Logging location and time data associated with a credential

• US 9,300,646 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Inventors: Saylor, Michael J., Chen, Gang
• Primary Examiner(s): PYZOCHA, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US13/848,196
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2- 6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1091 Recording time for administrative or management purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/08 With time considerations, e.g. temporary activation, valid time window or time limitations
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Location information of a client device associated with a credential is determined to be tracked. The credential has been granted to a user of the client device by a credential granting authority to indicate a status of the user with the credential. Known location data that indicates known locations is maintained. The credential data is associated with each of the known locations, and geographic data for each of the known locations. A location of the client device associated with the credential and a particular time associated with the location is determined. A subset of the known location data that defines one or more locations that are known for the credential is accessed from the known location data. The location of the client device associated with the credential is compared with geographic data included in the accessed subset of the known location data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a client device associated with a credential, data indicating a request to track location information of the client device, the credential having been granted to a user of the client device by a credential granting authority to indicate a status of the user with the credential granting authority;

in response to receiving the data indicating the request to track location information of the client device, determining to track location information of the client device associated with the credential;

maintaining known location data that indicates known locations, credential data that indicates one or more credentials that are associated with each of the known locations, and geographic data for each of the known locations;

determining a location of the client device associated with the credential and a particular time associated with the location;

comparing the location of the client device associated with the credential with geographic data included in the known location data;

based on the comparison of the location of the client device associated with the credential with the geographic data included in the known location data, determining that the location of the client device associated with the credential matches geographic data for a particular known location included in the known location data;

accessing, from the known location data, particular credential data that indicates one or more credentials that are associated with the particular known location;

comparing the particular credential data of the particular known location with the credential of the client device;

based on the comparison of the particular credential data of the particular known location with the credential of the client device, determining that the credential of the client device corresponds to one of the one or more credentials of the particular credential data of the particular known location; and

based on the determination that the location of the client device associated with the credential matches geographic data for the particular known location and the determination that the credential of the client device corresponds to one of the one or more credentials of the particular credential data of the particular known location, generating a log entry that indicates that the credential arrived at the particular known location at the particular time.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

detecting that the client device associated with the credential has left the particular known location at a later time; and

determining an amount of time that the client device associated with the credential was at the particular known location based on the particular time and the later time,

wherein generating the log entry comprises generating a log entry that indicates presence of the credential at the particular known location for the determined amount of time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the log entry occurs on the client device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the log entry occurs on a server system that is located remote from the client device.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

accessing locations of the client device tracked by the client device over a period of time during which the client device lost connectivity with the server system, the accessed locations having been cached on the client device with time information for the period of time during which the client device lost connectivity with the server system;

comparing the accessed locations of the client device with geographic data included in the known location data;

based on the comparison of the accessed locations of the client device with geographic data included in the known location data, determining which of the accessed locations of the client device matches a known location included in the known location data;

comparing credential data of the accessed locations of the client device that match the known location with the credential of the client device;

based on the comparison of the credential data of the accessed locations of the client device that match the known location with the credential of the client device, determining that the credential of the client device corresponds to one of the one or more credentials of the credential data of the accessed locations of the client device that match the known location,

wherein generating the log entry comprises generating log entries that indicate presence of the credential at known locations within the period of time during which the client device lost connectivity with the server system based on the determination of which of the accessed locations of the client device matches a known location included in the known location data and the determination that the credential of the client device corresponds to one of the one or more credentials of the credential data of the accessed locations of the client device that match the known location.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a new location of the client device associated with the credential and a new time associated with the new location;

comparing the new location of the client device associated with the credential with geographic data included in the known location data;

based on the comparison of the new location with geographic data included in the known location data, determining that the new location of the client device associated with the credential is unknown; and

based on the determination that the new location of the client device associated with the credential is unknown, sending a warning message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein sending the warning message comprises identifying another client device that is associated with the credential granting authority and sending the warning message to the identified client device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein sending the warning message comprises:

identifying a supervisor credential that was issued by the credential granting authority and that identifies a supervisor of the user, the credential granting authority being an employer of the user and the supervisor;

based on the supervisor credential, identifying a supervisor client device that is associated with the supervisor; and

based on identifying the supervisor credential and the supervisor client device, sending the warning message to the supervisor client device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the warning message includes a selectable option to contact the client device through the supervisor client device.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein sending the warning message comprises:

determining a difference between the new time and a time when the client device associated with the credential was last determined to be at a known location;

comparing the difference to a threshold period of time;

determining that the difference exceeds the threshold period of time based on the comparison of the difference to the threshold period of time; and

sending the warning message based on the determination that the difference exceeds the threshold period of time.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein generating the log entry comprises generating a log entry that indicates presence of the credential at an unknown location at the new time.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the warning message includes a selectable option to add the new location to the known location data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a location of the client device associated with the credential and a particular time associated with the location comprises:

receiving data indicating the credential has been activated by the client device; and

automatically receiving data indicating the location of the client device and the particular time associated with the location.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a location of the client device associated with the credential and a particular time associated with the location comprises:

determining, by a server system, that data indicating the location of the client device has not been received from the client device for more than a threshold period of time; and

based on the determination that data indicating the location of the client device has not been received from the client device for more than a threshold period of time, polling, by the server system, the client device associated with the credential.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a location of the client device associated with the credential and a particular time associated with the location comprises:

determining, by a server system, that data indicating the location of the client device has not been received from the client device for more than a threshold period of time; and

