Seat Assignment Tracking for User-Specific License Usage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional resource-based consumption models fail to establish an affinity between resource usage and the user, making it difficult to add, modify, or revoke permissions on a user- or device-specific level, leading to inefficient resource tracking and management.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a seat-assignment based tracking model that assigns users or devices to allotments within an account, allowing for precise management and tracking of resource usage by monitoring and updating authorization based on security principles.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If consumption-based resource tracking is used, then resource usage can be monitored, but it fails to establish affinity between resource usage and the user, making it difficult to manage permissions on a user-specific level

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresource usage tracking accuracyVSAvoidpermission management capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the resource tracking system into multiple components: accounts, allotments, seats, and devices. This segmentation allows the system to track resources at different levels of granularity while maintaining user affinity. Each seat is associated with specific users and devices, enabling precise permission management alongside resource usage tracking.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces seats as an intermediary concept between users/devices and resources. Seats act as a mediator that establishes the affinity relationship, allowing the system to connect resource consumption data with specific users or devices through the seat assignment mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If traditional consumption-based modeling is applied, then resource charges can be calculated, but it presents challenges for organizational structures with frequent turnover

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresource charging efficiencyVSAvoidadaptability to organizational changes
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a dynamic seat assignment system where seats can be assigned to different users or devices over time. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to organizational changes such as employee turnover, while maintaining continuous resource tracking and charging functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent establishes seat assignments in advance before resource consumption occurs. By pre-defining the relationship between seats and users/devices, the system can automatically handle permission management and resource charging even when organizational structures change, without requiring real-time adjustments to the tracking mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If seat-assignment based tracking is implemented, then user-specific permission management is enabled, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser-specific permission managementVSAvoidtracking system structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent designs the seat concept as a universal component that serves multiple functions simultaneously: it tracks resource usage, manages user permissions, associates devices with users, and enables flexible permission management. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate systems for each function, thereby managing complexity while providing comprehensive capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20260010842A1Seat-assignment based resource tracking
Publication Date: 2026.01.08 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • US20260010842A1 patent drawing
  • US20260010842A1 patent drawing
  • US20260010842A1 patent drawing

AI summary

Seat-assignment based resource tracking is used to track usage, or consumption, of resources under a license. An account includes a license for a plurality of resources. An allotment is generated under the account and populated with a plurality of seats. Populating the allotment with the plurality of seats automatically authorizes the populated plurality of seats for access to a portion of the plurality of resources. When the plurality of resources are accessed by a device associated with a seat of the authorized plurality of seats, the usage of the plurality of resources by the device is tracked.