Determining the physical location of a client

• US 9,069,052 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Singapore Holding Private Limited
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Hsu, Tai-Ching, Hu, Sihai, Xu, Leishi
• Primary Examiner(s): Daftuar, Saket K
• Application Number:
  US13/625,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 709/227, 709/228, 370/254, 370/255, 370/280, 370/328, 370/329, 370/330, 370/338, 370/342, 370/350, 370/400, 370/402, 455/456.1, 455/404.2, 455/67.11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/76 wherein pulse-type signals are transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Determining a physical location of a client, including: determining a network transmission time associated with a first server and a network transmission time associated with a second server; determining a set of key parameters for the first server and a set of key parameters for the second server; determining a distance between the client and the first server and a distance between the client and the second server based at least in part on inputting the network transmission time associated with the first server, the network transmission time associated with the second server, the set of key parameters for the first server, and the set of key parameters for the second server into a data processing model; and determining the physical location associated with the client using the distance between the client and the first server and the distance between the client and the second server.

Claims

1. A system for determining a physical location of a client, comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

determine a network transmission time associated with requested data being sent to the client and data sent from the client being received at a first server, and a network transmission time associated with requested data being sent to the client and data sent from the client being received at a second server;

determine a set of key parameters for the first server and a set of key parameters for the second server, wherein the set of key parameters for the first server comprises a set of one or more characteristics that describes a network congestion status of the first server and the set of one or more key parameters for the second server comprises a set of characteristics that describes a network congestion status of the second server, wherein the network congestion status of the first server affects at least a parameter measuring reception of the data sent from the client to the first server, and wherein the network congestion status of the second server affects at least a parameter measuring reception of the data sent from the client to the second server;

determine a distance between the client and the first server and a distance between the client and the second server based at least in part on inputting the network transmission time associated with the first server, the network transmission time associated with the second server, the set of key parameters for the first server, and the set of key parameters for the second server into one or more data processing models; and

determine the physical location associated with the client at least in part by using the distance between the client and the first server and the distance between the client and the second server; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and configured to provide the one or more processors with instructions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network transmission time associated with the first server is determined based at least in part on a start time associated with sending requested data to the client and an end time associated with the first server receiving the data sent from the client.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the network transmission time associated with the second server is determined based at least in part on a start time associated with sending requested data to the client and an end time associated with the second server receiving the data sent from the client.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of key parameters for the first server includes one or more of the following:

a number of transactions processed by the first server per second, a number of page requests received by the first server per second, a day of the week at which the first server received the data sent from the client, and a system time at which the first server received the data sent from the client.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of key parameters for the second server includes one or more of the following:

a number of transactions processed by the second server per second, a number of page requests received by the second server per second, a day of the week at which the second server received the data sent from the client, and a system time at which the second server received the data sent from the client.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the requested data is configured to cause the client to send the data to the first server and to the second server.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the requested data includes positioning code, wherein the positioning code is configured to cause the client to send the data to the first server and to the second server.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more data processing models includes at least a functional relation expression that relates at least one of a set of key parameters, a network transmission time, and a distance between a server and a client.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the physical location associated with the client includes determining a set of equations using the distance between the client and the first server, the distance between the client and the second server, a physical location associated with the first server, and a physical location associated with the second server.

10. A method for determining a physical location of a client, comprising:

determining a network transmission time associated with requested data being sent to the client and data sent from the client being received at a first server, and a network transmission time associated with requested data being sent to the client and data sent from the client being received at a second server;

determining a set of key parameters for the first server and a set of key parameters for the second server, wherein the set of key parameters for the first server comprises a set of one or more characteristics that describes a network congestion status of the first server and the set of one or more key parameters for the second server comprises a set of characteristics that describes a network congestion status of the second server, wherein the network congestion status of the first server affects at least a parameter measuring reception of the data sent from the client to the first server, and wherein the network congestion status of the second server affects at least a parameter measuring reception of the data sent from the client to the second server;

determining a distance between the client and the first server and a distance between the client and the second server based at least in part on inputting the network transmission time associated with the first server, the network transmission time associated with the second server, the set of key parameters for the first server, and the set of key parameters for the second server into one or more data processing models; and

determining the physical location associated with the client at least in part by using the distance between the client and the first server and the distance between the client and the second server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the network transmission time associated with the first server is determined based at least in part on a start time associated with sending requested data to the client and an end time associated with the first server receiving the data sent from the client.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the network transmission time associated with the second server is determined based at least in part on a start time associated with sending requested data to the client and an end time associated with the second server receiving the data sent from the client.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of key parameters for the first server includes one or more of the following:

a number of transactions processed by the first server per second, a number of page requests received by the first server per second, a day of the week at which the first server received the data sent from the client, and a system time at which the first server received the data sent from the client.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of key parameters for the second server includes one or more of the following:

a number of transactions processed by the second server per second, a number of page requests received by the second server per second, a day of the week at which the second server received the data sent from the client, and a system time at which the second server received the data sent from the client.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the requested data is configured to cause the client to send the data to the first server and to the second server.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the requested data includes positioning code, wherein the positioning code is configured to cause the client to send the data to the first server and to the second server.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more data processing models includes at least a functional relation expression that relates at least one of a set of key parameters, a network transmission time, and a distance between a server and a client.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the physical location associated with the client includes determining a set of equations using the distance between the client and the first server, the distance between the client and the second server, a physical location associated with the first server, and a physical location associated with the second server.

19. A computer program product for determining a physical location of a client, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable non-transitory storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

determining a network transmission time associated with requested data being sent to the client and data sent from the client being received at a first server, and a network transmission time associated with requested data being sent to the client and data sent from the client being received at a second server;

determining a set of key parameters for the first server and a set of key parameters for the second server, wherein the set of key parameters for the first server comprises a set of one or more characteristics that describes a network congestion status of the first server and the set of one or more key parameters for the second server comprises a set of characteristics that describes a network congestion status of the second server, wherein the network congestion status of the first server affects at least a parameter measuring reception of the data sent from the client to the first server, and wherein the network congestion status of the second server affects at least a parameter measuring reception of the data sent from the client to the second server;

determining a distance between the client and the first server and a distance between the client and the second server based at least in part on inputting the network transmission time associated with the first server, the network transmission time associated with the second server, the set of key parameters for the first server, and the set of key parameters for the second server into one or more data processing models; and

determining the physical location associated with the client at least in part by using the distance between the client and the first server and the distance between the client and the second server.