Method and system for restricting the use of position determining devices to defined regions

• US 8,032,300 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Nadkarni, Vivek Bhalchandra
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby; Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US11/362,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20070005244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,045 Days
• Field of Search: 701207-214, 701/21, 701/300, 701/301, 340/989, 340/992, 340/993, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.08, 342/457, 4554561-4566
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]

Abstract

In a position determining system that includes a position determining component such as a GPS receiver, and a controller, the system is made geographically dependent by providing a memory with geographic information to which position information from the position determining component is compared to determine whether the system is being used outside the permissible geographic region.

Claims

1. A position determining system comprising

a position determining component for receiving satellite based positional information,

a memory for storing geographic information,

a comparator for comparing information from the position determining component to geographic information from the memory,

a receiver for receiving correction data,

correction means for improving the accuracy of the satellite based positional information using the correction data,

a data I/O, and

a controller for controlling the functionality of the position determining component or controlling the data flow to the data I/O or controlling subsequent processing of the satellite based positional information, or including an offset distance into subsequent processing of the satellite based positional information, depending on the output of the comparator, and wherein the controller controls the receiver or the correction means to prevent the calculation of enhanced positional information from the correction data or prevents such enhanced positional information from being made available to the data I/O.

2. A system of claim 1, wherein the position determining component includes a GPS receiver.

3. A system of claim 1, wherein the position determining component includes a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based receiver.

4. A system of claim 1, further comprising a wire-based or wireless user interface connected to the data I/O for receiving positional information over a communications line or wirelessly.

5. A position determining system, comprising

a position determining component for receiving satellite based positional information,

a memory for storing geographic information,

a comparator for comparing information from the position determining component to geographic information from the memory,

a data I/O,

a communications component for communicating with a remote device and further configured for receiving correction data,

correction means for improving the accuracy of the satellite based positional information using the correction data to provide enhanced positional information, and

a controller for controlling the functionality of the position determining component or of the wireless receiver or controlling the data flow to the data I/O or controlling subsequent processing of the satellite based positional information, or including an offset distance into subsequent processing of the satellite based positional information, depending on the output of the comparator, and wherein controlling the functionality further includes preventing improving the positional information using the correction data or preventing the improved positional information from being made available to the user interface or to the wireless communications component.

6. A system of claim 5, wherein the communications component is configured to transmit positional information to a remote device.

7. A system of claim 5, wherein the communications component is configured to transmit enhanced positional information.

8. A system of claim 6, further comprising a wire-based or wireless user interface connected to the data I/O for receiving positional information over a communications line or wirelessly.

9. A system of claim 5, wherein the position determining component includes a GPS receiver.

10. A system of claim 5, wherein the position determining component includes a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based receiver.

11. A method of controlling the importation of grey market position determining systems that include a position determining component, a controller, a user interface, and a memory, the method comprising

storing geographic location parameters in the memory,

comparing positional information from the position determining component to the geographic location parameters to determine whether the system is located within the confines of the geographic location parameters,

sending an alarm signal to the user interface if the system is determined to be located outside the geographic location parameters, and

deactivating or modifying at least part of the system if the system is determined to be located outside the geographic location parameters.