Group-Based Permission Management for Knowledge Sharing Platforms

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Solution Overview

Problem

Software resources often require significant user training time, reducing efficiency and necessitating substantial customer service investments, as users spend weeks or months becoming comfortable with the systems.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a peer-to-peer knowledge sharing platform that assigns permissions to user groups rather than individuals, simplifying permission management and reducing memory and processing power requirements, while allowing users to subscribe to content and set notification preferences.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If user permissions are assigned to individual users, then permission management is more granular and flexible, but system complexity and resource requirements (memory and processing power) increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepermission management flexibilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the user base into distinct groups (e.g., customers, partners, employees) and assigns permissions at the group level rather than to individual users. This segmentation reduces system complexity by managing permissions for multiple users through a single group assignment, while still maintaining granular control over different content types and functionalities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary layer (user groups) between individual users and the permission system. Instead of directly managing permissions for each user, the system uses groups as intermediaries that aggregate user permissions, thereby reducing the overall complexity and resource requirements while preserving permission granularity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If comprehensive user training and customer service resources are allocated, then user comfort and efficiency improve, but training time and service costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser efficiencyVSAvoidtraining time
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a self-service mechanism where users can learn from peer-generated content, community discussions, and user-created resources. This reduces the need for extensive formal training and customer service intervention, allowing users to become proficient at their own pace through autonomous learning from the community.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables users to access helpful content, tutorials, and peer expertise before they fully understand the system themselves. By having knowledge resources readily available in advance, users can begin learning and becoming productive sooner without waiting for formal training completion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3425869B1Systems for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing platform
Publication Date: 2022.09.14 SERVICENOW INC
  • EP3425869B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3425869B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3425869B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A system implements user permissions and user subscriptions with regard to content posted on one or more peer-to-peer knowledge sharing platforms (e.g., Community pages). Permissions are assigned to groups of users, rather than individual users. Permissions are determined by the groups of which the user in question is a member.