Proximity-Based Command Authorization via Bluetooth Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing authorization mechanisms in computing devices restrict access based on user identity but lack flexibility to account for the presence or absence of other individuals in the vicinity, necessitating innovative methods to manage command execution and data access accordingly.
Innovation Solution
A personal wireless terminal determines the presence of other Bluetooth-enabled devices and users within its range, using this information to authorize or restrict commands and output formats, such as displaying content differently based on proximity and user identity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional user identity-based authorization mechanisms are used, then access control is provided, but flexibility to account for presence or absence of other individuals in the vicinity is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The authorization mechanism transitions from static user identity-based control to dynamic context-aware control that adapts based on real-time proximity detection of other users. The system dynamically adjusts authorization decisions by detecting whether other Bluetooth-enabled devices are nearby and determining if those users should have access to the command or data.
Solution Approach 2:
Bluetooth proximity detection technology serves as an intermediary mechanism that bridges user identity and environmental context. The system uses Bluetooth device detection to indirectly determine the presence of other users, which then informs authorization decisions without requiring direct communication between all users.
2Adaptability or versatility
If commands are restricted based on user identity only, then security is provided, but appropriateness for different physical environments is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary Bluetooth scanning and user detection before executing the command. By detecting the presence of other users in advance and determining their authorization status, the system prepares the appropriate authorization decision before the command execution reaches the user, enabling automatic environmental adaptation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors Bluetooth device presence and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust command authorization. The feedback loop detects when other users enter or leave proximity, automatically re-evaluating whether the current user should have access to execute commands based on the updated environmental context.
3Reliability
If proximity-based authorization is implemented, then security and privacy are enhanced, but detection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of directly detecting and identifying other users through complex biometric or recognition systems, the patent uses Bluetooth device detection to create a proxy representation of user presence. The system detects Bluetooth-enabled devices as proxies for users, which simplifies the detection process while maintaining security through subsequent user identity verification of the detected devices.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and methods are disclosed for enabling the response to a command at a personal wireless terminal to be based at least partially on the presence or absence of other users nearby, and possibly the identity of those users. In the illustrated embodiment, the personal wireless terminal determines wirelessly (e.g., via Bluetooth, etc.) whether there are any other nearby personal wireless terminals (and inferentially, the users associated with these terminals), and then determines whether the command is authorized in that particular environment of nearby users. In some embodiments, authorization is also at least partially based on one or more additional factors, such as the identity of the user of the personal wireless terminal, the identify of nearby users, the nature of the command, one or more arguments of a command, the value of a datum retrieved by a query, and the date and time (i.e., “calendrical time”).