Hierarchical Device Locking with Activity Preservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile devices lack granular control over device access states, allowing users to share devices only in fully locked or fully unlocked states, which does not allow for specific activity-based access control, potentially enabling undesired actions by secondary users.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a multi-level activity-locking hierarchy that allows users to lock devices into specific states based on current activities or gestures, enabling controlled access to data and functionality, such as continuing a specific application or task, through explicit or implicit user interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the device is locked in a fully locked state, then security is improved, but usability is worsened because the receiving user cannot access any data or functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the device access control into multiple hierarchical levels (fully locked, activity-locked with different granularities, fully unlocked) rather than a single binary state. This allows the system to provide both security and usability by selecting an appropriate locking level based on the sharing scenario.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic access control where the locking state can change based on the current activity or task. The device transitions between different locking states during operation, allowing the receiving user to access specific activities while maintaining security for other functions.
2Ease of operation
If the device is unlocked in a fully unlocked state, then usability is improved because the receiving user can access all data and functionality, but security is worsened because the receiving user can perform undesired actions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by granting different access permissions to different activities or applications. Instead of uniform access control, the system allows the receiving user to access specific activities (e.g., a particular application or task) while restricting access to other parts of the device, thus providing both usability and security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the access control parameter from a binary locked/unlocked state to a multi-level hierarchy with different granularities. This parameter change enables fine-grained control over what the receiving user can access, balancing usability and security based on the specific sharing needs.
3Measurement precision
If activity-based access control is implemented, then precision of access control is improved, but device complexity is worsened due to the multi-level hierarchy of device states
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a new dimension to access control by introducing activity-based granularity within the locking hierarchy. Instead of only controlling access at the device level, the system controls access at the activity level, creating a multi-dimensional access control model that provides precision without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal access control framework that can handle multiple locking scenarios (fully locked, fully unlocked, and various activity-locked states) through a single multi-level hierarchy system. This universal approach manages complexity by providing a unified model for diverse access control needs.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for device locking with activity preservation at a specified level within a multi-level hierarchy of device states. Such locking enables a user to share a device with another user while specifying a particular level of access to the device, such as access to a particular class of applications, a specific application, or a specific task within an application. Determination of the authorized activity may be based on a currently active application, or on the particular user gesture. The level of functionality made available may be based on the number of times a user gesture is repeated. Gestures may include a selection of a hardware or software control on the device, issuance of a voice command, and the like.