User location reputation system

• US 8,255,393 B1
• Filed: 05/07/2010
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Liang, Sam, Chu, Michael, Ji, Zhengrong, Yu, Yan, Luo, Yuhua
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, BINH VAN
• Application Number:
  US12/775,856
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 707/724
• US Class Current: 707/724
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system of building a user reputation database for use in a user location data system. The method and system receive user location information containing personally identifiable data of a user and user position data. The user position data may or may not represent one or more actual geographic positions of the user. The user location information is temporarily stored and analyzed to provide a spam score associated with the user position data indicative of whether the user position data represents the actual geographic positions of the user. Data indicative of the spam score is also provided to user reputation database to store a user reputation score associated with the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of building a user reputation database for use in a user location data system, the method comprising:

receiving, at a quarantine server, user location information comprising personally identifiable data of a user and user position data, wherein the user position data may or may not represent one or more actual geographic positions of the user;

temporarily storing the user location information in a quarantine data storage database for a predetermined quarantine time;

analyzing, by the quarantine server during the predetermined quarantine time, the user location information to provide a spam score associated with the user position data indicative of whether the user position data represents the actual geographic positions of the user;

wherein the analyzing comprises analyzing the frequency of submission of user identification data of a particular user against predetermined benchmarks based on frequency of submissions of user location information from other users;

storing in the quarantine data storage database the spam score associated with the user location information;

providing data indicative of the spam score and the personally identifiable data to a user reputation database and storing a user reputation score in the user reputation database associated with the user based on the spam score; and

providing data indicative of the spam score and the user position data associated with the spam score, without the personally identifiable data, to a filtered data storage system for long term storage.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises determining if the user position data received from a user meets one or more predetermined tolerances.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the analyzing comprises determining if the user position data aligns with data indicative of a authorized path of travel.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the analyzing comprises determining if the user position data aligns with data indicative of a path of travel along a roadway.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises determining if the frequency of receipt of the user position data is within predetermined speed of travel tolerances.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined speed of travel is based on driving speed.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the user access to the user location data system based on the user reputation score of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the user reputation score of a particular user based on subsequent user location information of the particular user received by the quarantine server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises analyzing user location information of a user submitted in more than one format.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user location information includes location data sent with WiFi signals and cellular signals.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises analyzing data consistency across user location information submitted by multiple users of a common communication point.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the common communication point comprises at least one of a cell tower and a WiFi access point.

13. A system for building a user reputation database for use in a user location data system, the system for building a user reputation database comprising:

a quarantine server;

a quarantine data storage database;

a user reputation database; and

a filtered data storage system,

the quarantine server comprising a memory storing instructions and a processor to process information received by the location server from a user device of a user in accordance with the instructions,

the instructions comprising;

receiving user location information from a user device comprising personally identifiable data of a user and user position data, wherein the user position data may or may not represent one or more actual geographic positions of the user;

temporarily storing the user location information in a quarantine data storage database for a predetermined quarantine time;

analyzing during the predetermined quarantine time, the user location information to provide a spam score associated with the user position data indicative of whether the user position data represents the actual geographic positions of the user;

wherein the instructions further analyze the frequency of submission of user identification data of a particular user against predetermined benchmarks based on frequency of submissions of user location information from other users;

storing in the quarantine data storage database the spam score associated with the user location information;

providing data indicative of the spam score and the personally identifiable data to the user reputation database and storing a user reputation score in the user reputation database associated with the user based on the spam score; and

providing data indicative of the spam score and the user position data associated with the spam score, without the personally identifiable data, to the filtered data storage system for long term storage.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions for analyzing determine if the user position data received from a user meets one or more predetermined tolerances.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions for analyzing determine if the user position data aligns with data indicative of a authorized path of travel.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions for analyzing determine if the user position data aligns with data indicative of a path of travel along a roadway.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions for analyzing determine if the frequency of receipt of the user position data is within predetermined speed of travel tolerances.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the predetermined speed of travel is based on driving speed.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for allowing the user access to the user location data system based on the user reputation score of the user.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions further comprise updating the user reputation score of a particular user based on subsequent user location information of the particular user received by the location server.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions further analyzes user location information of a user submitted in more than one format.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the user location information includes location data sent with WiFi signals and cellular signals.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions further analyze data consistency across user location information submitted by multiple users of a common communication point.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the common communication point comprises at least one of a cell tower and a WiFi access point.

25. A computer-usable recording medium including a program executable on a processor, the program comprising:

computer code to enable a computer to receive user location information from a user device comprising personally identifiable data of a user and user position data, wherein the user position data may or may not represent one or more actual geographic positions of the user;

computer code to temporarily store the user location information in a quarantine data storage database for a predetermined quarantine time;

computer code to analyze during the predetermined quarantine time, the user location information to provide a spam score associated with the user position data indicative of whether the user position data represents the actual geographic positions of the user;

wherein the analyzing comprises analyzing the frequency of submission of user identification data of a particular user against predetermined benchmarks based on frequency of submissions of user location information from other users;

computer code to store in the quarantine data storage database the spam score associated with the user location information;

computer code to provide data indicative of the spam score and the personally identifiable data to the user reputation database and storing a user reputation score in the user reputation database associated with the user based on the spam score; and

computer code to provide data indicative of the spam score and the user position data associated with the spam score, without the personally identifiable data, to the filtered data storage system for long term storage and use.