Method for serving location information access requests

• US 20050289095A1
• Filed: 06/23/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Blomqvist, Mikko, Rauhala, Petri, Laine, Tommi
• Granted Patent: US 10,129,261 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• 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 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

The present invention relates to processing location information access requests. An identifier of a sender of a received location information access request is determined, and the identifier is compared to identifiers in a contact storage. Location access control information and/or supplementary contact information associated with an entry having a matching identifier in the contact storage is then retrieved.

Claims

1. A data processing device comprising:

a location information service module for serving location information access requests,

a contact storage for storing entries comprising contact information, wherein

the data processing device is configured to determine an identifier in a received location information access request,

the data processing device is configured to compare the identifier to identifiers in the contact storage, and

the data processing device is configured to retrieve location access control information and/or supplementary contact information associated with an entry having a matching identifier in the contact storage.

2. A data processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data processing device is configured to store, in the contact storage or in another storage, a privacy profile determining location information access control related information such that the privacy profile is included in or referred to in at least one entry of the contact storage, and

the data processing device is configured to retrieve the privacy profile from the entry or from a location referred to in the entry having the matching identifier.

3. A data processing device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the privacy profile comprises information indicating whether or not the current location of the data processing device may be sent, and

the location information service module is configured to transmit the location information on the data processing device to the sender of the received location information access request if the privacy profile allows this.

4. A data processing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the privacy profile comprises information indicating whether or not the current location of the data processing device may be sent, and

the location information service module is configured to transmit to the sender of the received location information access request an authorization to transmit location information on the data processing device.

5. A data processing device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the privacy profile comprises information indicating whether or not the current location of the data processing device may be sent, and

the location information service module is configured to transmit to the sender of the received location information access request an authorization to transmit location information on the data processing device.

6. A data processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data processing device is configured to deliver at least part of the data in an entry of the contact storage comprising the same identifier to a user interface component of the data processing device.

7. A data processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supplementary data comprises at least one of the following:

name information, address information, facsimile number, phone or pager number, email address, URL (Uniform Resource Locator), image file, audio file, or location information.

8. A data processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data processing device is configured to determine an identifier of an entry in the data storage as a response to a need to store a privacy profile, and

the data processing device is configured to store the privacy profile or reference thereto in the entry having the determined identifier.

9. A data processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data processing device is configured to determine the sender of the location information access request or an identifier of another party for which submission of location information is requested.

10. A method for serving a location information access request for a data processing device comprising a location information service module and a contact storage for storing entries comprising contact information, the method comprising:

receiving a location information access request,

determining an identifier in the location information access request,

comparing the identifier to identifiers in the contact storage, and

retrieving location access control information and/or supplementary contact information associated with an entry having the matching identifier in the contact storage.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein a privacy profile is stored in the data processing device, the privacy profile determining location information access control related information such that the privacy profile is included in or referred to in at least one entry of the contact storage, and

the privacy profile is retrieved from the entry or from a location referred to in the entry having the matching identifier.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least part of the data in an entry of the contact storage comprising the same identifier is delivered to a user interface component of the data processing device.

13. A system comprising a first device and a second device, wherein

the first device is configured to transmit a location information access request to the second device,

the second device is configured to determine an identifier in the location information access request,

the second device is configured to compare the identifier to identifiers in the contact storage, and

the second device is configured to retrieve location access control information and/or supplementary contact information associated with an entry having a matching identifier in the contact storage.

14. A computer program product, loadable into the memory of a data processing device, for controlling the data processing device by executing the program code included in the computer software product in a processor of the data processing device, the computer program product comprising:

a program code portion for controlling the data processing device to determine an identifier in a received location information access request,

a program code portion for controlling the data processing device to compare the identifier to identifiers in the contact storage, and

a program code portion for controlling the data processing device to retrieve location access control information and/or supplementary contact information associated with an entry having a matching identifier in the contact storage.