SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DECOUPLING AND EXPOSING COMPUTING DEVICE ORIGINATED LOCATION INFORMATION

• US 20090323953A1
• Filed: 05/02/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ramanathan, Sri, Trevathan, Matthew B., Terry, Matthew A., NARAYAN, Pramodh D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,315,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/258
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0813 with a network or matrix configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/154 Networked environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/60 Details of cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/62 Details of cache specific to multiprocessor cache arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/104 Location integrity, e.g. secure geotagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method is provided to determine location information of a portable computing device and, in particular, to a secure and scalable system and method of decoupling and exposing handset originated location information to third parties. The system includes a location platform to determine location information of a remote user, and an encryption service configured to secure the location information of the remote user and send the secure location information to a content provider.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a location platform to determine location information of a remote user; and

an encryption service configured to secure the location information of the remote user and send the secure location information to a content provider.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the location platform determines coarse and fine location of the remote user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the encryption service is configured to intercept an HTTP request of the remote user and insert the secure location information in a header of the HTTP request.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a decryption service configured to receive a decrypt request from the content provider.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the location platform is configured to receive cached location information from the remote user and the encryption engine scrambles the cached location information in a header of an HTTP request.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a charging module configured to charge a fee to the content provider for the location information.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the charging module is configured to charge the content provider on a flat fee based service or a fee based on coarse or fine location information.

8. The system of claim 1 configured to generate and provide an authorizing key to the content provider.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a service provider offers the location platform and the encryption service based on one of a fee and subscription basis.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the location platform and the encryption service are provided on a computer infrastructure, which is at least one of supported, deployed, maintained, and created by a service provider.

11. A method for obtaining location specific content comprising:

intercepting an HTTP request from a remote user;

scrambling location information of the remote user and inserting the scrambled location information into a header of the HTTP request; and

sending the scrambled location information to a content provider.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining the location information of the remote user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining location information includes one of:

fine location, coarse location and a combination of fine location and coarse location.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the location information is received from the remote user by an agent locally resident on a computing device.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising charging a content provider for the scrambled location information.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing decryption services to the content provider in order to descramble the scrambled location information.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the steps of claim 11 are offered by a service provider based on one of a fee and subscription basis.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing an authorizing key to the content provider which ensures secure transmission of the location information and provides authorization to use the location information for location specific content dissemination.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the steps of claim 11 are provided on a computer infrastructure, which is at least one of supported, deployed, maintained, and created by a service provider.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer program product includes at least one component operable to:

determine location information of a remote user;

intercept an HTTP request from the remote user;

scramble the location information and insert the scrambled location information into a header of the HTTP request; and

transmit the scrambled location information to a content provider.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the least one component is operable to provide an authorizing key to the content provider.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the least one component is operable to charge a fee to the content provider for the location information.

23. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the computer infrastructure is at least one of supported, deployed, maintained, and created by a service provider.

24. A method for deploying an application for securely providing location information, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

intercept an HTTP request from the remote user;

scramble the location information and insert the scrambled location information into a header of the HTTP request; and

transmit the scrambled location information to a content provider.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the computer infrastructure is at least one of maintained, deployed, created and supported by a service provider.