Storage Location Verification for Unauthorized Application Use

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing technologies fail to restrict the use of applications or content if the ID of an authorized device is falsely used on an unauthorized device to which the application or content is copied.

Innovation Solution

An information processing device and method that store storage situation information indicating the original storage location of an application or content, and an execution restricting unit that checks if the current storage location matches the indicated location, restricting execution if there is a mismatch, and updates the storage situation information upon valid user authentication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If only device ID checking is used to restrict application use, then the restriction system is simple to implement, but it fails to prevent unauthorized use when device ID is falsely used

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverestriction system complexityVSAvoidunauthorized use prevention
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the authorization verification into multiple independent components: device ID verification, storage location verification, and storage capacity verification. Each component checks a different aspect of the application's legitimate status, so that compromising one component (e.g., device ID) is insufficient for unauthorized access. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining reasonable system complexity while significantly improving reliability through multi-factor verification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces storage location information and storage capacity information as intermediary verification elements between the device ID and the final authorization decision. These intermediaries provide additional layers of validation that confirm the application is running in its legitimate environment, preventing false device ID usage from granting unauthorized access while keeping the overall system architecture manageable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If storage location verification is added to prevent unauthorized use, then unauthorized use prevention is improved, but the system becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveunauthorized use preventionVSAvoidrestriction system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges storage location verification and storage capacity verification into a unified authorization check that occurs together with device ID verification. Rather than adding separate complex systems, the patent combines multiple verification aspects into a single integrated authorization module, resolving the contradiction by improving reliability through additional checks while minimizing the increase in system complexity through consolidation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If multiple verification checks are performed, then unauthorized use prevention is improved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveunauthorized use preventionVSAvoidverification processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary action by storing the storage location information and storage capacity information when the application is initially installed or authorized. This pre-stored information is then quickly verified during runtime without requiring time-consuming measurements or calculations, thus improving unauthorized use prevention while minimizing verification processing time through advance preparation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses copying by storing verification data (storage location and capacity information) in a readily accessible format during installation, creating a reference copy that can be quickly compared against current system state during verification. This approach enables rapid multi-factor verification without repeated time-consuming measurements, resolving the contradiction between thorough checking and processing speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP2728503B1Information processing device, control method therefor, program, and information storage medium
Publication Date: 2018.10.03 RAKUTEN GROUP INC
  • EP2728503B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2728503B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2728503B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

To provide an information processing device that is capable of restricting the use of an application or content in an unauthorized device to which the application or the content is copied. A storage situation information storing unit (32) stores, in a storage unit (30) where an application or content is stored, storage situation information which indicates a storage situation of the application or the content at predetermined reference timing, as one of components of the application or the content. An execution restricting unit (34) restricts execution of the application or the content in a case where the execution of the application or the content is instructed and a current storage situation of the application or the content differs from a storage situation that is indicated by the storage situation information.