Permission Inheritance UI for Non-Binary Access Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for managing permissions in structured user environments are inefficient and laborious, requiring administrators to manually review multiple objects to diagnose permission configurations, lacking visibility into inheritance paths, and are time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A user interface (UI) that provides intuitive permission management with real-time feedback on inheritance paths, allowing administrators to apply permissions at user and group levels, and includes 'Infotips' to explain permission resolutions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If administrators manually review multiple objects to diagnose permission configurations, then they can obtain a complete picture of permission settings, but the process becomes highly inefficient and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides automatic feedback by calculating and displaying effective permission values based on inheritance relationships. The UI presents consolidated information about which permissions are effective and why, eliminating the need for administrators to manually trace through multiple group memberships and permission settings to understand the current state.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary computing system that acts as a mediator between the complex permission infrastructure and the administrator. This intermediary automatically queries the permission database, resolves inheritance relationships, and presents simplified information through the UI, shielding administrators from the underlying complexity while providing complete visibility.
2Loss of information
If the system provides detailed visibility into permission inheritance paths, then administrators can understand permission resolutions, but the interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The UI is segmented into distinct sections: one displaying the user or group being configured, another showing the effective permission values, and a third providing explanatory information about inheritance sources. This segmentation allows detailed information to be presented in an organized, manageable way that reduces perceived complexity while maintaining completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by providing detailed inheritance information only where relevant - specifically when permissions are inherited from groups. The UI dynamically adjusts the level of detail shown based on the specific permission configuration being viewed, presenting simplified views where appropriate and detailed views only when needed to explain particular inheritance relationships.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system allows unlimited users and groups with vast permissions, then the system becomes powerful and flexible, but it becomes difficult for administrators to see what data each user and group has access to
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically calculating and displaying effective permission values for any user or group. When an administrator selects a user or group in the UI, the system autonomously queries the permission database, resolves all inheritance relationships, and presents the complete access picture without requiring manual investigation. This allows the system to serve itself in monitoring and reporting, reducing the operational burden on administrators.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems to manage permissions in a structured user-environment which provide a User Interface (UI) that provides a simple, intuitive administration to apply permissions at the user and group level to data in the structured user-environment. The UI also provides feedback to the administrator as to the inheritance path of each user and/or group as well as links between permissions, allowing the administrator to determine how a user or group was granted or denied access to a permission or resource.