World-Driven Permission Management for AR Privacy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Augmented reality applications and other environment-sensing applications raise privacy concerns as they capture sensitive information from the environment, which can be inadvertently shared or accessed by unauthorized parties, lacking a standardized and trusted mechanism to manage permissions.

Innovation Solution

A world-driven permission management system that uses trusted mechanisms to identify cues in the environment and map them to permission information, governing the operation of applications in a manner that is application-agnostic, providing a standardized and trusted platform for privacy management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If each application handles privacy issues in an ad hoc and application-centric manner, then developers can address privacy concerns within their own application code, but this leads to lack of standardization and increased complexity in managing permissions across multiple applications

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprivacy management flexibilityVSAvoidpermission management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal permission management system that serves multiple applications through a common interface. The system defines permission information in a world-driven manner that can be applied across different applications, providing standardized permission handling while maintaining the ability to adapt to various application needs through the trusted mechanism's cue identification and mapping capabilities

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

2Reliability

If a standardized trusted mechanism is implemented to manage permissions, then privacy management becomes more trustworthy and standardized, but this increases the complexity of the system architecture

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprivacy management trustworthinessVSAvoidsystem architecture complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a trusted mechanism as an intermediary layer between the environment sensing applications and the permission information. This mediator identifies cues in the sensed environment, maps them to permission information, and governs application operation accordingly. The intermediary approach centralizes trust management while providing a structured framework that reduces overall system complexity through standardized interfaces

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If manual privacy management is required for each application, then users can control their privacy settings, but this increases the burden on users and reduces ease of operation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser control over privacyVSAvoiduser time for privacy management
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a self-service permission management system where the trusted mechanism automatically identifies cues in the environment, maps them to appropriate permission information, and governs application behavior without requiring manual user intervention. The system serves itself by maintaining and updating permission information based on environmental cues, thereby reducing user burden while preserving privacy control through the automated trusted mechanism

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3042338B1World-driven access control
Publication Date: 2019.04.03 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3042338B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3042338B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3042338B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Functionality is described herein for managing the behavior of one or more applications, such as augmented reality applications and/or other environment-sensing applications. The functionality defines permission information in a world-driven manner, which means that the functionality uses a trusted mechanism to identify cues in the sensed environment, and then maps those cues to permission information. The functionality then uses the permission information to govern the operation of one or more applications.