Device and Method for Tracking an Accessed Location of a Network

• US 20090069035A1
• Filed: 09/10/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Igval, Jacob
• Granted Patent: US 8,718,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.300
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A device comprises an analog signal port, a data packet port, and a control processor comprising circuitry to convert analog audio signals into the data packets and vice versa. The device further comprises an access control module to register network access locations and determine a perimeter within which the accessed location is located when the device is accessing the network. By using the perimeter, the access control module is to receive from a user of the device a verification or a manual entry of a location within the perimeter as the accessed location. The access control module is to determine the received one of the verified location and the manually entered location as the accessed location and provide the determined accessed location to a location-based service through the data packet port.

Claims

1. A device for accessing a network and tracking an accessed location of the network, the device comprising:

an analog signal port configured to communicate analog audio signals;

a data packet port configured to communicate data packets;

a control processor comprising circuitry to convert the analog audio signals into the data packets and vice versa; and

an access control module coupled to the control processor and configured to;

register one or more locations for accessing the network with the device;

determine a perimeter within which the accessed location is located when the device is accessing the network;

if at least one of the one or more registered locations is located within the perimeter, receive from a user of the device a verification of one of the at least one registered location located within the perimeter as the accessed location;

if none of the one or more registered locations is located within the perimeter, receive from the user of the device a manual entry of a location within the perimeter as the accessed location; and

determine the received one of the verified location and the manually entered location as the accessed location and provide the determined accessed location to a location-based service through the data packet port.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the determination of the perimeter of the accessed location comprises a calculation of the perimeter of the accessed location by another device on the network and use of the calculated perimeter by the access control module.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more registered locations comprises multiple registered locations and the verification of one of the at least one registered location located within the perimeter as the accessed location comprises selecting one of the multiple registered locations as the accessed location.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the access control module is further configured to receive from the user of the device a manual entry of a location within the perimeter if none of the at least one registered location located within the perimeter matches the accessed location.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the access control module is further configured to terminate the access to the network if the user of the device fails to verify or manually enter a location within the perimeter after being prompted for performing one of the verification and the manual entry or if the accessed location is determined to be an unauthorized location.

6. A method for tracking a location of a device accessing a network, the method comprising:

registering one or more locations for accessing the network with the device;

accessing the network by using the device at a location of the network for communicating data packets of the device, wherein the device is configured to convert analog audio signals into the data packets and vice versa;

calculating a perimeter within which the accessed location is located;

if at least one of the one or more registered locations is located within the perimeter, receiving from a user of the device a verification of one of the at least one registered location located within the perimeter as the accessed location;

if none of the one or more registered locations is located within the perimeter, receiving from the user of the device a manual entry of a location within the perimeter as the accessed location;

determining the received one of the verified location and the manually entered location as the accessed location; and

providing the determined accessed location to a location-based service.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more registered locations comprises multiple registered locations and the verification of one of the at least one registered location located within the perimeter as the accessed location comprises selecting one of the multiple registered locations as the accessed location.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising using at least one of the calculated perimeter of the accessed location and the received one of the verified location and the manually entered location for at least one of dispatching an emergency service and a law enforcement service.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising using at least one of the calculated perimeter of the accessed location and the received one of the verified location and the manually entered location for determining charges payable to a service operator for a telephone call made through the device.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising terminating the access to the network if the user of the device fails to verify or manually enter a location within the perimeter after being prompted for performing one of the verification and the manual entry or if the accessed location is determined to be an unauthorized location.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the calculation of the perimeter of the accessed location and determining the received one of the verified location and the manually entered location as the accessed location are performed by another device on the network.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising using the determined accessed location for determining routes in the network used for communicating the data packets through the accessed location.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the received one of the verified location and the manually entered location as the accessed location comprises determining the manually entered location as the accessed location if the manually entered location is within the perimeter.

14. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving from the user of the device a manual entry of a location within the perimeter if none of the at least one registered location located within the perimeter matches the accessed location.

15. A computer program product embodied on one or more computer readable storage mediums for tracking a location of a device accessing a network, the computer program product comprising instructions for:

registering one or more locations for accessing the network with the device;

accessing the network by using the device at a location of the network for communicating data packets of the device, wherein the device is configured to convert analog audio signals into the data packets and vice versa, each of the data packets including a header field and a data field;

calculating a perimeter within which the accessed location is located;

if at least one of the one or more registered locations is located within the perimeter, receiving from a user of the device a verification of one of the at least one registered location located within the perimeter as the accessed location;

if none of the one or more registered locations is located within the perimeter, receiving from the user of the device a manual entry of a location within the perimeter as the accessed location; and

determining the received one of the verified location and the manually entered location as the accessed location and providing the determined accessed location to a location-based service.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the one or more registered locations comprises multiple registered locations and the verification of one of the at least one registered location located within the perimeter as the accessed location comprises selecting one of the multiple registered locations as the accessed location.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising instructions for terminating the access to the network if the user of the device fails to verify or manually enter a location within the perimeter after being prompted for performing one of the verification and the manual entry or if the accessed location is determined to be an unauthorized location.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the calculation of the perimeter of the accessed location and determining the received one of the verified location and the manually entered location as the accessed location are performed by another device on the network.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein determining the received one of the verified location and the manually entered location as the accessed location comprises determining the manually entered location as the accessed location if the manually entered location is within the perimeter.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising instructions for receiving from the user of the device a manual entry of a location within the perimeter if none of the at least one registered location located within the perimeter matches the accessed location.