Data Access Control via Environmental Occupancy Detection

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing data security systems fail to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data when an authenticated user is in the presence of others, even if the environment is public or crowded.

Innovation Solution

A method that uses sensor data to determine the number of persons in an environment and compares it to a threshold, denying data access requests if the number exceeds the threshold, thereby ensuring data privacy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If data access is granted to authenticated users regardless of environment, then user convenience and access speed are improved, but data privacy and security are compromised when unauthorized persons are present

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata access convenienceVSAvoiddata privacy compromise

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of the environment and unauthorized persons before granting data access. Sensors continuously monitor the physical space around the computing device, and access control decisions are made in advance based on detected conditions, preventing unauthorized viewing before it can occur

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces environmental sensors and monitoring mechanisms as intermediaries between the authenticated user and the data access process. These sensors detect the presence of unauthorized persons and mediate the access decision, blocking access when threats are detected while allowing normal access when the environment is safe

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If environmental monitoring and person detection are implemented, then data privacy and security are improved, but device complexity and system resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata privacy protectionVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses universal sensors that can serve multiple functions - detecting presence, determining location, and assessing environmental conditions all with the same hardware components. This multi-functionality reduces the need for specialized equipment and lowers overall system complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The computing device uses its own existing sensors and processing capabilities to perform environmental monitoring and access control decisions autonomously, without requiring external monitoring systems or additional complex infrastructure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12333049B2Systems and methods for controlling data access in the presence of unauthorized persons

Publication Date: 2025.06.17 ACRONIS INT

AI summary

Disclosed herein are systems and method for controlling data access, the method including: receiving a request to access data on a computing device; determining that the data requested for access has a first degree of confidentiality, wherein the first degree of confidentiality indicates that the data can only be accessed in an environment occupied by a threshold number of persons; retrieving sensor data from a plurality of sensors located in the environment; determining, based on the sensor data, a number of persons occupying the environment; determining whether the number of persons exceeds the threshold number of persons; and in response to determining that the number of persons exceeds the threshold number of persons, denying the request to access the data.