System and method of decoupling and exposing computing device originated location information

• US 9,218,622 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Narayan, Pramodh D., Ramanathan, Sri, Terry, Matthew A., Trevathan, Matthew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lesniewski, Victor
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAVELLE, GARY E
• Application Number:
  US13/590,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20120314861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 380/247, 380/252, 380/258, 380/270, 713/151, 455/402, 455/440
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0813 with a network or matrix configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/154 Networked environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/60 Details of cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/62 Details of cache specific to multiprocessor cache arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/104 Location integrity, e.g. secure geotagging
• 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 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method is provided to determine location information of a portable computing device and, in particular, to a secure and scalable system and method of decoupling and exposing handset originated location information to third parties. The system includes a location platform to determine location information of a remote user, and an encryption service configured to secure the location information of the remote user and send the secure location information to a content provider.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor;

one or more computer readable hardware storage devices; and

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable hardware storage devices for execution by the processor, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to determine whether a location of a remote user was obtained locally at a handheld device of the remote user;

program instructions to determine location information of the remote user that is outside an infrastructure of the carrier network;

program instructions to determine whether decryption of the location information for the content provider will be handled by the carrier network;

program instructions to secure the location information of the remote user;

program instructions to insert the secure location information into a message; and

program instructions to forward the message including the secure location information directly to a content provider;

program instructions to generate and provide a decryption key to the content provider configured to decrypt the secure location information;

program instructions to determine whether the remote user is entitled to location services or content of the content provider;

program instructions to determine whether to provide the decryption key to the content provider based on a charging model of the content provider;

program instructions to receive cached location information of the remote user from the remote user;

program instructions to scramble the cached location information in the header of the HTTP request; and

program instructions to bundle service subscription information and an authorization key in the HTTP header with the cached location information.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a location platform determines coarse and fine location of the remote user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions further comprise:

program instructions to intercept the message, wherein the message is the HTTP request sent by the remote user to the content provider via the carrier network;

program instructions to insert the secure location information in a header of the HTTP request; and

program instructions to forward the HTTP request including the secure location information to the content provider.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions further comprise program instructions to receive a decrypt request from the content provider.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the content provider is configured to generate and provide location specific content to the remote user; and

the remote user caches and encrypts the cached location information from an Assisted Global Positioning System (A-GPS) in the remote user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions further comprise program instructions to charge a fee to the content provider for the location information.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the program instructions to charge the fee charge the content provider a flat fee or a fee based on coarse or fine location information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the infrastructure of the carrier network is separate from the remote user;

the content provider is separate from the infrastructure of the carrier network and the remote user; and

the program instructions to determine the location information perform the determination in response to a request transmitted by the remote user to the content provider via the infrastructure of the carrier network and provide the location information to an encryption service.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a computer infrastructure of a carrier network, including a location platform and an encryption service, which is at least one of supported, deployed, maintained, and created by a service provider.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the system comprises an infrastructure of the carrier network, including an encryption service, a decryption service, and a charging platform;

the message is the HTTP request transmitted by the remote user to the content provider;

the carrier network is configured to intercept the HTTP request;

the location platform is configured to scramble the location information;

based on a determination that the location information was not obtained locally at a handheld device of the remote user, the encryption service is configured to;

obtain the scrambled location information from the location platform;

embed the scrambled location information into the HTTP request;

send the HTTP request with the scrambled location information to the content provider; and

provide a transaction detail record to the charging platform;

based on a determination that the decryption of location information for the content provider will be handled by the carrier network, the decryption service is configured to;

receive a decrypt request from the content provider; and

provide a decryption key to the content provider for unscrambling the scrambled location information; and

the charging platform is configured to charge a fee to the content provider based on the transaction detail record.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions further comprise:

program instructions to provide the authorizing key to the content provider based on a determination that the remote user is entitled to the location services; and

program instructions to, based on a determination that the location information was obtained locally at a handheld device of the remote user, establish a routing proxy including a routing table which stores routing information and matching information between the remote user and the content provider.

10. A method for obtaining location specific content comprising:

intercepting, by an encryption service of a carrier network, an HTTP request sent from a remote user that is outside an infrastructure of the carrier network to a content provider;

determining that a location of the remote user was not obtained locally at a handheld device of the remote user;

receiving cached location information of the remote user from the remote user;

based on the determining, scrambling, by the encryption service, the cached location information of the remote user and inserting the scrambled cached location information into a header of the HTTP request;

sending, by the encryption service, the HTTP request including the scrambled cached location information directly to the content provider;

providing a decryption key to the content provider which ensures secure transmission of the location information and provides authorization to the content provider to decrypt and use the location information for location specific content dissemination;

determining whether the remote user is entitled to services or content of the content provider;

determining whether to provide the decryption key to the content provider based on a charging model of the content provider; and

bundling service subscription information and an authorization key in the HTTP header with the cached location information,

wherein the content provider is configured to generate and provide the location specific content to the remote user.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining the location information of the remote user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining location information includes one of:

fine location, coarse location and a combination of fine location and coarse location.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the location information is received from the remote user by an agent locally resident on a computing device.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising charging a content provider for the scrambled location information.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing decryption services to the content provider in order to descramble the scrambled location information.

16. A computer program product comprising a tangible computer readable hardware storage device having readable program instructions stored on the computer readable hardware storage device, the program instructions comprising:

program instructions to obtain, by an encryption service, cached location information of a remote user that is outside an infrastructure of the carrier network;

program instructions to intercept, by the encryption service, an HTTP request transmitted from the remote user to a content provider using the carrier network;

program instructions to determine whether the cached location information was obtained locally at a handheld device of the remote user;

program instructions to determine whether decryption of location information for the content provider will be handled by the carrier network;

program instructions to scramble, by the encryption service, the cached location information and insert the scrambled cached location information into a header of the HTTP request;

program instructions to transmit, by the encryption service, the scrambled cached location information directly to the content provider;

program instructions to provide a decryption key to the content provider configured to decrypt the scrambled cached location information based on a charging model of the content provider;

program instructions to generate and provide a decryption key to the content provider configured to decrypt the secure location information;

program instructions to determine whether the remote user is entitled to services or content of the content provider; and

program instructions to bundle service subscription information and an authorization key in the HTTP header with the cached location information.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the program instructions further comprise program instructions to charge a fee to the content provider for the location information.