Secured communication via location awareness

• US 8,818,344 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Criddle, Linda, Milstein, David, Chu, Lon-Chan, Wang, Kuansan, Malueg, Michael D, Forbes, Scott C
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): OH, ANDREW CHUNG SUK
• Application Number:
  US11/599,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20080112551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,842 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/415
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42034 Calling party identification service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/40 Security arrangements using 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A method and system for collecting and verifying the location information of a calling party and a device of the calling party is provided. More specifically, a method and system is provided for determining whether the identity of the calling party can be confirmed, via evaluating location information, with an acceptable degree of certainty. The location information may be provided by the calling party or obtained from various sources over a digital communication channel. Some of the provided location information which can be accidentally or intentionally altered is identified and evaluated to determine its accuracy as part of the verification process of the caller'"'"'s identity.

Claims

1. A method for collecting information about a location of a calling device to verify a calling party in response to a call connection request for establishing a digital communication channel, comprising:

during a connection set-up phase to establish a digital communication channel with the calling device that is used to exchange contextual information and voice information that occurs before establishing the digital communication channel for voice communication, performing operations comprising;

receiving a call connection request from a calling device to establish the digital communication channel;

receiving contextual information comprising a first set of location information from the calling device;

obtaining a second set of location information that is necessary for verifying the first set of location information;

evaluating the first set of location information by comparing it with the second set of location information in order to authenticate an identity of the calling party, wherein if the identity of the calling party is not authenticated within a satisfactory degree of certainty, rejecting the call connection request to establish the digital communication channel;

presenting information including location information on a display that is used by a callee for accepting/rejecting a call from the caller;

wherein the contextual information is exchanged during the connection set-up phase of the digital communication channel;

after receiving the call connection request, requesting call connection routing information in addition to the first set of location information from the calling party comprising;

a router IP address, connection points between the calling device and a service provider, a device unique identifier, and IP trace-back information; and

establishing the digital communication with the caller for the voice communication when determined.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating includes transmitting a request for more information relating to a location from the calling party.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a response to the request from the calling party and verifying the response.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of location information is location information voluntarily reported by the calling party.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of information is basic location information automatically collected by the calling device at the time of the call connection request for establishing a digital communication channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of location information is authenticated location information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of location information is securely encrypted.

8. A computer-readable storage medium not including signals having computer executable instructions encoded thereon for confirming a caller'"'"'s identity via location information exchanged over a digital voice conversation when executed, comprising:

during a connection set-up phase to establish a call with the caller that occurs before establishing the digital voice conversation receiving identity information from a caller as part of a digital voice conversation;

receiving a call connection request from the caller to establish the digital voice conversation;

identifying location information necessary to verify the identity information and requesting the identified location information from the caller;

after obtaining the identified location information from the caller over the digital voice conversation, confirming the identity information by verifying the identified location information obtained from the caller, wherein if the identity of the calling party is not confirmed within a satisfactory degree of certainty, rejecting the call connection request to establish the digital communication channel;

presenting information including location information on a display for accepting/rejecting a call from the caller;

after receiving the call connection request, requesting call connection routing information in addition to the location information from the caller comprising one or more of;

a router IP address, connection points between the caller and a service provider, a device unique identifier, and IP trace-back information; and

establishing the digital voice conversation with the caller.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising obtaining additional information for verifying the identified location information obtained from the caller and wherein the additional information is trusted.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the identity information is confirmed if the identified location information obtained from the caller corresponds to the additional information.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein a unique identification of a calling device is used to determine if the identified location information obtained from the caller corresponds to the additional information.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein geographic location information of a calling device is used to determine if the identified location information obtained from the caller corresponds to the additional information.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein network path information of a calling device is used to determine if the identified location information obtained from the caller corresponds to the additional information.

14. A method for collecting information about a location of a calling device to verify a calling party in response to a call connection request for establishing a digital communication channel, comprising:

during a connection set-up phase to establish a digital communication channel with the calling device that is used to exchange contextual information and voice information that occurs before establishing the digital communication channel for voice communication, performing operations comprising;

receiving a call connection request from a calling device to establish the digital communication channel;

receiving contextual information comprising a first set of location information from the calling device;

obtaining a second set of location information that is necessary for verifying the first set of location information;

evaluating the first set of location information by comparing it with the second set of location information in order to authenticate an identity of the calling party, wherein;

when the identity of the calling party is not authenticated within a satisfactory degree of certainty, rejecting the call connection request to establish the digital communication channel; and

if the identity of the calling party is authenticated within a satisfactory degree of certainty, accepting the call connection request for establishing a digital communication channel;

presenting information including location information on a display that is used by a callee for accepting/rejecting a call from the caller;

wherein the contextual information is exchanged during the connection set-up phase of the digital communication channel;

after receiving the call connection request, requesting call connection routing information in addition to the first set of location information from the calling party comprising;

a router IP address, connection points between the calling device and a service provider, a device unique identifier, and IP trace-back information; and

establishing the digital communication with the caller for the voice communication when determined.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein after accepting the call connection request for establishing a digital communication channel, the calling party is periodically authenticated.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein evaluating includes transmitting a request for more information relating to a location from the calling party.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a response to the request from the calling party and verifying the response.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the first set of location information is location information voluntarily reported by the calling party.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the first set of information is basic location information automatically collected by the calling device at the time of the call connection request for establishing a digital communication channel.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the second set of location information is authenticated location information.