Just-in-time Authentication for Shared User Interfaces
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional authentication systems in shared user interfaces require users to repeatedly enter authentication information, leading to delays and inefficiencies, especially in environments where multiple users need to access and verify data simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a just-in-time authentication system that utilizes proximity sensors and identity-verification sensors, combined with machine learning algorithms, to automatically authenticate users based on their proximity and identity, allowing seamless access to specific portions of the user interface with appropriate permissions without requiring direct user interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional authentication systems require users to repeatedly enter authentication information, then security is maintained, but efficiency and productivity deteriorate due to delays and interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication by detecting user proximity through sensors before the user actually interacts with the interface. The computer system proactively identifies when a user is approaching and pre-authenticates them, so that when the user does interact with the interface, authentication is already complete and no additional authentication steps are needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication system operates autonomously by using proximity sensors and identity verification sensors to automatically detect and authenticate users without requiring any active participation from them. The system serves itself by continuously monitoring the environment and performing authentication in the background, eliminating the need for users to manually enter credentials.
2Ease of operation
If automatic authentication using sensors is implemented, then efficiency and user experience improve, but device complexity and security requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system combines multiple sensors (proximity sensors and identity verification sensors) into a unified authentication mechanism. Rather than treating each sensor as a separate system, they are integrated to work together seamlessly, where the proximity sensor triggers the identity verification process, creating a cohesive automatic authentication system that manages complexity through integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system is designed to perform multiple functions: proximity detection, user identification, and authentication verification. By making the sensor system multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby managing device complexity while maintaining comprehensive authentication capabilities.
3Productivity
If multiple users can simultaneously access the shared interface, then productivity improves, but security management becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The user interface is segmented into multiple distinct portions, each associated with specific permission attributes tied to particular users. When multiple users are authenticated, the system displays and activates only the portions relevant to each user's permissions. This segmentation ensures that even though multiple users access the system simultaneously, each user can only interact with authorized sections, maintaining security through spatial and functional separation.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the user interface have different permission qualities assigned to them, matching specific user roles and authorization levels. The system applies local quality control by ensuring that each interface portion is accessible only to users with the appropriate permissions, rather than applying a uniform access policy across the entire interface. This maintains security while enabling multi-user productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer system for just-in-time authentication displays a user interface comprising a first portion and a second portion. The first portion of the user interface is associated with a first permission attribute, and the second portion of the user interface is associated with a second permission attribute. The first permission attribute is associated with a first user and the second permission attribute is associated with a second user. The computer system receives, from one or more proximity sensors, a proximity of the second user relative to the user interface. The computer system also receives, from an identity-verification sensor, a verification of an identification of the second user. Further, the computer system activates the second portion of the user interface for interaction from the second user.