Communication Security Verification Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

Communication devices lack effective mechanisms to ensure privacy and security in public settings, where sensitive information may be inadvertently shared with unintended third parties due to inadequate security measures.

Innovation Solution

A method that determines the topic and media type of a communication, assigns security requirements based on these factors, and only transmits the communication if the receiving device's security state meets these requirements, with options to notify the user and adjust settings to ensure privacy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If communication devices transmit communications without security verification, then ease of operation is improved, but privacy and security are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of communication transmissionVSAvoidprivacy security
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary security verification by determining the security state of the receiving device before transmitting the communication. This advance check ensures that privacy requirements are met prior to transmission, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and privacy security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides feedback about the security state of the receiving device to the sending device. This feedback mechanism allows the sending device to make informed decisions about whether to transmit, balancing operational ease with security requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If security verification mechanisms are implemented, then privacy and security are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprivacy securityVSAvoidsecurity verification complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The security verification process is segmented into distinct components: determining security state, comparing against requirements, and making transmission decisions. This segmentation simplifies the overall complexity by breaking down the verification mechanism into manageable, modular steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Each communication device maintains its own security state information and can independently verify security requirements. This self-service approach reduces the need for complex centralized verification systems, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If security state verification is performed before transmission, then privacy protection is improved, but loss of time occurs due to additional verification steps

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprivacy protectionVSAvoidtransmission delay
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The security state determination is performed as a preliminary action before transmission. By checking security state in advance, the system avoids unnecessary transmissions that would waste time, and can quickly proceed with transmission when security requirements are already known to be satisfied.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The security verification process is merged with the communication initiation process. Rather than being a separate, time-consuming step, security verification is integrated into the natural flow of communication setup, minimizing additional time loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS9807122B2Security considerations for outgoing communications
Publication Date: 2017.10.31 LENOVO GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH
  • US9807122B2 patent drawing
  • US9807122B2 patent drawing
  • US9807122B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method includes determining a topic and a media type of a communication to be sent from a sending communication device to a designated receiving communication device, assigning one or more security requirements to the communication based on the topic and the media type, identifying a security state of the receiving communication device for receiving the communication via the media type, and transmitting the communication from the sending communication device to the receiving communication device only in response to the security state of the receiving communication device satisfying the one or more security requirements.