Anonymous location service for wireless networks
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An anonymous location wireless network service for use in a wireless network that tracks the location and identity of network users, such as networks complying with enhanced 911 standards. The service provides content providers with the location of network users without revealing their identities. The service includes a wireless network having a proxy server, a network communication link to a plurality of web sites, and a wireless communication link to a plurality of handheld devices. The proxy server blocks identity by reading the location and identity information of network devices, generating dummy identifications, relating the dummy identifications to the identity information, storing the relationships in a memory storage, and forwarding the location information and dummy identifications to the global computer network. Upon receiving return messages from the global computer network, the proxy server reads the dummy identifications, looks up the related identity information in the memory storage, and forwards the data to the appropriate network devices.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1. - 30. (canceled)
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31. A method for providing an anonymous location service for use in a wireless network that tracks the geographical location and identity of a wireless network user, the method comprising:
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associating a fictitious identification with identity information of the wireless network user into a relationship;
storing the relationship in memory;
receiving geographical information of the wireless network user;
providing the fictitious identification in place of the identity of the wireless network user;
providing the geographical information and the fictitious identification of the wireless network user to a web site through the global computer network receiving a message from the web site through a global computer network, wherein the message includes the fictitious identification;
locating the fictitious identification in the memory;
using the relationship to determine the identity of the wireless network user; and
providing the message to the wireless network user. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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34. A method for providing an anonymous location service for use in a wireless network that tracks the geographical location and identity of a wireless network user, the method comprising:
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receiving geographical information relating to the wireless network user;
substituting a fictitious identification for the identity of the wireless network user; and
in response to a message received from a web site requesting communication with wireless users in a particular geographical location, forwarding the geographical information and the fictitious identification of wireless network users in the particular geographic location to the web site through a global computer network only if the geographical information bears a predetermined relation to the particular geographical location. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37)
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38. A method for providing an anonymous location service for use in a wireless network that tracks the geographical location and identity of wireless network users, the method comprising:
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receiving geographical information and an identity of a network user operating in the wireless network;
providing the geographical information and the identity to a first web site, the first web site receiving content;
receiving a request for content from the first web site including the geographical information and the identity of the network user;
generating a fictitious identification and substituting the fictitious identification for the identity of the network user;
recording an association between the fictitious identification and the identity of the network user;
forwarding to a second web site a modified request for content including the geographical location and the fictitious identification of the network user;
receiving from the second web site content that references the fictitious identification of the network user;
determining the identity of the network user using the fictitious identification and the recorded association;
replacing the fictitious identification referenced in the content with the identity of the network user; and
forwarding the content including the geographical information and the identity of the network user. - View Dependent Claims (39)
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40. A system for providing an anonymous location service for use in a wireless network that tracks geographical information and identities of wireless network users, the system comprising:
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a proxy server having memory storage and an interface operative to access a plurality of web sites; and
wherein the proxy server receives the geographical information of the network users from a geographical location system in communication with the proxy server, receives the identities of the network users from a plurality of network users, translates the identities of the network users into fictitious identifications, and forwards the geographical information of the network users and the fictitious identifications to at least one of the plurality of web sites. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A proxy server for providing an anonymous location service for use in a wireless network that tracks geographical locations and identities of plural wireless users over a wireless communication link, the proxy server comprising a memory storage and operating to:
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receive as part of data messages, the geographical locations and the identities of the plurality of wireless users;
generate fictitious identifications and substitute the fictitious identifications for the identities;
record the fictitious identifications and their associated identities in the memory storage; and
forward the data messages with the geographical locations and fictitious identifications to at least one web site via the global computer network. - View Dependent Claims (50)
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Specification