{
  "patent_number": "US 9741006",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Managing Who Can Do What in Complex Business Workflows",
  "original_title": "System and method for providing complex access control in workflows",
  "summary": "A system that uses two separate, configurable matrices to strictly control which users can view specific data or perform specific actions within a business process based on their assigned roles.",
  "what_it_does": "This system manages access control in business workflows by decoupling task contents from task actions. It uses a workflow manager with a graphical user interface to display two distinct matrices: one for controlling access to data (task contents) and another for controlling access to operations (task actions). These matrices map logical roles—such as creator, assignee, or reviewer—against specific items, allowing the system to dynamically disable or enable options in real-time as the state of a task changes. For example, if a document is in the 'Review' state, the system automatically restricts the 'Edit' action for the 'Reviewer' role while allowing it for the 'Owner' role.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover access control systems that rely solely on static, global permissions rather than task-state-dependent matrices.",
    "Does not cover systems that do not distinguish between access to data contents versus access to specific task actions.",
    "Does not cover basic role-based access control (RBAC) that lacks the two-matrix graphical interface structure defined in the claims."
  ],
  "filed": "2010-05-14",
  "granted": "2017-08-22",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Oracle International Corp",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/oracle-international-corp",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Vladimir Svetov",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/vladimir-svetov"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ravi Rangaswamy",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/ravi-rangaswamy"
    },
    {
      "name": "Viswanathan Umapathy",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/viswanathan-umapathy"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mohan Kamath",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/mohan-kamath"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 1,
  "tags": [
    "software",
    "enterprise_software"
  ],
  "abstract": "A system for providing complex access control in workflows. The system comprises a computer, including a computer readable storage medium and processor operating thereon. The system also comprises at least one business process which includes a plurality of tasks. Each task is associated with a task state which changes during execution of the task. The system further comprises a plurality of logical roles. Each logical role defines a responsibility based on the task state and a member of that logical role. Additionally, the system comprises a configurable matrix of access controls that is used to control access to the plurality of tasks based on the plurality of logical roles.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9741006/amazon-go-just-walk-out",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9741006/amazon-go-just-walk-out/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US9741006",
  "relatedPatents": []
}