Location constraints for template access and form activities

• US 8,904,539 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2013
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Barrus, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reza, Mohammad W
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAHIM, MONJUR
• Application Number:
  US13/789,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20140259106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 726/3, 726/24
• US Class Current: 726/24
• 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: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

A system and method for limiting access to one or more forms based on a location constraint is described. A form access module retrieves one or more forms on a portable computing device, determines a location of the portable computing device, determines whether the location of the portable computing device is within a region where form access is granted, granting access to the one or more forms responsive to the location of the portable computing device being within the region, receiving strokes from a first user in at least one field on the one or more forms and storing the one or more forms and the strokes received on the one or more forms.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

retrieving one or more forms having a location constraint on a portable computing device;

determining a location of the portable computing device;

determining whether the location of the portable computing device is within a region where form access is granted to a first user;

responsive to determining that the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted to the first user, granting access to the one or more forms and adding a location stamp to the one or more forms, the location stamp confirming that the location constraint associated with the one or more forms is satisfied by the location of the portable computing device; and

receiving handwriting strokes from the first user in at least one field on the one or more forms.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a failure to determine that the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted to the first user, denying access to the one or more forms.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to a failure to determine that the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted to the first user, rejecting strokes received from the first user in at least one field on the one or more forms.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to a failure to determine that the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted to the first user, denying submission of the one or more forms and the strokes received on the one or more forms.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to a failure to determine that the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted to the first user, providing a notification indicating a wrong location and a geographical map indicating a correct location to reach for form access by the first user.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising submitting the one or more forms for processing.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted comprises determining whether the location detected for the portable computing device is less than a radial distance from a center of a constrained location as specified by the location constraint in a location constraint metadata associated with the one or more forms.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted comprises determining whether the location detected for the portable computing device is within a polygon traced by a closed chain of geographical coordinates as specified in a location constraint metadata associated with the one or more forms.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving annotations from a second user for the location constraint on a geographical map;

adding the location constraint to the one or more forms;

adding the location constraint to the at least one field in the one or more forms; and

storing the location constraint as a metadata associated with the one or more forms.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a failure to determine that the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted to the first user, periodically checking whether the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted to the first user and, if so, providing access to the form.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein access is revoked if the portable computing device moves outside of the region where form access is granted to the first user.

12. A system comprising:

a processor;

a form access engine stored on the memory and executable by the processor, the form access engine coupled to the location detection module and configured to retrieve one or more forms on a portable computing device, to determine whether a location of the portable computing device is within a region where form access is granted to a first user, and responsive to determining that the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted to the first user, to grant access to the one or more forms and to add a location stamp to the one or more forms, the location stamp confirming that the location constraint associated with the one or more forms is satisfied by the location of the portable computing device;

a location detection module stored on a memory and executable by the processor, the location detection module configured to determine the location of the portable computing device; and

a stroke module stored on the memory and executable by the processor, the stroke module coupled to the form access engine and configured to receive handwriting strokes from the first user in at least one field on the one or more forms.

13. The system of claim 12,

wherein the form access engine responsive to a failure in determining that the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted to the first user, is configured to deny access to the one or more forms.

14. The system of claim 12,

wherein the form access engine responsive to a failure in determining that the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted to the first user, is configured to reject strokes received from the first user in at least one field on the one or more forms.

15. The system of claim 12,

wherein the form access engine responsive to a failure in determining that the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted to the first user, is configured to deny submission of the one or more forms and the strokes received on the one or more forms.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a user interface engine stored on the memory and executable by the processor, the user interface engine coupled to the form access engine and configured to provide a notification indicating a wrong location and a geographical map indicating a correct location to reach for form access by the first user responsive to a failure in determining that the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted to the first user.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the stroke module is further configured to submit the one or more forms for processing.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the form access engine determines whether the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted by determining whether the location detected for the portable computing device is less than a radial distance from a center of a constrained location as specified by the location constraint in a location constraint metadata associated with the one or more forms.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the form access engine determines whether the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted by determining whether the location detected for the portable computing device is within a polygon traced by a closed chain of geographical coordinates as specified in a location constraint metadata associated with the one or more forms.

20. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

retrieve one or more forms having a location constraint on a portable computing device;

determine a location of the portable computing device;

determine whether the location of the portable computing device is within a region where form access is granted to a user;

responsive to determining that the location of the portable computing device is within the region where form access is granted to the user, grant access to the one or more forms and add a location stamp to the one or more forms, the location stamp confirming that the location constraint associated with the one or more forms is satisfied by the location of the portable computing device; and

receive handwriting strokes from the user in at least one field on the one or more forms.