Vehicle Management Server Hierarchical Account Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In car-sharing systems, the management burden of vehicles used by multiple users is concentrated on a single owner, as only the owner is authorized to register and approve user accounts, making it cumbersome for them to handle multiple user requests and permissions.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle management server that classifies user accounts into highest-level, middle-level, and lowest-level accounts, allowing the highest-level account to manage and authorize middle-level accounts, which in turn manage and authorize lowest-level accounts, distributing electronic keys and managing permissions accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If only the owner is authorized to register and manage user accounts, then security and control are maintained, but the management burden becomes concentrated on the owner
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments user account management authority into multiple levels: owner-level accounts and user-level accounts. User-level accounts are further divided into primary user accounts and secondary user accounts. This segmentation allows the owner to delegate specific management tasks to primary users, who can then manage secondary users, thereby distributing the management burden while maintaining security through hierarchical control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces primary user accounts as intermediaries between the owner and secondary users. Primary users act as mediators who can register, manage, and delete secondary user accounts without requiring direct owner involvement in each transaction. This intermediary mechanism reduces the owner's management burden while maintaining controlled access through the hierarchical authorization system.
2Reliability
If the owner manages all user accounts directly, then centralized control is maintained, but the system becomes cumbersome for handling multiple user requests
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides user account management into distinct segments with different responsibilities. Owner-level accounts maintain centralized control over the overall system and can manage primary user accounts. Primary user accounts handle day-to-day management of secondary users. This segmentation enables parallel processing of account management tasks, significantly improving productivity while maintaining centralized oversight through the owner's ability to manage primary accounts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a hierarchical dimension to the account management structure by introducing multiple account levels (owner-level, primary user-level, secondary user-level). This dimensional change transforms the previously flat, owner-centric management model into a multi-layered hierarchy, enabling distributed management operations without sacrificing centralized control capabilities.
3Ease of operation
If electronic keys are distributed to multiple users, then vehicle accessibility is improved, but permission management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments permission management by associating different types of electronic keys with different account levels and user roles. Owner-level accounts receive keys with full permissions. Primary user accounts receive keys with permissions to manage secondary users and access vehicles during their authorized periods. Secondary user accounts receive keys with limited permissions for vehicle access only. This segmentation simplifies permission management by matching key capabilities to specific operational needs at each hierarchical level.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different permission levels to different users based on their specific roles and needs. Instead of giving all users identical full-access keys, the system tailors key permissions locally to each user's function: owners get administrative control, primary users get user management rights, and secondary users get vehicle access rights. This localized permission assignment reduces overall system complexity by giving users only the permissions they need.
Data Source
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AI summary
A vehicle management server 3 includes a managing part that manages a plurality of user accounts respectively corresponding to a plurality of users who use a vehicle; and a distributing part that distributes an electronic key of the vehicle to at least one of a plurality of terminals respectively held by the plurality of users. The plurality of user accounts include a highest-level account, a middle-level account, and a lowest-level account. The managing part manages the highest-level account as a user account authorized to register or delete the middle-level and the lowest-level account, manages the middle-level account as a user account authorized to register or delete the lowest-level account corresponding to the middle-level account, and manages the lowest-level account as a user account not authorized to register and delete other user accounts.