SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR MANAGING ACCESS TO SYSTEMS, PRODUCTS, AND DATA BASED ON INFORMATION ASSOCIATED WITH A PHYSICAL LOCATION OF A USER

• US 20140304784A1
• Filed: 12/11/2013
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Harrison, Daniel Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,246,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• 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

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for managing access to data based on information associated with a physical location of a user. These mechanisms and methods for managing access to systems, products, or data based on information associated with a physical location of a user can enable improved data management efficiency, enhanced data management accuracy, decreased data management costs, decreased licensing costs, increased security, additional marketing opportunities, etc.

Claims

1. A computer program product embodied on a tangible computer readable medium, comprising:

computer code for identifying information associated with a physical location of a user; and

computer code for managing access to one or more of systems, products, and data, based on the identified information.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the information includes current location information indicating a current physical location of the user.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the information is identified utilizing one or more of a global positioning system (GPS) module and a GPS protocol, a Bluetooth or low-energy Bluetooth module and a Bluetooth or low-energy Bluetooth protocol, a radio frequency identification (RFID) module and an REID protocol, and a nearfield communication module and a nearfield communication protocol.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the information is identified utilizing a location aware device.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein managing access to the data includes conditionally enabling one or more portions of a license that controls the access to the data.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein managing the access to the data includes determining whether one or more licenses are currently available to the user, based on the identified information.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the information associated with the physical location of the user at a current time period is compared against one or more predetermined criteria to determine whether one or more licenses are available to the user at the current time period.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the one or more licenses are associated with a predetermined location, and such licenses are retrieved when it is determined that the user is currently at the predetermined location.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein when the information associated with the physical location of the user indicates that the user is currently located at a first location, a first license allowing access to a first set of data is retrieved and provided to the user.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein when the information associated with the physical location of the user indicates that the user is currently located at a second location different from the first location, a second license different from the first license is provided to the user, where the second license allows access to a second set of data different from the first set of data.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein additional information is analyzed in conjunction with the identified information in order to determine whether one or more licenses are available to the user.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the additional information includes one or more of a user identifier (ID), a password, and a security key.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein managing the access to data includes allowing access to one or more portions of data according to one or more licenses if it is determined that the physical location of the user matches one or more predetermined locations.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein managing the access to data includes disallowing access to one or more portions of the data if it is determined that the physical location of the user does not match one or more predetermined locations.

16. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the physical location of the user is identified by a multi-tenant, on-demand database system.

17. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein a first device calculates the physical location of the user and sends the calculated location to a second device.

3. The computer program product of claim wherein the information includes an indication as to whether the user is within a predetermined distance from a predetermined location.

18. A method, comprising:

identifying information associated with a physical location of a user; and

managing access to one or more of systems, products, and data, based on the identified information.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor for;

identifying information associated with a physical location of a user; and

managing access to one or more of systems, products, and data, based on the identified information.

20. A method for transmitting code for use in a multi-tenant database system on a transmission medium, the method comprising:

transmitting code for identifying information associated with a physical location of a user; and

transmitting code for managing access to one or more of systems, products, and data, based on the identified information.