Automatic localization of devices

• US 7,860,516 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chiloyan, John, Hodges, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): West; Lewis G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Georgewill; Opiribo
• Application Number:
  US11/566,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20080133791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 455/434, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.4
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A device is described which changes its operation dependent upon the location of the device. The device accesses parameters which are specific to its location and uses these to determine how the operation of the device should be changed.

Claims

1. A method implemented, at least in part, by a device having a processor executing instructions stored in a memory, the method comprising:

receiving, by the processor, as a result of moving the device from a first geographic region to a second geographic region, location-specific data corresponding to a location of the device in the second geographic region;

wherein the device operates in the first geographic region according to a first set of location-specific rules of operation for the first geographic region;

wherein the location-specific data provides a second set of location-specific rules of operation for operating the device in the second geographic region;

wherein the location-specific data is pushed to the device as a result of moving the device to the second geographic region, wherein the location-specific data is pushed to the device based on a location of a network or an access point in the second geographic region to which the device is connected;

changing, by the processor, one or more operating parameters of the device based on the receiving of the location-specific data for operating the device in accordance with the second set of location-specific rules, the one or more changed operating parameters of the device being related to requiring the device to make a noise on image capture;

locating the device within a smaller region located within the second geographic region;

connecting to a local network while within the smaller region, wherein the smaller region has a third set of location-specific rules of operation, different from the first set of location-specific rules of operation and the second set of location-specific rules of operation;

receiving additional data at the device via the local network as a result of connecting to the local network while within the smaller region, the additional data being received for configuring the device to operate according to the third set of location-specific rules of operation for the smaller region located within the second geographic region, wherein the additional data is pushed to the device based on the location of the device within the smaller region and automatically accepted by the device as a result of the device connecting to the local network while within the smaller region, wherein the third set of location-specific rules complies with the second set of location-specific rules, and places a compliance with local policy on the device for preventing the device from performing one or more functions;

as a result of automatically accepting the additional data pushed to the device, changing one or more of the operating parameters of the device based on the third set of location-specific rules of operation for the smaller region, wherein the second set of location-specific rules and the third set of location-specific rules are flagged to identify which of the second set of location-specific rules and third set of location-specific rules has priority over the other, and wherein the smaller region is defined by coverage of a particular wireless network as the local network, and the third set of location-specific rules are hosted locally for the particular wireless network, while the first set and second set of location-specific rules are hosted at a central repository.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the location-specific data or the additional location-specific data pushed to the device is automatically accepted by the device for changing the one or more operating parameters of the device.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the location-specific data is pushed to the device as a result of determining that stored location-specific data stored on the device for the second region is out of date.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the location-specific data or the additional location-specific data is pushed to the device as an SMS (short message service) message or an MMS (multimedia message service) message.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the device automatically reverts to location-specific data for the first geographic region as a result of connecting to a network or access point in the first region.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the location-specific data or the additional location-specific data is pushed to the device, and a user of the device is prompted to accept the location-specific data.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the device is a computer, and the changing the one or more operating parameters comprises changing a version of an operating system of the computer from a first version of the first geographic region to a second version of the second geographic region, wherein the second version provides custom backgrounds and screensavers for use in the second geographic region.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the location of the device within the second geographic region is determined by:

determining the network to which the device is connected; and

identifying the location of the device based on the location of the network within the second geographic region.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein additional location-specific data for additional geographic regions is pushed to the device upon each entry into an additional geographic region which the device has not entered before.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein data corresponding to the second set of location-specific rules is maintained by a host located within the second geographic region and pushed to the device by a service provider upon entry into the second geographic region when a determination is made that the device has out of date location-specific rules for the second geographic region.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the local policy prevents the device from capturing an image while within the smaller region.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the local policy prevents the device from providing audible alerts while within the smaller region.

13. One or more machine readable storage media containing device-executable instructions embodied thereon in machine readable form, the device-executable instructions adapted to be executed by a processor for performing a method comprising:

operating a device, by the processor, according to a first set of location-specific rules of operation based on a first location of the device, the first location being defined as within a first geographic region;

accessing location-specific data corresponding to a relocation of the device to a second geographic region, wherein the second geographic region has a second set of location-specific rules of operation, the second set of location-specific rules of operation being different than the first set of location-specific rules of operation of the first geographic region;

changing one or more operating parameters of the device based on the location-specific data;

accessing additional location-specific data as a result of entry of the device into a smaller region within the second geographic region, the smaller region being defined by coverage of a particular wireless network, and the third set of location-specific rules being hosted locally for the particular wireless network, wherein the third set of location-specific rules complies with the second set of location-specific rules, and places a compliance with local policy on the device for preventing the device from performing one or more functions; and

