Geolocation mapping of network devices
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of determining at a coordination server a geographic location of a network client, the method comprising:
- receiving at the coordination server a request from the network client; and
determining the geographic location of the network client, wherein the determining further comprises;
determining a region in which the network client is located;
providing the network client with a first list of a first set of landmark servers in geographic areas present within the region, each landmark server of the first set of landmark servers having a respective known geographic location;
receiving first results from a probing of the first set of landmark servers, the first results comprising a relative magnitude of communication delay between the network client and each of the landmark servers of first set of landmark servers;
determining a geographic area in which the network client is located by ranking the first results based on the relative magnitude of communication delay between the network client and each of the landmark servers of the first set of landmark servers;
providing the network client with a second list of a second set of landmark servers within the determined geographic area, each landmark server of the second set of landmark servers having a respective known geographic location;
receiving second results from a probing of the second set of landmark servers, the second results comprising a relative magnitude of communication delay between the network client and each of the landmark servers of the second set of landmark servers; and
determining a city in which the network client is located by ranking the second results based on the relative magnitude of communication delay between the network client and each of the landmark servers of the second set of landmark servers.
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Abstract
A geographic location of a network device is determined using response delay times from internet servers used as landmarks. A coordination server provides to a client a list of area landmark servers (ALS) with known geographic locations. The client probes ALSs, measures response delays, and provides results to the coordination server. The coordination server then provides to the client a list of additional city landmark servers (CLS) within the area. The client probes the CLSs and provides results to the coordination server which then determines the geographic location of the client.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of determining at a coordination server a geographic location of a network client, the method comprising:
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receiving at the coordination server a request from the network client; and determining the geographic location of the network client, wherein the determining further comprises; determining a region in which the network client is located; providing the network client with a first list of a first set of landmark servers in geographic areas present within the region, each landmark server of the first set of landmark servers having a respective known geographic location; receiving first results from a probing of the first set of landmark servers, the first results comprising a relative magnitude of communication delay between the network client and each of the landmark servers of first set of landmark servers; determining a geographic area in which the network client is located by ranking the first results based on the relative magnitude of communication delay between the network client and each of the landmark servers of the first set of landmark servers; providing the network client with a second list of a second set of landmark servers within the determined geographic area, each landmark server of the second set of landmark servers having a respective known geographic location; receiving second results from a probing of the second set of landmark servers, the second results comprising a relative magnitude of communication delay between the network client and each of the landmark servers of the second set of landmark servers; and determining a city in which the network client is located by ranking the second results based on the relative magnitude of communication delay between the network client and each of the landmark servers of the second set of landmark servers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of determining a geographic location of a network client, the method comprising:
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receiving a request from the network client at a coordination server; randomly selecting a first set of landmark servers that are located within a geographical region; randomly selecting a second set of landmark servers that are located within a subarea of the geographical region based at least on first results from a first probing of the first set of landmark servers, the first results comprising a respective communication delay indicator between the network client and a respective landmark server of the first set of landmark servers; and determining at the coordination server the geographic location of the network client based at least on second results from a second probing of the second set of landmark servers, the second results comprising a respective communication delay indicator between the network client and a respective landmark server of the second set of landmark servers and knowledge of a geographical location of at least one of the landmark servers of the second set of landmark servers. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for determining a geographic location of a client on a network, the system comprising:
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an application server connected to the network and configured to deliver a probing module to the client on the network, the probing module configured to execute on the client and interrogate two or more sets of randomly selected landmark servers and collect delay data; and a coordination server connected to the network and configured to determine a geographic area in which the client is located using at least the collected delay data received from the probing module via iteratively determining a geographical boundary based at least on the collected delay data for a respective one of the sets of randomly selected landmark servers, wherein the geographical boundary determined in a current iteration is smaller than the geographical boundary determined in a previous iteration. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification