Cryptographic system and method for geolocking and securing digital information

• US 7,120,254 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2001
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Longbeam Technologies LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Geocodex LLC
• Inventors: Glick, Barry J., Karpf, Ronald S., Seiler, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abrishamkar, Kaveh
• Application Number:
  US09/758,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20020051540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,099 Days
• Field of Search: 380/258, 380/251, 380/264, 726/27, 711/163, 705/51
• US Class Current: 380/258
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1013 to locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• 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 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling access to digital information utilizes a location identity attribute that defines a specific geographic location. The location identity attribute is associated with the digital information such that the digital information can be accessed only at the specific geographic location. The location identity attribute further includes a location value and a proximity value. The location value corresponds to a location of an intended recipient appliance of the digital information, and may be further defined in terms of latitude, longitude and altitude dimensions. The digital information is encrypted using a geolocking key based at least in part on the location identity attribute. The geolocking key is based on a shape parameter that is determined from the location identity attribute and is included with the encrypted digital information. The shape parameter describes a shape of a geographic area, but does not identify where the geographic area is located. The appliance that receives the encrypted digital information can generate the geolocking key to decrypt the digital information based on the received shape parameter and the appliance location. If the appliance location is not within the proximate area of the location identity attribute, the appliance will be unable to generate the geolocking key to decrypt the digital information.

Claims

1. A system for controlling access to digital information, comprising:

a first information processing device including a processor having suitable memory adapted to store software instructions operable to cause said processor to perform the functions of;

retrieving a location identity attribute that identifies a specific geographic region, the location identity attribute comprising a location value that identifies a unique location within the geographic region and a proximity value that identifies an area that encompasses the unique location;

deriving a shape parameter from the location identity attribute that maps all coordinates within the specific geographic region into a common value without identifying a location of the specific geographic region;

generating an encryption key using the location identity attribute and the shape parameter as inputs;

encrypting the digital information using the encryption key;

sending the shape parameter and the encrypted digital information; and

a second information processing device including a processor having suitable memory adapted to store software instructions operable to cause said processor to perform the functions of;

receiving the shape parameter and the encrypted digital information;

determining a current location of the second information processing device;

generating a decryption key using the current location and the shape parameter as inputs, wherein the decryption key will match the encryption key if the current location is within the specific geographic region; and

decrypting the digital information using the decryption key, wherein the digital information can only be decrypted if the decryption key matches the encryption key.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the deriving function further comprises a mapping function f(x) according to the following equation:

f(x)=Δ

*int(x/Δ

)

wherein x is a corresponding latitude or longitude of the location value, Δ

is a length of a side between bounding latitudes or longitudes, and mt is a function that returns an integral part of x/Δ

.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the proximity value defines a bounded rectangular area.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the proximity value defines a circular bounded area.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the encryption key generating function further comprises generating an initial key using the location value and the shape parameter as inputs.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the encryption key generating function further comprises transforming the initial key to yield the encryption key.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the location value further defines latitude and longitude measurements for the unique location.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the location value further defines an altitude measurement for the unique location.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the location determining function performed by the second information processing device further comprises resolving the location from a street address for the second information processing device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the location determining function performed by the second information processing device further comprises retrieving the location from a file stored within the memory of the second information processing device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the second information processing device further comprises a GPS receiver, and wherein the location determining function performed by the second information processing device further comprises recovering the location from signals received by the GPS receiver.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the location determining function performed by the second information processing device further comprises recovering the location by triangulating RF signals received by the second information processing device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the second information processing device further performs the function of allowing access to the digital information by a software application only at the specific geographic location.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the second information processing device further performs the function of allowing retrieval of the digital information from the memory only at the specific geographic location.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the second information processing device further performs the function of allowing visual display of the digital information only at the specific geographic location.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the first information processing device further performs the function of appending the shape parameter to the encrypted digital information.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiving function performed by the second information processing device further comprises recovering the appended shape parameter.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiving function performed by the second information processing device further comprises receiving the shape parameter and encrypted digital information from the first information processing device.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the first information processing device further performs the function of communicating the shape parameter and the encrypted digital information to the second information processing device.

