Mobile Policy Manager for Multi-Agent Conflict Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing multiple management authorities on a mobile device is challenging due to the need for consolidating policies and resolving conflicts between different management agents, which often results in limited control and customization, especially when multiple domains with varying levels of access and restrictions are involved.
Innovation Solution
A policy manager is implemented on the mobile device to receive and consolidate policies from multiple management agents, determine the device's current state, and apply rules to aggregate and resolve conflicts, allowing for hierarchical management and control across domains.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple management agents are deployed on a mobile device to manage different domains, then device control capability is improved, but policy consolidation and conflict resolution complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a policy manager as an intermediary component that receives policies from multiple management agents, consolidates them, and resolves conflicts. This mediator handles the complexity of policy integration, allowing multiple agents to coexist without directly interfering with each other, thus improving device control capability while managing policy consolidation complexity through a dedicated coordination layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments device management into multiple independent domains, each managed by a separate management agent with specific authorities. This segmentation allows different agents to manage different aspects of device functionality independently, improving overall control capability while containing the complexity within manageable domain-specific policy sets rather than requiring one agent to handle all device aspects.
2Ease of operation
If a remote management endpoint controls a controlled group, then device functionality control is improved, but customization capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides device management into multiple domains with different management agents, each capable of independent customization. This segmentation allows the remote management endpoint to control overall device functionality through one agent while other agents can be customized for specific domains, thus maintaining ease of operation through centralized control while preserving customization capability at the domain level.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables different management agents to have different levels of authority and customization for specific domains. This local quality approach allows the remote management endpoint to apply uniform control policies across devices while individual domains can be customized with domain-specific policies, achieving both centralized ease of operation and local adaptability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If management agents are deployed from various sources including device vendors and third parties, then management coverage is improved, but conflict resolution difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a policy manager as an intermediary that standardizes the interface between management agents from different sources and the device. This mediator provides a unified framework for receiving, consolidating, and resolving policies from diverse agents, thereby improving management coverage across multiple sources while reducing conflict resolution difficulty through standardized processes and hierarchical authority rules.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal policy manager that can handle policies from any management agent regardless of source. This multi-functional component provides a common platform for consolidating policies from device vendors, third parties, and other sources, improving overall management coverage while simplifying conflict resolution through a unified approach that works with all agent types.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for administering multiple management agents on a mobile device, the method receiving, at a policy manager on the mobile device, a policy from each of the multiple management agents; determining a current state of the mobile device; and consolidating the policies based on rules within the policy manager and the current state of the mobile device.