Mobile Device Authenticated Print System for Secure Document Release
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Shared print devices often lack secure authentication mechanisms, allowing unauthorized access to confidential documents, which discourages employees from using shared resources and increases security risks.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device authenticated print system that uses a lightweight token exchange between a mobile device and a print device to authenticate and authorize the release of secured documents, ensuring only the owner can print confidential files by decrypting them upon verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If shared print devices are used to reduce capital requirements and support costs, then resource sharing and productivity are improved, but security risks and unauthorized access to confidential documents increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication actions before allowing print job execution. The mobile device authenticates the user's identity and authorization status in advance, and the print device stores this authentication state. Only after successful preliminary authentication can the print device release and execute the print job, preventing unauthorized access before it occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary authentication mechanism between the user and the print device. The mobile device acts as a mediator that holds authentication credentials and communicates with the print device. This intermediary layer verifies user identity and authorization before allowing access to confidential documents, thereby resolving the security risk while maintaining resource sharing benefits.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If local personal printers are used to protect confidential information, then security is improved, but resource sharing and capital requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the shared print device universal by implementing authentication mechanisms that allow authorized users to access confidential documents securely. The print device can handle both secure and non-secure print jobs, serving multiple functions: protecting confidential information for authorized users while maintaining open access for non-confidential documents. This eliminates the need for separate personal printers while preserving security.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If authentication mechanisms are added to shared print devices to prevent unauthorized access, then security is improved, but device complexity and operational difficulty worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system performs self-service by automatically verifying user identity and authorization status without requiring manual intervention at the print device. The mobile device handles authentication credentials and communication with the print device automatically. Users simply need to have their mobile device near the print device, and the system autonomously completes the authentication process, reducing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device serves as an intermediary that handles complex authentication logic remotely. Instead of implementing complex authentication hardware or software directly in the print device, the system uses the mobile device as a mediator that performs authentication and communicates results to the print device. This distributes complexity to a more suitable platform (mobile device) while keeping the print device relatively simple.
Data Source
AI summary
An authenticated print session allows a mobile device to authenticate an encrypted file for printing at a print device sent by a base computer. The base computer authorizes the mobile device to release printing when in close proximity to the print device. The authenticated print session uses the mobile device to authenticate the owner of the encrypted file, and to authorize the release of the file at the print device over a non-secure communication channel.