AUTHORIZATION OF NETWORK ADDRESS TRACKING

• US 20150373537A1
• Filed: 06/20/2014
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Toksvig, Michael, Maguire, Yael
• Granted Patent: US 9,510,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

Various embodiments are disclosed for enabling a user to physically acknowledge monitoring of their mobile device'"'"'s network address (e.g., upon entering a store to track the user'"'"'s movement through the store based upon the mobile device'"'"'s MAC address). An Access Point coupled with a network system may identify the user device'"'"'s MAC address, but the network system may defer retention and use of the MAC address until the user provides a physical authorization to do so. The user may provide such a physical authorization by placing their mobile device in physical proximity to a kiosk. The kiosk may emit a signal via, e.g., a magnetic field, radiation, sonification, imaging, etc. An application running on the user device may receive this signal. For example, the kiosk may emit a magnetic field to manipulate the user device'"'"'s compass hardware. The application may monitor and derive a kiosk identifier from these manipulations. The application may then provide the kiosk identifier (and the device MAC address in some embodiments) to the network system to verify the user'"'"'s willingness for their MAC address to be monitored.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing user tracking authorization, comprising:

detecting, by a mobile device, a signal from a kiosk, the mobile device associated with a unique identifier;

extracting, by the mobile device, a verification from the signal from the kiosk;

determining, by the mobile device, that the kiosk is authentic using the verification; and

transmitting, by the mobile device, an authorization to track the unique identifier.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein detecting the signal from the kiosk comprises using a compass on the mobile device to detect a magnetic signal from the kiosk.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein extracting the verification comprises:

demultiplexing a clock signal and an encoded data signal from the signal from the kiosk, the encoded data signal comprising the verification; and

decoding the encoded data signal using the clock signal.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein demultiplexing a clock signal and an encoded data signal comprises determining physical dimensions on which the clock signal and encoded data signal are transmitted.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein extracting the verification further comprises demultiplexing a quantization calibration signal, and wherein decoding the encoded data signal using the clock signal further comprises deqauntizing the encoded data signal using the quantization calibration signal.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining that the kiosk is authentic comprises transmitting, by the mobile device, the verification to a server and receiving, by the mobile device, a positive confirmation regarding the verification.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is a MAC address.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions configured to cause one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

detecting, by a mobile device, a signal from a kiosk, the mobile device associated with a unique identifier;

extracting, by the mobile device, a verification from the kiosk;

determining, by the mobile device, that the kiosk is authentic using the verification; and

transmitting, by the mobile device, an authorization to track the unique identifier.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein detecting the signal from the kiosk comprises using a compass on the mobile device to detect a magnetic signal from the kiosk.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein extracting the verification comprises:

demultiplexing a clock signal and an encoded data signal from the signal from the kiosk, the encoded data signal comprising the verification; and

decoding the encoded data signal using the clock signal.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein demultiplexing a clock signal and an encoded data signal comprises determining physical dimensions on which the clock signal and encoded data signal are transmitted.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein extracting the verification further comprises demultiplexing a quantization calibration signal, and wherein decoding the encoded data signal using the clock signal further comprises deqauntizing the encoded data signal using the quantization calibration signal.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein determining that the kiosk is authentic comprises transmitting, by the mobile device, the verification to a server and receiving, by the mobile device, a positive confirmation regarding the verification.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the unique identifier is a MAC address.

15. A kiosk comprising:

a module configured to receive a verification from across a network;

a module configured to combine the verification with a clock signal into an output signal; and

a physical actuator configured to output the output signal on a physical medium.

16. The kiosk of claim 15, wherein the physical actuator comprises an electromagnet configured to output a magnetic signal, the magnetic signal stronger than the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field.

17. The kiosk of claim 15, the module configured to combine the verification with the clock signal further configured to combine a quantization calibration signal into the output signal.

18. The kiosk of claim 15, the module configured to combine the verification with the clock signal further configured to Manchester encode the verification using the clock signal.

19. The kiosk of claim 15, the kiosk further comprising an enclosure configured to receive a mobile device, the enclosure further configured to confine at least a portion of the output signal.

20. The kiosk of claim 15, wherein the physical actuator is configured to transmit multiple subsignals on multiple dimensions.