Permissioned Links for Anonymous File Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional remote file access systems require users to enter usernames and passwords, which is cumbersome for casual users and can deter them from accessing private digital files, while also posing privacy concerns for file owners who need access control.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of permissioned links that allow users to access digital files without login credentials, using a unique identifier correlated to a specific repository and permission set, enabling multiple users to access the same repository anonymously.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional username and password authentication is used, then access control and privacy protection are maintained, but user convenience and ease of access deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the authentication process by separating the credential verification (username/password) from the access control mechanism. Instead of requiring users to authenticate with credentials, the system uses permissioned links that contain embedded authorization information, dividing the traditional monolithic login process into distinct functional components: link generation, link distribution, and link-based access.
Solution Approach 2:
The permissioned link serves as an intermediary that carries authorization information between the resource owner and the user. Rather than direct authentication between user and system, the link acts as a mediator that encapsulates the necessary permissions and grants access without requiring traditional credential exchange, thus maintaining security while improving convenience.
2Ease of operation
If permissioned links are used to eliminate login requirements, then user convenience is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates simplified copies of the authentication mechanism in the form of permissioned links. Instead of implementing a completely new complex authentication system, the patent generates link objects that replicate the essential authorization functionality in a simplified format that can be easily distributed and used by users without requiring them to understand the underlying complexity.
3Ease of operation
If multiple users share the same permissioned link, then ease of access is improved, but tracking and monitoring individual user access becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms that provide access information to resource owners without requiring individual user authentication. When users access resources through permissioned links, the system captures and reports access events back to the owner, enabling monitoring and tracking of shared link usage while maintaining the simplicity of shared access for users.
Data Source
AI summary
Permissioned links for a novel method of credentialing users and assigning permissions to the user using the link to access repositories holding or intended to hold digital files. The permissioned links comprise a unique identifier that can be correlated to a specific repository of digital files and permission set. Users using the permissioned links for access need not enter a login or password. Moreover, permissioned links are portable, allowing multiple users to access the repository of digital files using the same permissioned link.