Geo-location and geo-compliance utilizing a client agent

• US 20060010252A1
• Filed: 03/04/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NeuStar IP Intelligence, Inc. (Neustar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Quova Inc. (Neustar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Speckbacher, Tobias, Miltonberger, Thomas W., Naffziger, David Charles, Paoletti, Stefano, Colclasure, Kaelin Lee
• Granted Patent: US 7,685,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• 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 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A system includes an interface to receive network geolocation information associated with a first party to a network session between the first entity and a second entity, coupled via a network. The network geolocation information is determined utilizing a network address of the first entity. The system further includes a decision logic module to obtain supplemental information concerning the first entity by harvesting the supplemental information locally at the first entity. The decision logic module is further to generate an assessment regarding compliance with a geolocation policy defined in connection with access to the second entity, the assessment being generated utilizing the network geolocation information and the supplemental information.

Claims

1. A system including:

an interface to receive network geolocation information associated with a first party to a network session between the first entity and a second entity, coupled via a network, wherein the network geolocation information is determined utilizing a network address of the first entity; and

a decision logic module to obtain supplemental information concerning the first entity by harvesting the supplemental information locally at the first entity,

wherein the decision logic module is further to generate an assessment regarding compliance with a geolocation policy defined in connection with access to the second entity, the assessment being generated utilizing the network geolocation information and the supplemental information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first entity is a client machine hosting a client application, and the second entity is a server machine hosting a server application, the client application communicating with the server application using the network session.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the supplemental information includes at least one of a group of information types including a machine setting on the client machine, a communication setting with respect the network session between the client machine and the server machine, and network measurements pertaining to the network session between the client machine and the server machine.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the geolocation policy is defined by an operator of the second entity.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the decision logic module is to obtain further supplemental information, concerning the first entity, from the second entity and is to generate the assessment utilizing the further supplemental information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the further supplemental information includes information concerning a user associated with the first entity, provided to the second entity by the first entity and stored by the second entity.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the further supplemental information includes at least one of a group of information types including user login information, user account information and network session information received at the second entity from the first entity.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface is to receive the network geolocation information from an external geolocation service to which the network address of the first entity has been communicated.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface is to receive constraints, from the second entity, in connection with the harvesting of the supplemental information locally at the first entity, and the decision logic is to harvest the supplemental information locally at the first entity subject to the constraints.

10. A computer-implemented method including:

receiving network geolocation information associated with a first party to a network session between the first entity and a second entity, coupled via a network, wherein the network geolocation information is determined utilizing a network address of the first entity;

obtain supplemental information concerning the first entity by harvesting the supplemental information locally at the first entity; and

generating an assessment regarding compliance with a geolocation policy defined in connection with access to the second entity, the assessment generated utilizing the network geolocation information and the supplemental information.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the first entity is a client machine hosting a client application, and the second entity is a server machine hosting a server application, the client application communicating with the server application using the network session.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the supplemental information includes at least one of a group of information types including a machine setting on the client machine, a communication setting with respect the network session between the client machine and the server machine, and a network measurement pertaining to the network session between the client machine and the server machine.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the geolocation policy is defined by an operator of the second entity, the method including receiving the geolocation policy from the second entity.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, including obtain further supplemental information, concerning the first entity, from the second entity and generating the assessment utilizing the further supplemental information.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the further supplemental information includes information concerning a user associated with the first entity, provided to the second entity by the user and stored by the second entity.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the further supplemental information includes at least one of a group of information types including user login information, user account information and network session information received at the second entity from the first entity.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, including receiving the network geolocation information from an external geolocation service to which the network address of the first entity has been communicated.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, including receiving constraints, from the second entity, in connection with the harvesting of the supplemental information locally at the first entity, and harvesting the supplemental information locally at the first entity subject to the constraints.

19. A machine-readable medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform the computer-implemented method of claim 10.

20. A system including:

first means for receiving network geolocation information associated with a first party to a network session between the first entity and a second entity, coupled via a network, wherein the network geolocation information is determined utilizing a network address of the first entity; and

second means for obtaining supplemental information concerning the first entity by harvesting the supplemental information locally at the first entity,

wherein the second means is further for generating an assessment regarding compliance with a geolocation policy defined in connection with access to the second entity, the assessment being generated utilizing the network geolocation information and the supplemental information.