Group-Based Permission Management for Peer Knowledge Sharing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Software resources used by organizations require significant time for users to learn, leading to reduced efficiency and increased resource allocation for customer training and support, as users need to spend time learning how to use the software instead of performing their tasks.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a peer-to-peer knowledge sharing platform that assigns permissions to groups of users rather than individuals, allowing for easier management of user permissions and subscriptions, with features like activity streams, email, SMS, and push notifications for user notifications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional customer service and training resources are allocated to assist users, then user support quality improves, but operational costs and resource allocation increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser support qualityVSAvoidresource allocation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a peer-to-peer knowledge sharing platform where users can independently find solutions, ask questions, and share expertise without requiring extensive customer service intervention. This self-service mechanism reduces dependency on paid support resources while maintaining reliable user assistance through community-driven knowledge bases and expert user contributions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If users spend time learning software through traditional training, then user competence improves, but productivity and task completion speed decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser competenceVSAvoidtask completion speed
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables users to access pre-created knowledge articles, tutorials, and peer-generated content before encountering problems, allowing them to learn at their own pace without interrupting workflow. This preliminary action approach lets users acquire competencies on-demand rather than through time-consuming formal training programs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Users can independently search and learn from the knowledge base whenever needed, eliminating the need for scheduled training sessions that reduce productivity. This on-demand self-service learning model maintains user competence while preserving task completion speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Measurement precision

If individual user permissions are managed directly, then permission precision improves, but system complexity and processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepermission precisionVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments permission management into hierarchical groups and roles, where permissions are assigned to groups rather than individual users. This segmentation reduces system complexity by organizing permissions into manageable units while maintaining precision through nested group structures and role-based access control that preserves granular permission settings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges multiple individual permission assignments into group-based permission sets. By combining permissions at the group level and applying them to multiple users simultaneously, the system reduces processing overhead and complexity while maintaining precise permission control through the hierarchical group structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS10938586B2Systems for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing platform
Publication Date: 2021.03.02 SERVICENOW INC
  • US10938586B2 patent drawing
  • US10938586B2 patent drawing
  • US10938586B2 patent drawing

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.