20. An information processing device, comprising:

a processor having suitable memory adapted to store software instructions operable to cause the processor to perform the functions of;

retrieving a location identity attribute that identifies a specific geographic region, the location identity attribute comprising a location value that identifies a unique location within the geographic region and a proximity value that identifies an area that encompasses the unique location;

deriving a shape parameter from the location identity attribute that maps all coordinates within the specific geographic region into a common value without identifying a location of the specific geographic region;

generating an encryption key using the location identity attribute and the shape parameter as inputs;

encrypting the digital information using the encryption key; and

sending the shape parameter and the encrypted digital information to a recipient;

wherein the encrypted digital information can only be decrypted by the recipient device being located within the specific geographic region and having access to the shape parameter.

21. The information processing device of claim 20, wherein the deriving function further comprises a mapping function f(x) according to the following equation:

f(x)=Δ

*int(x/Δ

)

wherein x is a corresponding latitude or longitude of the location value, Δ

is a length of a side between bounding latitudes or longitudes, and mt is a function that returns an integral part of x/Δ

.

22. The information processing device of claim 20, wherein the proximity value defines a bounded rectangular area.

23. The information processing device of claim 20, wherein the proximity value defines a circular bounded area.

24. The information processing device of claim 20, wherein the encryption key generating function further comprises generating an initial key using the location value and the shape parameter as inputs.

25. The information processing device of claim 24, wherein the encryption key generating function further comprises transforming the initial key to yield the encryption key.

26. The information processing device of claim 20, wherein the proximity value defines at least one of a rectangular region, a polygonal region, a circular region, and an elliptical region.

27. The information processing device of claim 20, wherein the specific geographic region comprises at least one of a postal zip code, a state, a city, a county, a telephone area code, and a country.

28. The information processing device of claim 20, wherein the retrieving function further comprises retrieving a temporal value.

29. The information processing device of claim 20, wherein the location value further defines latitude and longitude measurements for the specific geographic region.

30. The information processing device of claim 20, wherein the processor further performs the function of appending the shape parameter to the encrypted digital information.

31. The information processing device of claim 20, wherein the processor further performs the function of storing the encrypted digital information on a suitable storage medium.

32. An information processing device, comprising:

a processor having suitable memory adapted to store software instructions operable to cause the processor to perform the functions of;

receiving digital information that has been encrypted using an encryption key that was generated using a location identity attribute and a shape parameter as inputs, the location identity attribute identifying a specific geographic region, the location identity attribute comprising a location value that identifies a unique location within the geographic region and a proximity value that identifies an area that encompasses the unique location, the shape parameter mapping all coordinates within the specific geographic region into a common value without identifying a location of the specific geographic region;

receiving the shape parameter;

determining a current location of the information processing device;

generating a decryption key using the current location and the shape parameter as inputs, wherein the decryption key will match the encryption key if the current location is within the specific geographic region; and

decrypting the digital information using the decryption key, wherein the digital information can only be decrypted if the decryption key matches the encryption key.

33. The information processing device of claim 32, wherein the location value further defines latitude and longitude measurements for the specific geographic location.

34. The information processing device of claim 32, wherein the location value further defines an altitude measurement for the specific geographic location.

35. The information processing device of claim 32, wherein the location determining function further comprises resolving the location from a street address for the information processing device.

36. The information processing device of claim 32, wherein the location determining function further comprises retrieving the location from a file stored within the memory of the information processing device.

37. The information processing device of claim 32, further comprising a GPS receiver, and wherein the location determining function further comprises recovering the location from the GPS receiver.

38. The information processing device of claim 32, wherein the location determining function further comprises recovering the location by triangulating RE signals received by the information processing device.

39. The information processing device of claim 32, wherein the processor further performs the function of allowing access to the digital information by a software application executed by the processor only at the specific geographic location.

40. The information processing device of claim 32, wherein the processor further performs the function of allowing retrieval of the digital information from the memory only at the specific geographic location.

41. The information processing device of claim 32, further comprising a visual display monitor operatively coupled to the processor, and wherein the processor further performs the function of allowing visual display of the digital information on the visual display monitor only at the specific geographic location.