Providing a geographic location of a device while maintaining geographic location anonymity of access points

• US 8,315,649 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: McClendon, Brian, Chen, Tsuwei, Kirmse, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Karikari, Kwasi
• Application Number:
  US13/429,276
• Time in Patent Office: 242 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/411, 455/456.1, 455/457, 455/435.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing geographic location of device are provided. Method includes receiving query for location of device. Query includes indicia of one or more access points. Method includes determining whether query includes indicia of only single access point or multiple access points. Method includes, if query includes indicia of only single access point, facilitating providing low resolution version of location of device. Low resolution version of location of device is not determined based on indicia of access points. Method includes, if query includes indicia of multiple access points, determining whether distance between locations of two of multiple access points exceeds distance threshold, and if distance between locations exceeds distance threshold, facilitating providing low resolution version of location of device, or if the distance between locations does not exceed distance threshold, providing high resolution version of location of device determined based on the indicia of multiple access points.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing a geographic location of a device while maintaining geographic location anonymity of access points, the method comprising:

receiving, from the device, a query for the geographic location of the device, wherein the query comprises indicia of one or more access points accessible to the device;

determining whether the query comprises indicia of only a single access point or multiple access points;

if the query comprises indicia of only a single access point, providing for a low resolution version of the geographic location of the device, wherein the low resolution version of the geographic location of the device is not determined based on the indicia of the single access point; and

if the query comprises indicia of multiple access points;

determining whether a distance between stored geographic locations of two of the multiple access points exceeds a distance threshold, and

if the distance between the stored geographic locations exceeds the distance threshold, facilitating providing for the low resolution version of the geographic location of the device, wherein the low resolution version of the geographic location of the device is not determined based on the indicia of the multiple access points, and

if the distance between the stored geographic locations does not exceed the distance threshold, providing for a high resolution version of the geographic location of the device, wherein the high resolution version of the geographic location of the device is determined based on the indicia of the multiple access points.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the low resolution version of the geographic location of the device is based on a cellular signal accessible to the device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the low resolution version of the geographic location of the device is based on an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the high resolution version of the geographic location of the device is determined based on a geographic location corresponding to one of the multiple access points.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the high resolution version of the geographic location of the device is based on triangulation of signals from three or more access points, and wherein the query comprises indicia of the three or more access points.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more access points accessible to the device comprise one or more of:

a wireless local area network access point or a wired local area network access point.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the wireless local area network access point comprises a WiFi access point.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicia of the one or more access points comprise at least one media access control (MAC) address of at least one of the one or more access points.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored geographic locations are stored in a database.

10. A computer-readable medium for providing a geographic location of a device while maintaining geographic location anonymity of access points, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive, from the device, a query for the geographic location of the device, wherein the query comprises indicia of one or more access points and an Internet Protocol (IP) address;

determine whether the query comprises indicia of only a single access point or multiple access points; and

if the query comprises indicia of only a single access point, provide for a low resolution version of the geographic location of the device, wherein the low resolution version of the geographic location of the device is determined based on one or more of the Internet Protocol (IP) address, a cellular signal, a reading from a magnetometer, or a reading from a camera; and

if the query comprises indicia of multiple access points;

determine whether a distance between stored geographic locations of two of the multiple access points exceeds a distance threshold, and

if the distance between the stored geographic locations exceeds the distance threshold, provide for the low resolution version of the geographic location of the device, wherein the low resolution version of the geographic location of the device is determined based on one or more of the Internet Protocol (IP) address, the cellular signal, the reading from the magnetometer, or the reading from the camera, and

if the distance between the stored geographic locations does not exceed the distance threshold, provide for a high resolution version of the geographic location of the device, wherein the high resolution version of the geographic location of the device is determined based on the indicia of the multiple access points.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more access points are accessible to the device.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the Internet Protocol (IP) address comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the device.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the indicia of the one or more access points comprise at least one media access control (MAC) address of at least one of the one or more access points.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the high resolution version of the geographic location of the device is based on triangulation of signals from three or more access points, and wherein the query comprises indicia of the three or more access points.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more access points comprises a WiFi access point.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the stored geographic locations are stored in a database.

17. A system for providing a geographic location of a device while maintaining geographic location anonymity of access points, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive, from the device, a query for the geographic location of the device, wherein the query comprises one or more media access control (MAC) address corresponding to one or more access points accessible to the device,

determine whether the query comprises only a single media access control (MAC) address or multiple media access control (MAC) addresses, and

if the query comprises only a single media access control (MAC) address, facilitate providing for a low resolution version of the geographic location of the device, wherein the low resolution version of the geographic location of the device is not determined based on the single media access control (MAC) address, and

if the query comprises multiple media access control (MAC) addresses;

determine whether a distance between stored geographic locations corresponding to two of the media access control (MAC) addresses exceeds a distance threshold, and

if the distance between the stored geographic locations exceeds the distance threshold, facilitate providing for the low resolution version of the geographic location of the device, wherein the low resolution version of the geographic location of the device is not determined based on the multiple media access control (MAC) addresses, or

if the distance between the stored geographic locations does not exceed the distance threshold, provide for a high resolution version of the geographic location of the device, wherein the high resolution version of the geographic location of the device is determined based on at least one of the multiple media access control (MAC) addresses.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the low resolution version of the geographic location of the device is based on a cellular signal accessible to the device.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the low resolution version of the geographic location of the device is based on an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the device.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the high resolution version of the geographic location of the device is determined based on a geographic location corresponding to the at least one of the multiple media access control (MAC) addresses.