Method for preventing storage of prohibited data on an ad hoc moving data network

• US 10,123,255 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2016
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SOFTBANK Corporation (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Teller, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Lafontant, Gary
• Application Number:
  US15/356,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20170070944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 4554502
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/118 specially adapted for satellite communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method operable in a balloon network. The method can include determining that a balloon is at a location associated with a first legally-defined geographic area, wherein an area profile identifies a list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached in the first legally-defined geographic area. The method can also include receiving first data. The method can also include using the list of geographically-prohibited data to determine whether or not the first data is geographically-prohibited data. If the first data is geographically-prohibited data, then the method can further include refraining from storing the first data in data storage at the first balloon.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining that a first balloon is at a location associated with a first legally-defined geographic area in a balloon network, wherein the balloon network provides service in a plurality of legally-defined geographic areas;

in response to determining that the first balloon is at the location, accessing an area profile associated with the first legally-defined geographic area, wherein the area profile identifies a list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached by the first balloon while the first balloon as at the location within the first legally-defined geographic area;

while the first balloon is at the location, the first balloon receiving data from a device at a location outside of the first legally-defined geographic area;

using the list of geographically-prohibited data to determine that the data is geographically-prohibited data in the first legally-defined geographic area; and

responsive to the determination that the received data is geographically-prohibited data, refraining from caching the received data in data storage at the first balloon while the first balloon is at the location within the first legally-defined geographic area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached in the first legally-defined geographic area comprises a prohibited class of data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached in the first legally-defined geographic area comprises a prohibited instance of data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the first balloon receiving the area profile from a ground-based station that is associated with the first legally-defined geographic area.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the first balloon receiving the area profile from a second balloon in the balloon network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein refraining from storing the data in the data storage at the first balloon comprises the balloon altering a routing process such that the data is not cached in the data storage at the first balloon as part of the routing process.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the area profile for the first legally-defined geographic area further indicates geographically-prohibited data for each of one or more second legally-defined geographic areas, the method further comprising:

responsive to the determination that the received data is geographically-prohibited data in the first legally-defined geographic area, (i) identifying a second balloon of the plurality of balloons that is at a location outside of the second legally-defined geographic area, (ii) using the second list of geographically-prohibited data to determine that the received data is not geographically-prohibited at the location of the second balloon, and (iii) routing the received data to the second balloon.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more second legally-defined geographic areas are adjacent to the first legally-defined geographic area.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors in a computing device, cause that computing device to perform functions, the functions comprising:

determining that a first balloon is at a location associated with a first legally-defined geographic area in a balloon network, wherein the balloon network provides service in a plurality of legally-defined geographic areas;

in response to determining that the first balloon is at the location, accessing an area profile associated with the first legally-defined geographic area, wherein the area profile identifies a list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached by the first balloon while the first balloon as at the location within the first legally-defined geographic area;

while the first balloon is at the location, the first balloon receiving data from a device at a location outside of the first legally-defined geographic area;

using the list of geographically-prohibited data to determine that the data is geographically-prohibited data in the first legally-defined geographic area; and

responsive to the determination that the received data is geographically-prohibited data, refraining from caching the received data in data storage at the first balloon while the first balloon is at the location within the first legally-defined geographic area.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, the functions further comprising the first balloon receiving the area profile from a ground-based station that is associated with the first legally-defined geographic.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, the functions further comprising the first balloon receiving the area profile from a ground-based station that is associated with the first legally-defined geographic area.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached in the first legally-defined geographic area comprises a prohibited class of data.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached in the first legally-defined geographic area comprises a prohibited instance of data.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein refraining from storing the data in the data storage at the first balloon comprises the balloon altering a routing process such that the data is not cached in the data storage at the first balloon as part of the routing process.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the area profile for the first legally-defined geographic area further indicates geographically-prohibited data for each of one or more second legally-defined geographic areas, the method further comprising:

responsive to the determination that the received data is geographically-prohibited data in the first legally-defined geographic area, (i) identifying a second balloon of the plurality of balloons that is at a location outside of the second legally-defined geographic area, (ii) using the second list of geographically-prohibited data to determine that the received data is not geographically-prohibited at the location of the second balloon, and (iii) routing the received data to the second balloon.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more second legally-defined geographic areas are adjacent to the first legally-defined geographic area.

17. A balloon comprising:

a location determination system configured to determine a location of the balloon;

a communication interface configured to receive data; and

a control system configured to;

determine that the location of the balloon is associated with a first legally-defined geographic area in a balloon network, wherein the balloon network provides service in a plurality of legally-defined geographic areas;

in response to determining that the balloon is at the location, access an area profile associated with the first legally-defined geographic area, wherein the area profile identifies a list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached by the balloon while the balloon as at the location within the first legally-defined geographic area;

while the balloon is at the location, receive data from a device at a location outside of the first legally-defined geographic area;

use the list of geographically-prohibited data to determine that the data is geographically-prohibited data in the first legally-defined geographic area; and

responsive to the determination that the received data is geographically-prohibited data, refrain from caching the received data in data storage at the balloon while the balloon is at the location within the first legally-defined geographic area.

18. The balloon of claim 17, wherein the balloon is a first balloon, and wherein the area profile further indicates geographically-restricted data that must not be removed from the first legally-defined geographic area, wherein the control system is further configured to:

determine that the first balloon contains at least some of the geographically-restricted data;

detect when the first balloon is likely to move out of the first legally-defined geographic area; and

when the first balloon is likely to move out of the first legally-defined geographic area, responsively remove the geographically-restricted data from the memory of the first balloon.

19. The balloon of claim 18, wherein the area profile further indicates geographically-restricted data be saved in at least one location in the first legally-defined geographic area, wherein the control system is further configured to:

determine if a second balloon located in the first legally-defined geographic area contains the geographically-restricted data; and

responsive to the determination that the second balloon does not include the geographically-restricted data, transfer the geographically-restricted data from the first balloon to a device that is located in the first legally-defined geographic area, before removing the geographically-restricted data from the memory of the first balloon.