System and process for limiting distribution of information on a communication network based on geographic location

• US 8,352,601 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nagravision SA (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Inventors: Piccionelli, Gregory A., Rittmaster, Ted R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BILGRAMI, ASGHAR H
• Application Number:
  US12/807,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/45 using multiple identity modules
• 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 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A communications system includes a plurality of recipient processors located at geographically remote locations with respect to each other and connected for communication with an information provider processor, over the communications network. The provider and recipient processors may comprise respective computers coupled for communication on the Internet or WWW. The provider processor is capable of providing information from any suitable source, by communicating such information over a communication network. However, access to the information by the recipient processors is controlled, based geographic location or region of the recipient processors and time information and, for some systems, a set of rules relating to a further condition.

Claims

1. A method for communication information between processors coupled to a communications network, dependent on geographic location of one of the processors, the method comprising:

receiving a request for access to selected information from a first processor at a second processor;

receiving location data corresponding to the geographic location of the first processor;

receiving time information associated with the time at which the location data is generated;

determining, from the location data and the time information, whether the geographic location of the first processor is within one or more first and second predefined regions; and

controlling access to information by the first processor by applying a set of rules such that in an event that the geographic location of the first processor is determined to be within a first predefined region and the time information is within a preselected period of time at which the location data is received by the second processor, the first processor is provided with access to selected information only if a further predefined condition is met, and in the event that the first processor is determined to be within a second region and the time information is within the preselected period of time at which the location data is received by the second processor, the first processor is provided access to the selected information without requiring the further condition to be met.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the processors each comprise a computer coupled for communication over the Internet and the communications network comprises the Internet and wherein said step of receiving the location data comprises receiving location information over the Internet from the first processor computer by a second processor computer.

3. A method for communicating information between first and second computers coupled to a communications network dependent on geographic location of the first computer, wherein the first computer is associated with a positioning system for providing location data corresponding to the geographic location of the first computer, the method comprising:

receiving, at the second computer, a request from the first computer for a product or service that can be provided over the network;

determining whether or not the requested product or service has predefined geographic restrictions or limitations;

providing the first computer over the network the requested product or service in the event that the requested product or service does not have predefined geographic restrictions or limitations;

providing to the first computer over the network a location request for geographic location information in the event that the requested product or service has predefined geographic restrictions or limitations;

receiving, at the second computer, the geographic location information corresponding to a location of the first computer and time information associated with a time at which the geographic location information was generated;

providing to the first computer the requested product or service in an event that the geographic location data lies within a predefined geographic region and the time information is within a preselected period of time at which the geographic location data is received by the second computer; and

denying access to the requested product or service in the event that the geographic location data lies outside of the predefined geographic region or is not within the preselected period of time at which the geographic location data is received by the second computer.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein said positioning system comprises a satellite signal receiving and processing system.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein, in the event that the geographic location of the first computer is determined to be within a predefined region, the method further comprises:

communicating to the first computer a request for further information; and

providing the first computer with access to the first product or service in the event that the further information is received from the recipient processor, and denying the first computer access to the requested product or service in the event that the further information is not received from the first computer.

6. A method for communication information between processors coupled to a communications network, dependent on geographic location of one of the processors, the method comprising:

receiving a request for access to selected information from a first processor at a second processor;

receiving at the second processor location data corresponding to the geographic location of the first processor;

receiving at the second processor time information associated with a time at which the location data is generated;

determining whether the time information is within a preselected time period before a time the second processor receives the request from the first processor;

determining from the location data, whether the geographic location of the first processor is within predefined regions; and

controlling the access to information by the first processor by applying a set of rules such that in an event that the time information is within the preselected time period before the time the second processor received the request from the first processor and that the geographic location of the first processor is determined to be within a first predefined region, the first processor is provided with access to the selected information, and in the event that the time information is not within the preselected period before the time the second processor received the request from the first processor or the first processor is determined to be within a second predetermined region, the first processor is denied access to the selected information.