Multi-Realm User Authentication With Unified Permission Mapping

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional platform authentication systems face challenges in managing access permissions for users accessing data processing platforms through multiple identity providers, leading to increased network traffic and complexity due to separate realms and stale user information, which can result in security issues and inefficient migration between providers.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a single entity approach within the platform authentication system that maps multiple external identity provider identifiers together, using a unique user platform identifier (UUPID) to link user identities across different realms, merging permissions and managing access through a centralized permissioning system.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional platform authentication systems use separate user identifiers for each identity provider, then each identity provider can independently manage its own users, but the system cannot accurately reflect changes in user group membership and creates stale user data

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of user dataVSAvoidcomplexity of managing multiple identity providers

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple identity provider identifiers into a single unified user identifier in the authentication system. When a user logs in through any identity provider, the system creates or updates a single user record that consolidates information from all identity providers, eliminating stale data and ensuring accurate reflection of user group membership across all providers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The unified user identifier serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the primary key for user authentication, stores consolidated group membership information from all identity providers, and enables cross-provider user recognition. This single identifier replaces the need for separate management of multiple provider-specific identifiers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the system maintains separate user records for each identity provider, then user migration between providers is difficult, but implementing a unified approach increases system complexity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser migration capabilityVSAvoidcomplexity of unified user management

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges user profiles from different identity providers into a single unified record. When a user migrates between identity providers, the system automatically consolidates their information under one user identifier, enabling seamless migration without requiring complex manual intervention or multiple separate user records.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Productivity

If the authentication system checks user credentials with each identity provider separately, then each provider's authentication protocol can be independently implemented, but network traffic increases and authentication efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication efficiencyVSAvoidnetwork traffic

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary consolidation of identity provider credentials during the initial authentication or user registration phase. Once the unified user record is created and populated with group membership information from all providers, subsequent authentication requests can efficiently check against this pre-consolidated data without requiring separate network calls to each identity provider.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Reliability

If the system allows users to have multiple unique platform identifiers from different identity providers, then each identity provider's users can be independently managed, but the system cannot add users from other realms and creates security issues

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesecurityVSAvoidability to add users from multiple realms

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges users from different realms (identity providers) into a single unified user identifier. This consolidation enables the system to recognize and manage users across all identity providers through one consistent interface, eliminating security vulnerabilities associated with multiple separate identifiers while maintaining the ability to add users from any realm.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS12621304B2Systems and method for authenticating users of a data processing platform from multiple identity providers

Publication Date: 2026.05.05 PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES INC

AI summary

A system and method for authenticating users of a data processing platform stores a mapping of a unique user platform identifier to multiple user identity provider identifiers associated with multiple realms for a same user. In some examples, the method includes receiving a request from a client device to establish an access session to perform one or more actions on data of the data processing platform and receiving, from at least one of the first external identity provider of the first realm or the second external identity provider of the second realm, a user identity provider identifier associated with the request. In certain examples, the method includes granting permission to perform the one or more actions on the data of the data processing platform based at least in part on the received user identity provider identifier.