System and method for dynamic geo-fencing

• US 9,565,526 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Ali, Raziuddin, Shepherd, Jason A., Seibert, Philip M., Lo, Yuan-Chang, Anson, Douglas Miles
• Primary Examiner(s): Navar, Erica
• Application Number:
  US13/776,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20140242947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/410, 455/411, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/457
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes establishing a geo-fencing environment for the information handling system. The method further includes monitoring a stream of context information. In addition, the method includes determining whether the geo-fencing environment should be dynamically modified responsive to new context information in the stream. Furthermore, the method includes dynamically modifying the geo-fencing environment responsive to the determining so indicating.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a geo-fencing environment for an information handling system, wherein the information handling system comprises a mobile device;

monitoring, by the information handling system, a stream of context information;

determining, by the information handling system, whether the geo-fencing environment should be dynamically modified responsive to new context information in the stream, wherein the new context information comprises security-capability information identifying a security tier of a user of the information handling system;

the information handling system dynamically modifying the geo-fencing environment responsive to the determining so indicating;

wherein the establishing comprises utilizing a profile, the profile comprising one or more definitional rules and one or more action rules;

wherein the dynamically modifying comprises;

creating a new geo-fence definition and identifying an associated rule set for the new geo-fence definition, wherein each new geo-fence definition comprises a rule set that is distinct from the rule set prior to the modifying the geo-fencing environment; and

taking the one or more actions, wherein the taking the one or more actions comprises;

locking the information handling system from access; and

reporting a possible theft of the information handling system to a service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises:

evaluating at least one definitional rule of a plurality of definitional rules via the new context information; and

evaluating at least one action rule of a plurality of action rules via the new context information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the geo-fencing environment comprises a geo-fence definition and an associated rule set.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the geo-fence definition comprises at least one of a distance radius relative to a fixed point and an electronic leash.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

wherein the determining comprises evaluating at least one rule via the dynamic context information, the at least one rule being triggered if the information handling system has exited a geo-fenced area defined by the geo-fence definition; and

wherein the at least one rule comprises one or more actions to be taken if the at least one rule is triggered.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

wherein the taking comprises;

sounding an alarm;

creating a new geo-fence definition;

identifying a new rule set based on the new geo-fence definition; and

wherein the new rule set comprises at least one rule that is triggered if the information handling system has exited a new geo-fenced area defined by the new geo-fence definition, the at least one rule comprising one or more actions;

monitoring the stream of context information;

evaluating the at least one rule of the new rule set responsive to the monitoring; and

taking the one or more actions of the at least one rule of the new rule set if the evaluating step indicates that the information handling system has exited the new geo-fenced area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the new context information comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

location information, proximity information, scheduling information, user information, service-type information, and content-classification information.

8. An information handling system comprising:

a processing unit, wherein the processing unit is operable to perform a method comprising;

establishing a geo-fencing environment for the information handling system, wherein the information handling system comprises a mobile device;

monitoring a stream of context information for the information handling system;

determining whether the geo-fencing environment should be dynamically modified responsive to new context information in the stream, wherein the new context information comprises security-capability information identifying a security tier of a user of the information handling system;

dynamically modifying the geo-fencing environment responsive to the determining so indicating; and

wherein the establishing comprises utilizing a profile, the profile comprising one or more definitional rules and one or more action rules;

wherein the dynamically modifying comprises;

creating a new geo-fence definition and identifying an associated rule set for the new geo-fence definition, wherein each new geo-fence definition comprises a rule set that is distinct from the rule set prior to the modifying the geo-fencing environment; and

taking the one or more actions, wherein the taking the one or more actions comprises;

locking the information handling system from access; and

reporting a possible theft of the information handling system to a service provider.

9. The information handling system of claim 8, comprising:

wherein the determining comprises;

evaluating at least one definitional rule of a plurality of definitional rules via the new context information; and

evaluating at least one action rule of a plurality of action rules via the new context information.

10. The information handling system of claim 8, wherein the geo-fencing environment comprises a geo-fence definition and an associated rule set.

11. The information handling system of claim 10, wherein the geo-fence definition comprises at least one of a distance radius relative to a fixed point and an electronic leash.

12. The information handling system of claim 8, comprising:

wherein the determining comprises evaluating at least one rule via the dynamic context information, the at least one rule being triggered if the information handling system has exited a geo-fenced area defined by the geo-fence definition; and

wherein the at least one rule comprises one or more actions to be taken if the at least one rule is triggered;

wherein the dynamically modifying comprises taking the one or more actions;

wherein the taking comprises;

sounding an alarm;

creating a new geo-fence definition;

identifying a new rule set based on the new geo-fence definition; and

wherein the new rule set comprises at least one rule that is triggered if the information handling system has exited a new geo-fenced area defined by the new geo-fence definition, the at least one rule comprising one or more actions;

monitoring the stream of context information;

evaluating the at least one rule of the new rule set responsive to the monitoring; and

taking the one or more actions of the at least one rule of the new rule set if the evaluating step indicates that the information handling system has exited the new geo-fenced area.

13. The information handling system of claim 8, wherein the new context information comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

location information, proximity information, scheduling information, user information, service-type information, and content-classification information.

14. A non-transitory computer-program product comprising a computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method comprising:

establishing a geo-fencing environment for an information handling system, wherein the information handling system comprises a mobile device;

monitoring a stream of context information;

determining, by the information handling system, whether the geo-fencing environment should be dynamically modified responsive to new context information in the stream, wherein the new context information comprises security-capability information identifying a security tier of a user of the information handling system;

the information handling system dynamically modifying the geo-fencing environment responsive to the determining so indicating;

wherein the establishing comprises utilizing a profile, the profile comprising one or more definitional rules and one or more action rules;

wherein the dynamically modifying comprises;

creating a new geo-fence definition and identifying an associated rule set for the new geo-fence definition, wherein each new geo-fence definition comprises a rule set that is distinct from the rule set prior to the modifying the geo-fencing environment; and

taking the one or more actions, wherein the taking the one or more actions comprises;

locking the information handling system from access; and

reporting a possible theft of the information handling system to a service provider.