Secure Social Network Association via Mutual Request Verification

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Social networks face challenges in securely associating actors, particularly in preventing inappropriate interactions, especially when open to minors, as existing methods do not effectively filter interactions between strangers.

Innovation Solution

A method where a first association request message from one actor is obtained, followed by a waiting period for a matching request from the second actor, with both messages containing unique identifiers, ensuring secure association only when both actors consent and meet specified requirements, thereby preventing unsolicited interactions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If interaction is allowed between any actors in social networks, then ease of operation is improved, but security and reliability deteriorate due to inappropriate interactions and harassment

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of interactionVSAvoidsecurity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary verification by requiring both actors to send association requests before establishing interaction. This preliminary action ensures that only mutually desired associations are created, preventing inappropriate interactions while maintaining ease of operation for legitimate users.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The server acts as an intermediary that mediates the association process between actors. It receives, verifies, and processes association requests, ensuring that interactions are established only through mutual consent while maintaining system security and reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If interaction is restricted to registered actors with verification, then security is improved, but device complexity and operation difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesecurityVSAvoidcomplexity of association process
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service association where actors independently send association requests to each other. This eliminates the need for complex manual verification procedures while maintaining security, as the mutual request mechanism inherently verifies both parties' consent.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The mutual association request mechanism performs preliminary verification of both actors' consent before establishing interaction. This simplifies the overall process by embedding verification within the association request itself, rather than requiring separate complex verification steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If open interaction is allowed, then productivity and network growth are improved, but harmful factors increase due to harassment and misuse

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork growthVSAvoidharassment and misuse
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies preliminary anti-action by preventing harmful interactions before they can occur. By requiring mutual association requests, it proactively blocks potential harassment and misuse cases, allowing network growth while minimizing harmful factors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Solution Approach 2:

The server intermediary verifies and controls association requests, filtering out potentially harmful interactions while allowing legitimate network growth. This mediation ensures productivity increases without proportionally increasing harassment and misuse risks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2983126B1Secure friending
Publication Date: 2018.05.09 ROVIO ENTERTAINMENT
  • EP2983126B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2983126B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2983126B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Defining a secure association of users in social networks is described. Users are associated in the social network as a response for association request messages from both users.