Registrar mapping toolkit for Geofences

• US 9,491,577 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2016
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• 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:
  US15/170,619
• Time in Patent Office: 160 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 looking up a geofence in a database of geofences, comprising:

a mobile device determining the mobile device is located within a first geofence and a second geofence based on a first multiplicity of unique internet protocol (IP) addresses and a second multiplicity of unique IP addresses, wherein the first geofence is defined by the first multiplicity of unique IP addresses and the second geofence is defined by the second multiplicity of unique IP addresses, wherein the first multiplicity of unique IP addresses correspond to a first multiplicity of geographic designators and the second multiplicity of unique IP addresses correspond to a second multiplicity of geographic designators;

querying a database of geofences for class hierarchy information for the first geofence and class hierarchy information for the second geofence;

determining if the first geofence or the second geofence ranks higher in a class hierarchy based on the class hierarchy information for the first geofence and the class hierarchy information for the second geofence;

querying the database of geofences for application functionality information for the first geofence if the first geofence ranks higher in the class hierarchy, or querying the database of geofences for application functionality information for the second geofence if the second geofence ranks higher in the class hierarchy, wherein the application functionality information for each geofence determines functionality or non-functionality of applications within each geofence;

implementing the functionality or the non-functionality of the applications based on the application functionality information for the first geofence if the first geofence ranks higher in the class hierarchy or implementing the functionality or the non-functionality of the applications based on the application functionality information for the second geofence if the second geofence ranks higher in the class hierarchy; and

wherein the first multiplicity of unique IP addresses and the second multiplicity of unique IP addresses are unique IP version 4 (IPv4) addresses and/or unique IP version 6 (IPv6) addresses.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of implementing the functionality or the non-functionality of the applications based on the application functionality information for the first geofence if the first geofence ranks higher in the class hierarchy or implementing the functionality or the non-functionality of the applications based on the application functionality information for the second geofence if the second geofence ranks higher in the class hierarchy further includes implementing non-conflicting functionality or non-conflicting non-functionality of the applications for the first geofence and the second geofence regardless of whether the first geofence ranks higher in the class hierarchy or the second geofence ranks higher in the class hierarchy.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the mobile device displaying a notice or an alert on the mobile device upon the mobile device entering, approaching, or exiting the geofence.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a drone.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a drone, wherein the applications include a blocking application or a landing application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein classes in the class hierarchy include at least one of federal government, state government, city or local government, education or schools, community, residential, fire district, homeowners associations, parks, commercial, or private classes.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing the functionality or the non-functionality of the applications based on the application functionality information for the first geofence if the first geofence ranks higher in the class hierarchy or implementing the functionality or the non-functionality of the applications based on the application functionality information for the second geofence if the second geofence ranks higher in the class hierarchy further comprises notifying an owner or a licensee of the geofence that the mobile device is located within the geofence or proximal to the geofence and/or the mobile device is implementing the functionality or the non-functionality of the one or more applications.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the application functionality information for the geofence is determined by a licensee of the geofence.

3. A geofence database system comprising:

a geofence database including a geofence defined by a multiplicity of unique internet protocol (IP) addresses and application functionality information associated with the geofence in the geofence database; and

a mobile device including a processor and a memory,

wherein each of the multiplicity of unique IP addresses corresponds to a geographic designator such that there are a multiplicity of geographic designators corresponding to the multiplicity of unique IP addresses;

wherein at least one of the multiplicity of geographic designators or at least one of the multiplicity of unique IP addresses is a unique identifier of the geofence;

wherein, upon the mobile device determining that the mobile device is located within the geofence or proximal to the geofence, the mobile device is operable to query the geofence database to determine the application functionality information associated with the geofence and is further operable to implement application functionality determined by the application functionality information associated with the geofence;

wherein the application functionality includes enabling or disabling applications on the mobile device;

wherein the geofence database includes a second geofence defined by a second multiplicity of unique IP addresses;

wherein the geofence database includes a second multiplicity of geographic designators corresponding to the second multiplicity of unique IP addresses, wherein the geofence database further includes second application functionality information associated with the second geofence in the geofence database;

wherein the geofence database further includes a class hierarchy for the first geofence and the second geofence, wherein the second geofence is ranked higher in the class hierarchy for the first geofence and the second geofence;

wherein at least one of the second multiplicity of geographic designators or at least one of the second multiplicity of unique IP addresses is a unique identifier of the second geofence;

wherein, upon the mobile device determining that the mobile device is located within the second geofence or proximal to the second geofence, the mobile device is operable to query the geofence database to determine the second application functionality information associated with the second geofence and is further operable to implement second application functionality determined by the second application functionality information associated with the second geofence, wherein the mobile device is operable to cease implementation of the application functionality or cease implementation of the application functionality that is contradictory to the second application functionality;

wherein the second application functionality includes enabling or disabling applications on the mobile device; and

wherein the first multiplicity of unique IP addresses and the second multiplicity of unique IP addresses are unique IPv4 addresses and/or unique IPv6 addresses.

4. The geofence database system of claim 3, wherein the mobile device is further operable to display a notice or an alert on the mobile device upon the mobile device entering, approaching, or exiting the geofence.

5. The geofence database system of claim 3, wherein the mobile device is a drone.

6. The geofence database system of claim 3, wherein the mobile device is a drone, wherein the applications include a blocking application or a landing application.

13. The geofence database system of claim 3, wherein classes in the class hierarchy include one or more of federal government, state government, city or local government, education or schools, community, residential, fire district, homeowners associations, parks, commercial, and/or private classes.

14. The geofence database system of claim 3, wherein the mobile device is further operable to notify an owner or a licensee of the geofence that the mobile device is located within the geofence or proximal to the geofence.

15. The geofence database system of claim 3, wherein the application functionality information for the geofence is determined by a licensee of the geofence.