as a result of accepting the additional location-specific data corresponding to entry of the device into the smaller region, changing one or more of the operating parameters of the device based on the third set of location-specific rules of operation for the smaller region,

wherein the second set of location-specific rules and the third set of location-specific rules are flagged to identify which of the second set of location-specific rules and third set of location-specific rules has priority over the other, and wherein the location-specific rules relate to requiring the device to make a noise on image capture;

locating the device within a smaller region located within the second geographic region;

connecting to a local network while within the smaller region, wherein the smaller region has a third set of location-specific rules of operation, different from the first set of location-specific rules of operation and the second set of location-specific rules of operation;

receiving additional data at the device via the local network as a result of connecting to the local network while within the smaller region, the additional data being received for configuring the device to operate according to the third set of location-specific rules of operation for the smaller region located within the second geographic region, wherein the additional data is pushed to the device based on the location of the device within the smaller region and automatically accepted by the device as a result of the device connecting to the local network while within the smaller region, wherein the third set of location-specific rules complies with the second set of location-specific rules, and places a compliance with local policy on the device for preventing the device from performing one or more functions;

as a result of automatically accepting the additional data pushed to the device, changing one or more of the operating parameters of the device based on the third set of location-specific rules of operation for the smaller region, wherein the second set of location-specific rules and the third set of location-specific rules are flagged to identify which of the second set of location-specific rules and third set of location-specific rules has priority over the other, and wherein the smaller region is defined by coverage of a particular wireless network as the local network, and the third set of location-specific rules are hosted locally for the particular wireless network, while the first set and second set of location-specific rules are hosted at a central repository.

14. A device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory arranged to store executable instructions which when executed cause the processor to;

operate the device according to a first set of location-specific rules of operation based on a first location of the device, the first location being defined as within a first geographic region;

connect to a network within a second geographic region outside the first geographic region to determine a second location of the device when the device is moved from the first geographic region to the second geographic region, wherein the second geographic region has a second set of location-specific rules of operation, the second set of location-specific rules of operation being different than the first set of location-specific rules of operation of the first geographic region;

receive data at the device via the network as a result of connecting to the network while within the second geographic region, the data being received for configuring the device to operate according to the second set of location-specific rules of operation for the second geographic region, wherein the data is pushed to the device by a service provider based on the second location of the device and automatically accepted by the device as a result of the device connecting to the network while within the second geographic region; and

as a result of automatically accepting the data pushed to the device, change one or more operating parameters of the device based on the second set of location-specific rules of operation for the second geographic region, wherein the location-specific rules relate to requiring the device to make a noise on image capture;

locate the device within a smaller region located within the second geographic region;

connect to a local network while within the smaller region, wherein the smaller region has a third set of location-specific rules of operation, different from the first set of location-specific rules of operation and the second set of location-specific rules of operation;

receive additional data at the device via the local network as a result of connecting to the local network while within the smaller region, the additional data being received for configuring the device to operate according to the third set of location-specific rules of operation for the smaller region located within the second geographic region, wherein the additional data is pushed to the device based on the location of the device within the smaller region and automatically accepted by the device as a result of the device connecting to the local network while within the smaller region, wherein the third set of location-specific rules complies with the second set of location-specific rules, and places a compliance with local policy on the device for preventing the device from performing one or more functions; and

as a result of automatically accepting the additional data pushed to the device, change one or more of the operating parameters of the device based on the third set of location-specific rules of operation for the smaller region, wherein the second set of location-specific rules and the third set of location-specific rules are flagged to identify which of the second set of location-specific rules and third set of location-specific rules has priority over the other; and

wherein the smaller region is defined by coverage of a particular wireless network as the local network, and the third set of location-specific rules are hosted locally for the particular wireless network, while the first set and second set of location-specific rules are hosted at a central repository.

15. A device according to claim 14,

wherein, a local system maintains a list indicating that the additional data for the third set of location-specific rules has been pushed to the device,

wherein when the device is removed from the smaller region and entered within the smaller region again, the local system uses the list to determine whether to push the additional data to the device again.

16. A device according to claim 14, further comprising:

when the device is moved back to the first geographic region, connect to the network while within the first geographic region to determine a third location of the device;

receive new data at the device via the network as a result of connecting to the network while within the first geographic region, the new data being received for configuring the device to operate according to the first set of location-specific rules of operation for the first geographic region, wherein the new data is pushed to the device by the service provider based on the third location of the device within the first geographic region, and automatically accepted by the device as a result of the device connecting to the network while within the first geographical region; and

as a result of automatically accepting the new data pushed to the device, change the one or more operating parameters of the device based on the first set of location-specific rules of operation for the first geographic region.