Context-Based Access Mediator for Automated Resource Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques fail to efficiently manage context-based access to computer-accessible resources, particularly in varying user environments, leading to complications in accessing desired resources while preventing access in sensitive locations.
Innovation Solution
A context-based access mediator (CAM) system that determines access to computer-accessible resources by considering the context of the computing device and user, including location and operational profiles, to mediate access requests and provide appropriate resource availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If automated context-based access mediation is implemented, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a context-based access mediator as an intermediary component that automatically determines resource access based on contextual information. This mediator handles the complex decision-making logic, shielding users from the underlying complexity while providing seamless automated access control. The mediator evaluates multiple context factors (location, time, user profile) and makes access decisions without requiring user intervention, thus improving ease of operation while centralizing the complexity in a dedicated component.
2Reliability
If context-based access control is implemented, then security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service access control where the context-based access mediator automatically evaluates contextual information and makes access decisions without requiring user authentication or intervention for each resource access request. The system serves itself by automatically determining whether access should be granted based on pre-defined contextual criteria, thereby maintaining high security while preserving ease of operation for legitimate access scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes access policies and contextual criteria in advance through operating profiles and user preferences. These preliminary configurations enable the system to automatically evaluate and make access decisions in real-time without requiring users to manually configure security settings or authenticate for each access request, thus maintaining security while ensuring smooth operation during actual resource access.
3Device complexity
If manual access management is used, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The context-based access mediator operates autonomously to evaluate contextual information and make access decisions without requiring manual user intervention. This automated self-service approach significantly improves resource access efficiency and productivity by eliminating delays associated with manual authentication or permission requests, while the system handles the complexity internally through automated contextual evaluation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors contextual information (location, time, device state) and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust access decisions. This real-time feedback mechanism enables automated productivity improvements by ensuring that resource access is granted or denied based on current contextual conditions without requiring manual reconfiguration, thus enhancing resource access efficiency while maintaining manageable system complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable media for a context-based access mediator ( "CAM" ) are described. The CAM may be configured to mediate access to computer-accessible resources by a user using a computing device after receiving a request from the computing device for the computing device to access a computer-accessible resource. The computer-accessible resource may be local or remote to the computing device. The CAM may be configured to receive the request and to mediate access to the requested resource. Such mediation may be performed through the CAM determining whether the resource may be accessed by the computing device and/or through the CAM determining which resources are available to the be accessed by the computing device. The CAM may be configured to mediate access to computer-accessible resources based on information about a context for the computing device and/or computer-accessible resource. Other embodiments are described and claimed.