Voice Assistant Proxy for Sensitive Data Routing

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

There is a need for secure handling of sensitive data during communication sessions with voice assistants, as existing technologies do not effectively manage privacy concerns in varying environments, particularly in determining whether voice commands contain sensitive information and routing them to appropriate servers based on user authorization and security policies.

Innovation Solution

A voice assistant proxy system that determines whether voice commands are associated with sensitive data using a set of security rules based on IT policies, authorizes users, and routes voice commands to either an enterprise or third-party voice assistant server for processing, ensuring that only authorized users can access enterprise data and that sensitive commands are handled within the enterprise network.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If voice commands are routed to cloud servers for processing, then the voice assistant can provide comprehensive services, but sensitive data may be exposed and privacy concerns arise

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevoice assistant service capabilityVSAvoiddata exposure risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an enterprise voice assistant proxy server as an intermediary component between user devices and voice assistant servers. This proxy server acts as a mediator that receives voice commands from users, determines whether they contain sensitive data according to security policies, and routes them to appropriate servers (enterprise or third-party). This resolves the contradiction by enabling comprehensive voice assistant services while protecting sensitive data through the proxy's filtering and routing capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If all voice commands are processed by enterprise servers, then data security is maintained, but service versatility and third-party integration are limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata securityVSAvoidservice coverage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the voice command processing system into multiple components: enterprise voice assistant servers for sensitive commands and third-party voice assistant servers for non-sensitive commands. The enterprise voice assistant proxy server implements segmentation by analyzing each voice command and routing it to the appropriate server type based on security policies and sensitivity determination. This allows the system to maintain data security for enterprise data while still providing access to versatile third-party services when appropriate.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If voice commands are analyzed for sensitive data before routing, then data protection is improved, but processing time and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesensitive data protectionVSAvoidcommand processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by establishing security policies and sensitivity criteria in advance before voice commands are processed. The enterprise voice assistant proxy server is pre-configured with security policies that define what constitutes sensitive data and how to route different types of commands. When a voice command arrives, the proxy quickly evaluates it against these pre-established criteria rather than creating new analysis rules in real-time. This reduces processing time while maintaining comprehensive data protection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Reliability

If user authorization is checked for each voice command, then access control security is strengthened, but system response time decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccess control securityVSAvoidsystem response speed
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by implementing differentiated authorization checking based on the specific characteristics of each voice command and user context. The enterprise voice assistant proxy server analyzes the content, context, and sensitivity of each command to determine the appropriate level of authorization verification needed. For low-risk commands, minimal authorization checks are performed, while for high-risk commands involving sensitive enterprise data, more rigorous authorization verification is applied. This selective approach maintains strong security where needed while preserving system response speed for routine operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3852102B1Voice assistant proxy for voice assistant servers
Publication Date: 2024.03.13 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP3852102B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3852102B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3852102B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A voice assistant proxy for voice assistant servers and related methods. The voice assistant proxy comprises a processor configured to convert voice data to text using speech-to-text synthesis, determine a voice command from the text, determine whether the voice command is associated with sensitive data based on a set of criteria, route the voice command to an enterprise voice assistant server in response to a determination that the voice command is sensitive, route the voice command to a third party voice assistant server in response to a determination that the voice command is not sensitive.