Method and system for managing privacy policies

• US 20070067626A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goldberg, Howard, Louis Briancon, Alain
• Application Number:
  US11/322,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067626A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• 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: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

The present invention is a method and system for managing privacy policies in ad-hoc networks by way of spatial and temporal landmarks. A privacy policy is associated with a geographic or temporal landmark, which is associated with a domain. An information system selects an appropriate privacy policy for a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) associated with a landmark.

Claims

1. A method of managing privacy policies in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

detecting the presence of a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) within a geographic domain designated by a landmark;

selecting an appropriate privacy policy based on the landmark and the detected WTRU;

transmitting the selected privacy policy to the detected WTRU; and

implementing at the WTRU the transmitted privacy policy while the WTRU is associated with the landmark.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the WTRU is associated with an access point designated by the landmark.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selection of an appropriate privacy policy is further based upon the identity of the WTRU.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein all WTRUs currently associated with the landmark are considered when determining an appropriate privacy policy for a given WTRU.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein an information system selects an appropriate privacy policy.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the information system is remotely located and connected to the WTRU via the Internet.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the functions performed by the information system are distributed among a variety of communication devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the variety of communication devices include wireless communication devices such as WTRUs.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein several privacy policies are transmitted to the WTRU and a user of the WTRU selects an appropriate privacy policy for implementation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the landmark is associated with a geographic domain surrounding another WTRU.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication system is an ad-hoc wireless communication system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a privacy policy includes at least one of a file access permission, security settings, communication settings, input/output configurations, cryptography keys, passwords, and file access restrictions.

13. A method of managing privacy policies in wireless communication systems, the method comprising:

detecting the presence of a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) within a temporal domain designated by a landmark;

selecting an appropriate privacy policy based on the landmark and the detected WTRU;

transmitting the selected privacy policy to the detected WTRU; and

implementing at the WTRU the transmitted privacy policy while the WTRU is associated with the landmark.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the WTRU is associated with an access point designated by the landmark.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the selection of an appropriate privacy policy is further based upon the identity of the WTRU.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein all WTRUs currently associated with the landmark are considered when determining an appropriate privacy policy for a given WTRU.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein an information system selects an appropriate privacy policy.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the information system is remotely located and connected to the WTRU via the internet.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the functions performed by the information system are distributed among a variety of communication devices.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the variety of communication devices include wireless communication devices such as WTRUs.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein several privacy policies are transmitted to the WTRU and a user of the WTRU selects an appropriate privacy policy for implementation.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the landmark is associated with a geographic domain surrounding another WTRU.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the communication system is an ad-hoc wireless communication system.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein a privacy policy includes at least one of a file access permission, security settings, communication settings, input/output configurations, cryptography keys, passwords, and file access restrictions.

25. A wireless communication system for managing privacy policies among a plurality of wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs) comprising:

at least one geographic domain, wherein the geographic domain is associated with a landmark;

at least one WTRU located within at least one geographic domain, the at least one WTRU being associated with the landmark designating the geographic domain in which the WTRU is located; and

an information system for determining an appropriate security policy for the at least one WTRU associated with the landmark.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the information system includes a database for storing privacy policy information.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one geographic domain is further associated with at least one access point.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the information system selects an appropriate privacy policy based on the landmark associated with the at least one WTRU.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein at least two WTRUs are present in a geographic domain, and the information system selects an appropriate privacy policy for the at least two WTRUs based on the associated landmark and the at least two WTRUs.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein ad-hoc network architecture is utilized.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the geographic domain further includes a temporal landmark.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein a privacy policy includes at least one of a file access permission, security settings, communication settings, input/output configurations, cryptography keys, passwords, and file access restrictions.