METHODS, SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR REGISTRATION OF AND ANONYMOUS COMMUNICATIONS RELATED TO TAGGED OBJECTS

• US 20120268239A1
• Filed: 04/20/2011
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Wadman, Johan, Ljung, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,781,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.8
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/45 using multiple identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Systems and methods of registration of an anonymous tag having an owner with a location service include authenticating a tag sensor associated with the owner of the tag with the location service. The tag is placed within a defined transmission distance of the tag from the tag sensor associated with the owner. The tag is activated while it is within the defined distance from the tag sensor to initiate transmission of the self identification. The transmitted self identification is received at the tag sensor to detect the tag. It is determined that the detected tag is not yet registered with the location service and an identification of the tag and the owner is transmitted to the location service from the tag sensor to register the tag as belonging to the owner at the location service to limit registration of the tag at the location service.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of registration of an anonymous tag having an owner with a location service, wherein the tag is configured to transmit a self identification over a defined distance using a short range wireless protocol, the method comprising:

authenticating a tag sensor associated with the owner of the tag with the location service;

placing the tag within the defined distance from the tag sensor associated with the owner;

activating the tag while it is within the defined distance from the tag sensor to initiate transmission of the self identification;

receiving the transmitted self identification at the tag sensor to detect the tag;

determining that the detected tag is not yet registered with the location service; and

transmitting an identification of the tag and the owner to the location service from the tag sensor to register the tag as belonging to the owner at the location service to limit registration of the tag at the location service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag sensor comprises a mobile.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein placing the tag within the defined distance is preceded by obtaining a tag that has not been registered with the location service for use as the tag, wherein power to the tag is off when the tag is obtained and wherein activating the tag comprises turning on the power to the tag within the defined distance from the tag sensor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein turning on the power to the tag comprises turning on the power to the tag using an actuator that cannot be reset to turn the power to the tag off so that the tag will continue transmission of the self identification until a battery included in the tag is discharged.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the transmitted self identification includes receiving at least one additional identification from another tag and wherein the method further comprises determining that the another tag is already registered with the location service and not registering the another tag as belonging to the owner at the location service.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the transmitted self identification includes receiving at least one additional self identification from another tag and wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the another tag is not yet registered with the location service; and

comparing a signal strength of the received transmitted self identifications of the tag and the another tag,

wherein transmitting an identification comprises;

transmitting an identification of the tag to register the tag as belonging to the owner when the signal strength of the self identification of the tag is greater than the signal strength of the self identification of the another tag; and

transmitting an identification of the another tag to register the another tag as belonging to the owner when the signal strength of the self identification of the another tag is greater than the signal strength of the self identification of the tag.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting the identification is preceded by:

presenting the identification of the tag to a user on a display of the mobile terminal; and

receiving a selection of the displayed identification as belonging to the owner from the user, wherein transmitting the identification is only carried out responsive to receiving the selection of the displayed identification.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the tag is not yet registered includes:

receiving a message at the tag sensor from the location service indicating that the tag is already registered to another owner; and

then

determining a confidential ownership code for the tag that is only provided to a lawful owner of the tag; and

transmitting the ownership code to the location service to un-register the tag so that the tag is not associated with the another owner at the location service.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting the identification is followed by transmitting a request to un-register the tag to the location service from the tag sensor to allow the tag to be registered as belonging to another owner.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting the identification is followed by transmitting a permission from the tag sensor to another tag sensor that authorizes another owner associated with the another tag sensor to obtain information related to the tag from the location service.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the tag comprises a plurality of tags, each including a visible public code associated therewith and each of which has a self identification and wherein transmitting the identification is followed by retrieving the visible public code for each tag from the location service for use in differentiation visually between the plurality of tags.

12. A computer-implemented method of registration of an anonymous tag at a location service, wherein the tag is configured to transmit a self identification over a defined distance using a short range wireless protocol, the method comprising:

registering a tag sensor associated with an owner with the location service;

receiving a request to register the tag from the tag sensor at the location service, wherein the request to register includes the self identification of the tag and an identification of the tag sensor;

determining based on the self identification of the tag if the tag is already registered;

transmitting a notification to the tag sensor that the tag is already registered when it is determined that the tag is already registered; and

determining the owner of the tag based on the received identification of the tag sensor and registering the tag as belonging to the owner at the location service when it is determined that the tag is not yet registered.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the self identification of the tag and the identification of the tag sensor are received from two different transmissions.

14. A mobile terminal for registering anonymous tags, wherein the mobile terminal is registered with a location service as being associated with an owner, the mobile terminal comprising:

a processor;

a communication interface coupled to the processor that is configured to communicate over a wide area network with a remote location service and to receive transmissions from a tag in the vicinity of the mobile terminal using a short range wireless protocol; and

a detected tag registration module that is configured to receive, using the communication interface, a transmitted self identification to detect one of the anonymous tags as a detected tag when the detected tag is activated in the vicinity of the mobile terminal and to determine that the detected tag is not yet registered with the location service and to transmit, using the communication interface, an identification of the tag and the owner to the location service to register the tag as belonging to the owner at the location service to limit registration of the tag at the location service.

15. A location server for providing information associated anonymous tags, the location server comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor that includes;

a registered tag database that includes, for each of a plurality of registered ones of the anonymous tags, a self identification and an owner associated with each of the registered ones of the anonymous tags; and

an owner database that includes, for each of a plurality of registered owners, a tag sensor associated with each of the registered owners;

a communication interface coupled to the processor that is configured to receive a registration request, that includes identification of one of the anonymous tags, from one of the tag sensors of one of the registered owners; and

a registration module executing on the processor that is configured to determine if the one of the anonymous tags identified in a received registration request is already registered using the registered tag database and to update the registered tag database to include an entry for the one of the anonymous tags identified in the received registration request to register the one of the anonymous tags identified in the received registration request as associated with the registered owner associated the one of the tag sensors that the request was received from using the owner database.

16. A computer-implemented method of providing communications related to detection of an anonymous tag, the method comprising:

receiving a tag identification (ID) information report from a tag sensor;

identifying an object associated with the ID information report received from the tag sensor;

determining an owner associated with the identified object; and

routing a communication between a user associated with the tag sensor and the owner responsive to the received tag identification without identifying the user to the owner or the owner to the user.

17-28. -28. (canceled)

29. An anonymous communication server for providing communications related to detection of anonymous tags, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor that includes;

a registered tag database that includes, for each of a plurality of registered ones of the anonymous tags, a self identification and an owner associated with each of the registered ones of the anonymous tags; and

an owner database that includes, for each of a plurality of registered owners, a mobile terminal associated with each of the registered owners;

a communication interface coupled to the processor that is configured to receive a tag identification (ID) information report from a mobile terminal and to route a communication between mobile terminals; and

a routing module that is configured to identifying an object associated with the ID information report received from the mobile terminal, to determine an owner associated with the identified object using the registered tag database and to route a communication, using the communication interface, between the mobile terminal and the mobile terminal associated with the owner using the owner database responsive to the received tag identification without identifying the mobile terminal to the owner or the owner to the mobile terminal.

30. The service of claim 29, further comprising an electronic bulletin board and wherein the routing module is configured to route the communication using a posting on the electronic bulletin board.

31. The service of claim 29, wherein the object comprises a movable object and wherein the received ID information includes a location of the mobile terminal and wherein the routing module is further configured to transmit a notification of location information for the movable object to the owner that includes the location of the mobile terminal to provide the owner updated location information for the movable object, responsive to receiving the ID information report, without identifying the mobile terminal to the owner.

32. (canceled)