Systems and methods for geofence security

• US 10,115,277 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2016
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GeoFrenzy, Inc
• Original Assignee: GeoFrenzy, Inc
• Inventors: Branscomb, Bennett Hill, Jones, Benjamin T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hitesh
• Application Number:
  US15/213,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20160358432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19621 Portable camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1965 the vehicle being an aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/659 Internet protocol version 6 [IPv6] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/088 Usage controlling of secret information, e.g. techniques for restricting cryptographic keys to pre-authorized uses, different access levels, validity of crypto-period, different key- or password length, or different strong and weak cryptographic algorithms network architectures or network communication protocols for using time-dependent keys in a packet data network H04L63/068
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

The present invention is directed to methods and systems for enforcing at least one rule within a geofence. The rule is enforced by a fencing agent on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The geofence is defined by a plurality of geographic designators, with the plurality of geographic designators each being associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address, preferably an IPv6 address.

Claims

1. A method for enforcing at least one rule within a geofence comprising:

defining at least one geofence using a multiplicity of geographic designators;

assigning a multiplicity of unique internet protocol (IP) addresses to the multiplicity of geographic designators defining the at least one geofence such that each geographic designator is assigned a unique IP address;

storing the multiplicity of geographic designators and the multiplicity of unique IP addresses in a database of geofences, wherein at least one of the multiplicity of unique IP addresses is a unique identifier of the at least one geofence, wherein the multiplicity of unique IP addresses are IPv6 addresses;

a fencing agent of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) identifying the at least one geofence, wherein the fencing agent identifies at least one rule associated with the at least one geofence and the UAV implements the at least one rule;

wherein the UAV automatically stops implementing the at least one rule associated with the at least one geofence and automatically implements at least one second rule associated with a second geofence upon the UAV physically entering the second geofence;

wherein the UAV includes a camera, wherein the at least one rule includes the UAV identifying at least one restricted object detected by the camera and obstructing the at least one restricted object in real-time and/or obstructing the at least one restricted object in photographs and/or videos produced by the camera; and

wherein obstructing the at least one restricted object in real-time and/or obstructing the at least one restricted object in the photographs and/or the videos produced by the camera is performed by blurring, blacking out, or distorting the at least one restricted object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein boundaries of the at least one geofence are published by a fence delivery network and the boundaries of the at least one geofence are stored in at least one cellular tower and/or at least one WiFi access point.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein boundaries of the at least one geofence are received by the UAV via peer to peer networking or mesh networking.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one rule includes an instruction for the UAV to detect a presence of an object in real-time using radar or an infrared (IR) sensor.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one rule further includes an instruction for the UAV to track movement of the object in real-time.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one rule includes an instruction for the UAV to determine a location of the object and verify that the object is permitted to occupy the location within the at least one geofence.

7. A system for enforcing at least one rule within a geofence comprising:

a geofence database including at least one geofence defined by a plurality of geographic designators, wherein each of the plurality of geographic designators is a point on the surface of the Earth defined by a coordinate system and defined by a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address, wherein at least one of the plurality of geographic designators is a unique identifier of the at least one geofence;

a server including a processor, wherein the server is operable to register the at least one geofence in the geofence database;

a fencing agent for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) identifying the at least one geofence, the fencing agent for the UAV identifying at least one rule associated with the at least one geofence, the UAV implementing the at least one rule, wherein the fencing agent is preprogrammed and is included in a chip including a processor coupled with a memory in the UAV;

wherein the UAV is operable to automatically stop implementing the at least one rule associated with the at least one geofence and automatically implement at least one second rule associated with a second geofence upon the UAV physically entering the second geofence;

wherein the UAV includes a camera, wherein the at least one rule includes the UAV identifying at least one restricted object detected by the camera and obstructing the at least one restricted object in real-time and/or obstructing the at least one restricted object in photographs and/or videos produced by the camera; and

wherein obstructing the at least one restricted object in real-time and/or obstructing the at least one restricted object in the photographs and/or the videos produced by the camera is performed by blurring, blacking out, or distorting the at least one restricted object.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one restricted object is a building, a license plate, or a human face.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the UAV includes a sensor, wherein the at least one rule includes instructions for the sensor to detect the presence of an object on the ground, in the sky, or underground, and the at least one rule further includes instructions for the UAV to track movement of the object on the ground, in the sky, or underground.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one rule further includes instructions for the UAV to record positions of the object on the ground, in the sky, or underground.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one rule further includes instructions for the UAV to move within the boundaries of the at least one geofence while implementing the instructions for the sensor to detect the presence of the object on the ground, in the sky, or underground.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one rule includes instructions for the camera to produce a 360 degree real-time video stream or 360 degree perspective photographs in predetermined intervals.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the UAV includes a sensor, wherein the at least one rule includes instructions for the UAV to detect a presence of an object within a zone of the at least one geofence and instructions for the UAV to determine if the object is permitted to be present within the zone of the at least one geofence.

14. A method for enforcing at least one rule within a geofence, comprising:

a fencing agent of a UAV;

the fencing agent of the UAV identifying at least one rule associated with the geofence; and

the UAV implementing the at least one rule associated with the geofence, wherein the geofence is defined by a plurality of IP addresses, wherein each of the plurality of IP addresses corresponds to a physical point on the surface of the Earth defined by a coordinate system with a distance between points of the coordinate system being between about 1 millimeter and about 5 centimeters;

wherein boundaries of the geofence are published by a fence delivery network and the boundaries of the geofence are stored in at least one cellular tower and/or at least one WiFi access point;

wherein the fencing agent is embedded in a code of an application on the UAV; and

wherein the UAV automatically stops implementing the at least one rule associated with the geofence and automatically implements at least one second rule associated with a second geofence upon the UAV physically entering the second geofence;

wherein the UAV includes a camera, wherein the at least one rule includes the UAV identifying at least one restricted object detected by the camera and obstructing the at least one restricted object in real-time and/or obstructing the at least one restricted object in photographs and/or videos produced by the camera; and

wherein obstructing the at least one restricted object in real-time and/or obstructing the at least one restricted object in the photographs and/or the videos produced by the camera is performed by blurring, blacking out, or distorting the at least one restricted object.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one rule includes instructions for the camera to produce a 360 degree perspective real-time video stream and/or 360 degree perspective photographs in predetermined intervals and wherein the at least one rule further includes instructions for obstructing the at least one restricted object in the 360 degree perspective real-time video stream and/or obstructing the at least one restricted object in the 360 degree perspective photographs.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the UAV includes a sensor, wherein the at least one rule includes instructions for the sensor to detect an object within a distance of the geofence or inside the geofence, and to provide an alert upon detection of the object within the distance of the geofence or inside the geofence and/or verify that the object is permitted to occupy a location within the geofence.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one rule is updateable in real-time by an owner or a licensee of the geofence.