investigation to resolve access entitlement.
Data Source
AI summary
When a user inputs a search condition, an agent sends, to a database of each organization to which the user does not have an access right, a search request including the search condition and the ID of a cooperation participant member having an access right to the database of the organization. A proxy of each organization causes the search device to search for a chain of links that connect between a data element that meets the search condition in the search request from the agent and a data element that represents the cooperation participant member in the search request, and returns to the agent information on a cooperation participant member that may have access to the data element that meets the search condition on the basis of the search result.