On-demand application permissions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11868451-B2
Application number	US-202117643431-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2021
Priority date	May 1, 2014
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

On-demand application permissions is described, including obtaining one or more consents associated with one or more functions of an application, where the application does not allow using the functions without associated consents; receiving, from a user, a consent associated with a function; activating to allow that function to be executed; when a request from the user to use another function is received, determining that the another function requires an associated consent to activate; determining that there is no consent from the user associated with the another function; prompting for a consent associated with the another function; receiving the consent associated with another function; and activating to allow the another function to be executed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method when executed by data processing hardware causes the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising:
executing an application on a user device, the application comprising a feature based function requiring access to a feature resource of the user device when the application uses the feature based function;
during execution of the application on the user device, determining that the application requires use of the feature based function;
based on determining that the application requires use of the feature based function, requesting permission for the application to access the feature resource of the user device to use the feature based function, the permission request comprising a usage description of the feature resource by the feature based function, the usage description comprising at least one of a use for accessing the feature resource or a condition under which the feature resource is accessed;
in response to determining that the permission for the application to access the feature resource of the user device is granted by a user of the user device, allowing the application to access to the feature resource of the user device;
in response to determining that the permission for the application to access the feature resource of the user device is denied by the user, denying the application from accessing the feature resource of the user device; and
in response to determining that the permission for the application to access the feature resource of the user device is a deferred permission designated by the user, not storing the permission for the application for a future access of the feature resource, wherein the deferred permission requires the feature resource to be requested a next time a function of the application attempts to access the feature resource.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the application further comprises a required application function requiring access to a required resource of the user device, the application having been granted permission to access the required resource of the user device at installation of the application on the user device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the application further comprises an optional application function requiring access to an optional resource of the user device, the application having been deferred permission to access the optional resource of the user device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the application further comprises a second optional application function requiring access to a second optional resource of the user device, the application having been denied permission to access the second optional resource of the user device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the operations further comprise prohibiting the application from requesting permission to access the second optional resource of the user device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise determining whether the application has existing permissions to access the feature resource of the user device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the feature based function further requires access to information of the user device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the feature resource comprises a camera of the user device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the feature resource comprises a microphone of the user device.

10. A system comprising:
data processing hardware; and
memory hardware in communication with the data processing hardware, the memory hardware storing instructions that when executed on the data processing hardware cause the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising:
executing an application on a user device, the application comprising a feature based function requiring access to a feature resource of the user device when the application uses the feature based function;
during execution of the application on the user device, determining that the application requires use of the feature based function;
based on determining that the application requires use of the feature based function, requesting permission for the application to access the feature resource of the user device to use the feature based function, the permission request comprising a usage description of the feature resource by the feature based function, the usage description comprising at least one of a use for accessing the feature resource or a condition under which the feature resource is accessed;
in response to determining that the permission for the application to access the feature resource of the user device is granted by a user of the user device, allowing the application to access to the feature resource of the user device;
in response to determining that the permission for the application to access the feature resource of the user device is denied by the user, denying the application from accessing the feature resource of the user device; and
in response to determining that the permission for the application to access the feature resource of the user device is a deferred permission designated by the user, not storing the permission for the application for a future access of the feature resource, wherein the deferred permission requires the feature resource to be requested a next time a function of the application attempts to access the feature resource.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the application further comprises a required application function requiring access to a required resource of the user device, the application having been granted permission to access the required resource of the user device at installation of the application on the user device.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the application further comprises an optional application function requiring access to an optional resource of the user device, the application having been deferred permission to access the optional resource of the user device.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the application further comprises a second optional application function requiring access to a second optional resource of the user device, the application having been denied permission to access the second optional resource of the user device.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise prohibiting the application from requesting permission to access the second optional resource of the user device.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise determining whether the application has existing permissions to access the feature resource of the user device.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the feature based function further requires access to information of the user device.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the feature resource comprises a camera of the user device.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the feature resource comprises a microphone of the user device.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Grigera Alejo

Classifications

• G06F21/30 Primary

  Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals · CPC title

• G06F21/629

  to features or functions of an application · CPC title

• G06F21/6245 Primary

  Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes · CPC title