Encrypted Identifier Exchange for Private App Data Matching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing mobile applications on a device cannot communicate directly for private set membership checks, posing privacy concerns and limiting data exchange capabilities, especially when they are not active simultaneously.

Innovation Solution

An enhanced cryptographic protocol enables private set membership checks between applications on the same device by using a service apparatus to store encrypted data, allowing asynchronous communication without revealing user identities or query results, using hash functions and symmetric key encryption to ensure privacy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If direct communication between mobile applications is allowed, then data exchange capability is improved, but user privacy is compromised as applications can learn information about users without consent

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata exchange capabilityVSAvoiduser privacy loss

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a service apparatus as an intermediary that facilitates data exchange between applications without allowing direct communication. The service apparatus receives encrypted queries from one application, retrieves matching data from another application through encrypted channels, and returns results without either application learning sensitive information about the other or the user's identity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces direct mechanical communication between applications with cryptographic protocols. Instead of applications directly exchanging data, they use encrypted identifiers, hashed values, and cryptographic proof mechanisms that allow verification of data membership without revealing underlying information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If applications communicate through a service apparatus, then user privacy is protected, but communication efficiency deteriorates as applications cannot exchange data directly and must go through multiple encrypted steps

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser privacy protectionVSAvoidcommunication efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by having applications pre-register their data and generate cryptographic identifiers in advance. The service apparatus pre-processes and stores encrypted data structures that enable efficient querying. When a query is made, the pre-prepared cryptographic structures allow rapid verification without requiring complex real-time computations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If applications are required to be active simultaneously for data exchange, then communication simplicity is improved, but system adaptability deteriorates as data synchronization cannot occur when apps are not active at the same time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication simplicityVSAvoidasynchronous data exchange capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The service apparatus acts as an asynchronous mediator that stores encrypted data and queries independently of application activity states. When one application is inactive, its data remains securely stored in encrypted form in the service apparatus. When the other application becomes active and submits a query, the service apparatus can process the query against the stored encrypted data without requiring the first application to be present.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Reliability

If encrypted data is stored in a service apparatus, then data security is improved, but the complexity of the system increases due to additional cryptographic operations and infrastructure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata securityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts complex cryptographic operations from the application layer and concentrates them in the service apparatus. Applications only need to perform simple operations like generating encrypted identifiers and submitting queries. The complex tasks of encrypted data storage, retrieval, and verification are extracted and handled by the service apparatus, reducing the cryptographic burden on individual applications.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS20260050685A1Secure data exchange

Publication Date: 2026.02.19 GOOGLE LLC

AI summary

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for exchanging data in secure ways. In one aspect, a method includes sending, by a query app to a service apparatus, a first encrypted identifier generated by the query app and a first hashed identifier generated by the query app. A data app obtains, from the service apparatus, a set of encrypted identifiers that are mapped to hashed identifiers that match the first hashed identifier. For each of one or more values, the data app sends, to the service apparatus, a set of data that includes a second encrypted identifier, a respective encrypted value element that encrypts the value, and one or more first tuples. The query app obtains, from the service apparatus, one or more second tuples that are each mapped at the service apparatus to an encrypted identifier that matches the first encrypted identifier.