Location-Time Authentication for Unauthorized Account Access

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing authentication systems fail to prevent unauthorized access when authentication information is received from multiple geographic locations or lacks additional verification factors, leading to potential unauthorized access and increased processor and network load.

Innovation Solution

A system that utilizes location and time-based authentication by comparing the geographic location and time of subsequent access to previous access, employing multiple speed thresholds for distance and time combinations to determine if the user could have traveled between locations, thereby verifying the authenticity of the user without relying on external authentication factors.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If authentication information is accepted from multiple geographic locations without verification, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to unauthorized access risk

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication convenienceVSAvoidaccess security
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameters of authentication by incorporating geographic location and time stamps into the authentication process. Instead of only verifying authentication credentials, the system verifies whether the location and time parameters are consistent with the user's established travel patterns and speed thresholds, thereby improving security without significantly impacting ease of operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring authentication requests with location and time data, comparing them against stored travel patterns and speed thresholds. This feedback mechanism allows the system to dynamically adjust authentication decisions based on whether the observed location-time changes are consistent with legitimate user behavior, preventing unauthorized access while maintaining convenience for legitimate users

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If location and time verification is implemented, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccess securityVSAvoidauthentication system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by establishing the user's normal travel patterns and speed thresholds in advance during legitimate authentication events. These pre-established parameters are stored and used as reference for future authentication decisions, eliminating the need for complex real-time analysis and simplifying the verification process while maintaining high reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent simplifies device complexity by focusing verification on key parameters (location and time) rather than analyzing all possible authentication variables. By changing the authentication approach to verify only whether location-time changes fall within pre-established speed thresholds, the system achieves high security with minimal computational complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of energy

If traditional authentication without location verification is used, then processor and network load is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to inability to detect unauthorized access

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessor and network loadVSAvoidunauthorized access detection
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential elements needed for security verification (location and time data) from the authentication process, rather than implementing comprehensive monitoring of all authentication activities. This extraction approach enables unauthorized access detection through simple location-time comparison against travel patterns, achieving high reliability with minimal additional processor and network load

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3766270B1Preventing unauthorized account access based on location and time
Publication Date: 2025.09.17 ROBLOX CORP
  • EP3766270B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3766270B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3766270B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a method that includes storing, in a collaboration platform, a first geographic location and a first time of a first authentication request for an account at the collaboration platform responsive to successful authentication of the first authentication request. The method includes receiving a second authentication request for the account at the collaboration platform. The method includes identifying a second geographic location and a second time of the second authentication request. The method includes providing access to the account responsive to a determination that a difference in time between the first time and the second time is large enough that a user of the account is able to travel a difference in distance between the first geographic location and the second geographic location within the difference in time.