based on the determination that data indicating the location of the client device has not been received from the client device for more than a threshold period of time, sending, by the server system, data that elicits a response from the client device.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising:

based on sending data that elicits a response from the client device, receiving, from the client device, a second location of the client device;

determining a second, different particular time associated with the second location;

comparing the second location of the client device associated with the credential with geographic data included in the known location data;

based on the comparison of the second location of the client device associated with the credential with geographic data included in the known location data, determining that the second location of the client device associated with the credential matches geographic data for a second, different particular known location included in the accessed subset of the known location data;

accessing, from the known location data, second credential data that indicates one or more credentials that are associated with the second, different particular known location;

comparing the second credential data of the second, different particular known location with the credential of the client device;

based on the comparison of the second credential data of the second, different particular known location with the credential of the client device, determining that the credential of the client device corresponds to one of the one or more credentials of the second credential data of the second, different particular known location; and

based on the determination that the second location of the client device associated with the credential matches geographic data for the second, different particular known location included in the accessed set of the known location data and on the determination that the credential of the client device corresponds to one of the one or more credentials of the second credential data of the second, different particular known location, generating a second log entry to indicate the presence of the credential at the second, different particular known location at the second, different particular time.

17. The method of claim 1:

wherein maintaining known location data comprises maintaining association data that defines each of the known locations as being associated with one or more credentials.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining, by a server system, data indicative of credentials held by multiple different users, each of the credentials having been issued by a credential granting authority that is separate from an entity that operates the server system; and

enabling tracking of locations of client devices of each of the multiple different users that hold the credentials and enabling generation of logs of tracked locations for each of the credentials based on tracked locations.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the credential data that indicates one or more credentials that are associated with each of the known locations was defined by the credential granting authority.

20. A method comprising:

receiving, from a client device associated with a credential, data indicating a request to track location information of the client device, the credential having been granted to a user of the client device by a credential granting authority to indicate a status of the user with the credential granting authority;

in response to receiving the data indicating the request to track location information of the client device, determining to track location information of the client device associated with the credential;

setting a first known location for the credential based on input provided by the credential granting authority;

setting a second known location for the credential based on input provided by the credential granting authority, the second known location being different than the first known location;

determining a first location of the client device associated with the credential and a first time that the client device arrived at the first location;

determining that the first location matches the first known location for the credential;

based on the determination that the first location matches the first known location for the credential, logging that the client device associated with the credential arrived at the first known location at the first time;

determining a second time at which the client device associated with the credential left the first known location;

based on the determination of the second time at which the client device associated with the credential left the first known location, logging that the client device associated with the credential left the first known location at the second time;

determining a second location of the client device associated with the credential and a third time that the client device arrived at the second location;

determining that the second location matches the second known location for the credential;

based on the determination that the second location matches the second known location for the credential, logging that the client device associated with the credential arrived at the second known location at the third time;

determining a fourth time at which the client device associated with the credential left the second known location;

based on the determination of the fourth time at which the client device associated with the credential left the second known location, logging that the client device associated with the credential left the second known location at the fourth time;

determining a first amount of time that the client device associated with the credential was located at the first known location based on the logging of the first time and the second time;

determining a second amount of time that the client device associated with the credential was located at the second known location based on the logging of the third time and the fourth time;

comparing the credential data of the first known location and the second known location with the credential of the client device;

based on the comparison of the credential data of the first known location and the second known location with the credential of the client device, determining that the credential of the client device corresponds to one of the one or more credentials of the credential data of the first known location and the second known location; and

based on the determination that the credential of the client device corresponds to one of the one or more credentials of the credential data of the first known location and the second known location, outputting a log that reflects the first amount of time that the client device associated with the credential was located at the first known location and the second amount of time that the client device associated with the credential was located at the second known location.

21. A method comprising:

receiving, from a client device associated with a credential, data indicating a request to track location information of the client device, the credential having been granted to a user of the client device by an employer to indicate that the user is an employee of the employer;

determining to track location information of the client device associated with a credential;

maintaining known customer site data that indicates known customer sites associated with the credential and geographic data for each of the known customer sites;

determining a first location of the client device associated with the credential;

comparing the first location of the client device associated with the credential with geographic data included in the known customer site data that indicates known customer sites associated with the credential;

based on the comparison of the first location of the client device associated with the credential with geographic data included in the known customer site data that indicates known customer sites associated with the credential, determining that the first location of the client device associated with the credential matches geographic data for a particular customer site included in the known customer site data that indicates known customer sites associated with the credential;

determining that the client device associated with the credential has left the particular customer site;

based on the determination that the client device associated with the credential has left the particular customer site, generating at least one log entry that reflects a first amount of time that the client device associated with the credential spent at the particular customer site and continuing to monitor the location of the client device associated with the credential against the known customer site data that indicates known customer sites associated with the credential;

based on the continued monitoring of the location of the client device associated with the credential against the known customer site data that indicates known customer sites associated with the credential, determining a second amount of time that the client device associated with the credential has not been located at a known customer site included in the known customer site data that indicates known customer sites associated with the credential;

comparing the second amount of time to a threshold amount of time used to trigger sending of warning messages related to employees not being located at known customer sites;

based on comparing the second amount of time to the threshold amount of time, determining that the second amount of time meets the threshold amount of time; and

based on the determination that the second amount of time meets the threshold amount of time, sending a warning message that indicates that the client device associated with the credential has not been located at a known customer site for at least the threshold amount of time.