Anonymous location service for wireless networks

• US 7,418,503 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2006
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Moton, Jr., Robert T., Enzmann, Mark J., Zellner, Samuel N.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US11/375,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/238, 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• 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: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6009 Personal information, e.g. profiles or personal directories being only provided to authorised persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

An anonymous location wireless network service for use in a wireless network that tracks the location and identity of network users, such as networks complying with enhanced 911 standards. The service provides content providers with the location of network users without revealing their identities. The service includes a wireless network having a proxy server, a network communication link to a plurality of web sites, and a wireless communication link to a plurality of handheld devices. The proxy server blocks identity by reading the location and identity information of network devices, generating dummy identifications, relating the dummy identifications to the identity information, storing the relationships in a memory storage, and forwarding the location information and dummy identifications to the global computer network. Upon receiving return messages from the global computer network, the proxy server reads the dummy identifications, looks up the related identity information in the memory storage, and forwards the data to the appropriate network devices.

Claims

1. A method for providing an anonymous location service for use in a wireless network that tracks the geographical location and identity of a wireless network user, the method comprising:

associating a fictitious identification with identity information of the wireless network user into a relationship;

storing the relationship in memory;

receiving geographical information of the wireless network user;

providing the fictitious identification in place of the identity of the wireless network user;

providing the geographical information and the fictitious identification of the wireless network user to a web site through the global computer network

receiving a message from the web site through a global computer network, wherein the message includes the fictitious identification;

locating the fictitious identification in the memory;

using the relationship to determine the identity of the wireless network user; and

providing the message to the wireless network user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity and the geographical information of the network user are received when the network user accesses the global computer network through the wireless network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity and the geographical location information of the network user are received when the network user places a wireless telephone call.

4. A method for providing an anonymous location service for use in a wireless network that tracks the geographical location and identity of a wireless network user, the method comprising:

receiving geographical information relating to the wireless network user;

substituting a fictitious identification for the identity of the wireless network user; and

in response to a message received from a web site requesting communication with wireless users in a particular geographical location, forwarding the geographical information and the fictitious identification of wireless network users in the particular geographic location to the web site through a global computer network only if the geographical information bears a predetermined relation to the particular geographical location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the fictitious identification is the geographical information of the wireless network device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the geographical information is initiated when the network user accesses the global computer network through the wireless network.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the geographical information is initiated when the network user initiates a wireless telephone call.

8. A method for providing an anonymous location service for use in a wireless network that tracks the geographical location and identity of wireless network users, the method comprising:

receiving geographical information and an identity of a network user operating in the wireless network;

providing the geographical information and the identity to a first web site, the first web site receiving content;

receiving a request for content from the first web site including the geographical information and the identity of the network user;

generating a fictitious identification and substituting the fictitious identification for the identity of the network user;

recording an association between the fictitious identification and the identity of the network user;

forwarding to a second web site a modified request for content including the geographical location and the fictitious identification of the network user;

receiving from the second web site content that references the fictitious identification of the network user;

determining the identity of the network user using the fictitious identification and the recorded association;

replacing the fictitious identification referenced in the content with the identity of the network user; and

forwarding the content including the geographical information and the identity of the network user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

forwarding the content comprises forwarding the content to the first web site; and

further comprising;

receiving a web page from the first web site including the content; and

forwarding the web page to the network user.

10. A system for providing an anonymous location service for use in a wireless network that tracks geographical information and identities of wireless network users, the system comprising:

a proxy server having memory storage and an interface operative to access a plurality of web sites; and

wherein the proxy server receives the geographical information of the network users from a geographical location system in communication with the proxy server, receives the identities of the network users from a plurality of network users, translates the identities of the network users into fictitious identifications, and forwards the geographical information of the network users and the fictitious identifications to at least one of the plurality of web sites.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory storage is a database separate from the proxy server.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the proxy server receives the geographical information of the users from a geographical location system comprising a wireless protocol geographical location service provisioned in the wireless network.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the proxy server stores relationships between the identities and the fictitious identifications in the memory storage.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the proxy server receives messages from the plurality of web sites, wherein the messages reference the fictitious identifications, wherein the proxy server consults the relationships in the memory storage and uses the fictitious identifications to locate corresponding identities of network users, and wherein the proxy server forwards the messages to the corresponding identities.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the proxy server reads the geographical information of the network users and forwards the geographical information and the fictitious identifications to the plurality of web sites only if the geographical information bears a predetermined relation to a specific geographical location requested by at least one web site.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the proxy server comprises:

a mobile gateway for communicating with at least one web site, and a privacy agent associated with the mobile gateway to determine if the network user wants to block its identity and, if so, to translate the identity of the network user into a fictitious identification;

the mobile gateway receives the geographical location of the network user from a geographical location system, receives the identity of the network user from the network users, and forwards the geographical location of the network user to a computer network; and

the privacy agent stores a relationship between the network user identity and the fictitious identity, and sends a response from the computer network to the network user related to the fictitious address.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a location agent that determines the geographical locations of the network devices and a geographical location monitor in communication with the location agent, and wherein the geographical location monitor determines whether the geographical locations of the network devices bear a predetermined relation to a specific geographical location requested by at least one computer network.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the computer network comprises web sites, the geographical location monitor determines whether the geographical locations of the network devices bear a predetermined relation to a specific geographical location requested by at least one web site, and the mobile gateway receives a response message from the web site addressed to the fictitious address and sends that response to the wireless device related to the fictitious address.

19. A proxy server for providing an anonymous location service for use in a wireless network that tracks geographical locations and identities of plural wireless users over a wireless communication link, the proxy server comprising a memory storage and operating to:

receive as part of data messages, the geographical locations and the identities of the plurality of wireless users;

generate fictitious identifications and substitute the fictitious identifications for the identities;

record the fictitious identifications and their associated identities in the memory storage; and

forward the data messages with the geographical locations and fictitious identifications to at least one web site via the global computer network.

20. The proxy server of claim 19, wherein:

the proxy server receives return data messages from web sites;

the proxy server reads the fictitious identifications and consults the memory storage to determine identities of the wireless users that correspond to the fictitious identifications; and

the proxy server replaces the fictitious identifications with the identities of the wireless users and forwards the return data message to the corresponding wireless user.