Registrar mapping toolkit for geofences

• US 9,363,638 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2015
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GeoFrenzy, Inc
• Original Assignee: GeoFrenzy, Inc
• Inventors: Jones, Benjamin T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hitesh
• Application Number:
  US14/728,259
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/659 Internet protocol version 6 [IPv6] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/457 containing identifiers of data entities on a computer, e.g. file names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating a database of geofences and registering geofences, with each geofence in the database being associated with an IP address, preferably an IPV6 address. Each geofence is defined using at least one geographic designator, preferably real property boundaries. Entitlements can be associated with geofences relating to permissive and prohibitive activities within the geofences.

Claims

1. A method for registering a geofence in a database of geofences, comprising:

defining a geofence using a multiplicity of geographic designators;

assigning a multiplicity of unique internet protocol (IP) addresses to the multiplicity of geographic designators defining the geofence such that each geographic designator is assigned a unique IP address; and

storing the multiplicity of geographic designators and the multiplicity of unique IP addresses in the database of geofences,

wherein at least one of the multiplicity of unique IP addresses is a unique identifier of the geofence,

wherein the multiplicity of unique IP addresses are IPv6 addresses; and

associating an entitlement with the geofence, wherein the entitlement includes a rule restricting content accessed via a network connection for devices located within the geofence, wherein the rule restricting content restricts the content based on the content and the rule redirects the devices to owner-defined content, wherein the owner-defined content is defined by an owner of the geofence; and

wherein a boundary of the geofence is defined using at least one real property boundary, and wherein the boundary of the geofence is defined within between about 1 micron and about 2 centimeters of the at least one real property boundary.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating an entitlement with the geofence, wherein the entitlement includes a rule enabling content for devices located within the geofence.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating an entitlement with the geofence, wherein the entitlement includes a rule requiring a user of a device located within the geofence to accept an agreement for an advertisement to be displayed on the device, wherein the entitlement also includes access to additional content for the user of the device located within the geofence upon the user of the device accepting the agreement for the advertisement to be displayed on the device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining one of the multiplicity of geographic designators to be a drone landing and pick up point.

4. A method for confirming a geofence registration in a geofence database, comprising:

determining a geographic location;

searching for the geographic location in the geofence database;

converting the geographic location to an Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) address;

determining an anchor IPv6 address of the geographic location based on the IPv6 address; and

determining a geofence defined by a plurality of IPv6 addresses from the anchor IPv6 address, wherein the plurality of IPv6 addresses include the anchor IPv6 address; and

associating an entitlement with the geofence, wherein the entitlement includes a rule restricting content accessed via a network connection for devices located within the geofence, wherein the rule restricting content restricts the content based on the content and the rule redirects the devices to owner-defined content, wherein the owner-defined content is defined by an owner of the geofence; and

wherein a boundary of the geofence is defined using at least one real property boundary, and wherein the boundary of the geofence is defined within between about 1 micron and about 2 centimeters of the at least one real property boundary.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the geographic location is a current location of a device, wherein searching for the geographic location in the database is automatically performed by the device in near real-time upon the device coming within a predetermined physical proximity of the geographic location.

8. The geofence database system of claim 4, wherein the at least one entitlement includes a rule restricting content for devices located within the geofence, wherein upon the at least one device attempting to access restricted content within the geofence, the geofence entitlement manager is operable to redirect the at least one device to owner-defined content, wherein the owner-defined content is defined by an owner of the geofence.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein geofence includes an entitlement, further comprising enforcing the entitlement by an entitlement manager redirecting devices to preferred content, further comprising a licensee paying a fee for the entitlement manager redirecting the devices to the preferred content.

11. The method of claim 4, further comprising implementing an entitlement of the geofence, wherein the entitlement pairs a mobile device with activated devices located within the geofence, and gives the mobile device permissions to control the activated devices within the geofence, wherein the activated devices include lighting devices, HVAC devices, and/or audio/video devices within the geofence, and wherein the mobile device cannot affect controls or settings of devices located outside the geofence.

13. The method of claim 4, further comprising implementing an entitlement for the geofence, wherein the entitlement prohibits text messaging within the geofence, and wherein metadata of the anchor IPv6 address includes the entitlement.

14. The method of claim 4, further comprising implementing an entitlement for the geofence, wherein the entitlement locks or unlocks operation of a mobile payment application on a mobile device based on the location of the mobile device with respect to the geofence, and wherein metadata of the anchor IPv15 address includes the entitlement.

15. The method of claim 4, further comprising implementing an entitlement for the geofence, wherein the entitlement includes permissive wireless activities and restrictive wireless activities within the geofence, and wherein metadata of the anchor IPv6 address includes the entitlement.

17. The method of claim 4, further comprising associating an entitlement with the at least one geofence, wherein the entitlement includes a rule requiring a user of a device located within the at least one geofence to accept an agreement for an advertisement to be displayed on the device, wherein the entitlement also includes access to additional content for the user of the device located within the at least one geofence upon the user of the device accepting the agreement for the advertisement to be displayed on the device.

6. A geofence database system comprising:

a geofence database including at least one geofence defined by a plurality of geographic designators;

a server including a processor;

wherein each of the plurality of geographic designators is a point on the surface of the Earth defined by a coordinate system;

wherein each of the plurality of geographic designators is defined by a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address;

wherein the server is operable to register the at least one geofence in the geofence database;

wherein at least one of the plurality of geographic designators is a unique identifier of the at least one geofence;

and an entitlement associated with the geofence, wherein the entitlement includes a rule restricting content accessed via a network connection for devices located within the geofence, wherein the rule restricting content restricts the content based on the content and the rule redirects the devices to owner-defined content, wherein the owner-defined content is defined by an owner of the geofence; and

wherein a boundary of the geofence is defined using at least one real property boundary, and wherein the boundary of the geofence is defined within between about 1 micron and about 2 centimeters of the at least one real property boundary.

7. The geofence database system of claim 6, wherein the at least one geofence includes at least one entitlement, wherein the geofence database system further comprises a geofence entitlement manager, wherein the geofence entitlement manager is operable to activate the at least one entitlement for at least one device located within the at least one geofence.

12. The geofence database system of claim 6, further comprising a mobile device and a geolocation device, wherein the mobile device is operable to determine a status of the geolocation device with respect to the at least one geofence, wherein the status is selected from a group consisting of approach, enter, exit, and dwell.

16. The geofence database system of claim 6, wherein the at least one geofence includes an entitlement, wherein the entitlement is operable to pair a mobile device with activated devices located within the at least one geofence, and the entitlement gives the mobile device permissions to control the activated devices within the at least one geofence.