Location proofs

• US 8,531,334 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wolman, Alastair, Saroiu, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C
• Application Number:
  US12/613,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20110109508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 342/386
• US Class Current: 342/386
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/23 Testing, monitoring, correcting or calibrating of receiver elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/396 Determining accuracy or reliability of position or pseudorange measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/104 Location integrity, e.g. secure geotagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/42 using virtual identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent

Abstract

A wireless computing device includes an antenna that is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals. The wireless computing device comprises a transmitter component that causes a first wireless signal to be transmitted to a wireless access point via the antenna, wherein the first wireless signal comprises a request for a location proof, wherein the request for the location proof comprises data that identifies the wireless computing device, and wherein the location proof comprises data that is indicative of a geographic location of the wireless access point. The system also includes a receiver component that receives, via the antenna, a second wireless signal from the wireless access point, wherein the second wireless signal is received by the receiver component subsequent to the transmitter component causing the first wireless signal to be transmitted to the wireless access point.

Claims

1. A method executable on a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

transmitting, via an antenna, a first wireless signal to a wireless access point, wherein the first wireless signal comprises a request for a location proof from the wireless access point, the request for the location proof comprising data that identifies the mobile computing device, wherein the location proof comprises an indication of location of the wireless access point and the data that identifies the mobile computing device;

receiving, via the antenna, a second wireless signal from the access point subsequent to transmitting the first wireless signal, wherein the second wireless signal comprises the location proof;

responsive to receiving the second wireless signal from the access point, appending a signature to the location proof that identifies the mobile computing device; and

subsequent to appending the signature to the location proof, providing a data packet that comprises the location proof and the signature to an application executing on a processor, wherein the application executing on the processor validates the location proof based at least in part upon the data that identifies the mobile computing device in the location proof, and wherein the application executing on the processor is a location-based application that performs a computing task based at least in part upon the indication of location in the location proof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor resides on the mobile computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequent to receiving the second wireless signal, transmitting, via the antenna, a third wireless signal to a computing device that comprises the processor, wherein the third wireless signal comprises the data packet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of location comprises geographic coordinates of the wireless access point.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the location proof comprises a signature that identifies the wireless access point or an operator of the wireless access point.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to transmitting the first signal, receiving, via the antenna, a beacon signal from the wireless access point, wherein the beacon signal comprises data that indicates that the wireless access point is capable of generating the location proof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point is one of a Wi-Fi access point or a cellular telephone tower.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the location proof further comprises a timestamp that is indicative of a time that the wireless access point transmitted the location proof to the mobile computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the location proof further comprises data that is indicative of an identity of the wireless access point.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data comprises a public key.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device is one of a portable multimedia device, a portable telephone, or a laptop computer.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to transmitting the first wireless signal, receiving an indication from a user of the mobile computing device that the user wishes to obtain the location proof.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the data packet comprises a plurality of location proofs generated by the wireless access point at different respective points in time.

13. A wireless computing device that includes an antenna configured to transmit and receive wireless signals, the wireless computing device comprising:

a transmitter component that causes a first wireless signal to be transmitted to a wireless access point via the antenna, wherein the first wireless signal comprises a request for a location proof, wherein the request for the location proof comprises data that identifies the wireless computing device, and wherein the location proof comprises data that is indicative of a geographic location of the wireless access point and the data that identifies the wireless computing device;

a receiver component that receives, via the antenna, a second wireless signal from the wireless access point, the second wireless signal comprising the location proof, wherein the second wireless signal is received by the receiver component subsequent to the transmitter component causing the first wireless signal to be transmitted to the wireless access point;

a signature generator component that generates a signature for the wireless computing device and appends the signature to the location proof received in the second wireless signal, the signature identifying the wireless computing device, wherein the transmitter component provides a data packet to a location-based application executing on a processor that performs a computing task based at least in part upon the data that is indicative of the geographic location of the wireless access point, wherein prior to executing the computing task, the application executing on the processor validates the location proof based at least in part upon the data that identifies the wireless computing device in the location proof.

14. The wireless computing device of claim 13 being one of a laptop computer, a portable multimedia player, or a portable telephone.

15. The wireless computing device of claim 13, wherein the transmitter component is configured to transmit a third wireless signal to a computing device that comprises the processor executing the location-based application, wherein the third wireless signal comprises the data packet.

16. The wireless computing device of claim 13, wherein the location proof comprises latitude/longitude coordinates that pertain to the wireless access point.

17. The wireless computing device of claim 13, wherein the receiver component receives a beacon signal transmitted by the wireless access point prior to the receiver component transmitting the first wireless signal, wherein the beacon signal comprises data that indicates that the wireless access point is capable of transmitting the location proof.

18. The wireless computing device of claim 13, wherein the location proof comprises a first public key that is indicative of an identity of the wireless access point, and wherein the data that identifies the wireless computing device is a second public key.

19. A computer-readable medium in a wireless computing device comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

receiving, via a wireless antenna, a beacon signal transmitted by a wireless access point, wherein the beacon signal indicates that the wireless access point is capable of transmitting a location proof to the wireless computing device, wherein the location proof is a data packet that comprises information indicative of a geographic location of the wireless access point;

responsive to receiving the beacon signal, transmitting, via the wireless antenna, a first wireless signal to the wireless access point, wherein the first wireless signal comprises a request for the location proof, wherein the request for the location proof comprises data that identifies a user of the wireless computing device;

receiving, via the antenna, a second wireless signal from the wireless access point, wherein the second wireless signal comprises the location proof, wherein the location proof comprises data that identifies the wireless access point, the data that identifies the user of the wireless computing device, and a timestamp;

subsequent to receiving the second wireless signal from the wireless access point, appending a signature to the location proof, wherein the signature identifies the user of the wireless computing device; and

transmitting, via the antenna, the location proof with the signature appended thereto to a computing device that is executing an application that utilizes the location proof as an input, wherein the application validates the location proof based at least in part upon the signature and the data that identifies the user of the wireless computing device in the location proof.