Systems and methods for mapping IP-addresses to geolocations

• US 9,571,589 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2015
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Duleba, Krzysztof, Ji, Zhengrong
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US14/698,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20150244819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/25 of the same type
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/255 Maintenance or indexing of mapping tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A computer-implemented method that includes receiving a location from a location aware access device and an IP address of a network device to which the location aware access device is connected, receiving a request that includes the IP address of the network device from a location unaware access device that is connected to the network device, determining a geographic location for the location unaware access device based on the IP address of the network device and the location received from the location aware access device, selecting information responsive to the request from the location unaware access device based at least in part on the geographic location, and providing the selected information to the location unaware access device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for receiving targeted content at location unaware access devices, the method comprising:

transmitting a first communication, by a location aware access device via a network device having an IP address, wherein the location aware access device is connected to the network device according to a local area network (LAN) IP address of the location aware access device and wherein the first communication includes the IP address of the network device and a geographic location of the location aware access device;

transmitting a second communication, by a location unaware access device via the network device, wherein the location unaware access device is connected to the network device according to a LAN IP address of the location unaware access device and wherein the second communication includes the same IP address of the network device; and

receiving, at the location unaware access device from a content provider, content targeted for a geographic area selected based on the geographic location transmitted by the location aware access device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP address is a first IP address in a first instance, and the network device acquires a second IP address different from the first IP address in a second instance;

the method further comprising;

transmitting a third communication, by the location aware access device via the network device, wherein the third communication includes (i) the second IP address and (ii) an updated geographic location of the location aware access device;

transmitting a fourth communication, by the location unaware access device via the network device, wherein the fourth communication includes the second IP address; and

receiving, at the location unaware access device via the network device, updated content targeted for a geographic area selected based on the updated geographic location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a plurality of communications from a plurality of location aware access devices via the network device, each of the plurality of communications indicating a respective geographic location of the location aware access device;

wherein the content targeted for the geographic area is selected further based on the geographic locations of the plurality of location aware access devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the content targeted for the geographic area is selected based on a most frequently occurring geographic location of the geographic locations transmitted by the plurality of location aware access devices.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the content targeted for the geographic area is selected based on a time in which each of the geographic locations is transmitted by the plurality of location aware access devices.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the content targeted for the geographic area is selected further based on the geographic locations of the plurality of location aware access devices when each of the geographic locations is within the geographic area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the content targeted for the geographic location is received at the location unaware access device only when the first communication and the second communication are transmitted within a certain time relative to each other.

8. A system for receiving targeted content at location unaware access devices, the system comprising:

a location aware access device including;

one or more first processors; and

a first non-transitory memory coupled to the one or more first processors and storing thereon first instructions that, when executed by the one or more first processors, cause the location aware access device to;

transmit a first communication via a network device having an IP address, wherein the location aware access device is connected to the network device according to a local area network (LAN) IP address of the location aware access device and wherein the first communication includes the IP address of the network device and a geographic location of the location aware access device; and

a location unaware access device including;

one or more second processors; and

a second non-transitory memory coupled to the one or more second processors and storing thereon second instructions that, when executed by the one or more second processors, cause the location unaware access device to;

transmit a second communication via the network device, wherein the location unaware access device is connected to the network device according to a LAN IP address of the location unaware access device and wherein the second communication includes the same IP address of the network device, and

receive, from a content provider, content targeted for a geographic area selected based on the geographic location transmitted by the location aware access device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the IP address is a first IP address in a first instance, and the network device acquires a second IP address different from the first IP address in a second instance;

the first instructions stored in the first non-transitory memory further cause the location aware access device to transmit a third communication via the network device, wherein the third communication includes (i) the second IP address and (ii) an updated geographic location of the location aware access device; and

wherein the second instructions stored in the second non-transitory memory further cause the location unaware access device to;

transmit a fourth communication via the network device, wherein the fourth communication includes the second IP address, and

receive via the network device, updated content targeted for a geographic area selected based on the updated geographic location.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of location aware access devices, each of the plurality of location aware access devices comprising:

one or more first processors, and

a first non-transitory memory storing thereon first instructions that, when executed by the one or more first processors, cause the respective location aware access device to transmit a first communication via the network device, each of the plurality of first communications indicating a respective geographic location of the location aware access device;

wherein the content targeted for the geographic area is selected further based on the geographic locations of the plurality of location aware access devices.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the content targeted for the geographic area is selected based on a most frequently occurring geographic location of the geographic locations transmitted by the plurality of location aware access devices.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the content targeted for the geographic area is selected based on a time in which each of the geographic locations is transmitted by the plurality of location aware access devices.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the content targeted for the geographic area is selected further based on the geographic locations of the plurality of location aware access devices when each of the geographic locations is within the geographic area.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the content targeted for the geographic location is received at the location unaware access device only when the first communication and the second communication are transmitted within a certain time relative to each other.

15. A computer-implemented method for determining the location of location unaware access devices, the method comprising:

receiving, at one or more processors, a first communication from a location aware access device via a network device having an IP address, wherein the location aware access device is connected to the network device according to a local area network (LAN) IP address of the location aware access device and wherein the first communication includes the IP address of the network device and a geographic location of the location aware access device;

receiving, at one or more processors, a second communication from a location unaware access device via the network device, wherein the location unaware access device is connected to the network device according to a LAN IP address of the location unaware access device and wherein the second communication includes the same IP address of the network device;

determining, by the one or more processors, a geographic area of the location unaware access device based on the geographic location received from the location aware access device; and

transmitting, by the one or more processors, the determined geographic area of the location unaware access device to a content provider which provides content targeted for the geographic area to the location unaware access device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving a plurality of first communications from a plurality of location aware access devices via the network device, each of the plurality of first communications indicating a respective geographic location of the location aware access device;

wherein the geographic area of the location unaware access device is determined further based on the geographic locations of the plurality of location aware access devices.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the geographic area of the location unaware access device is determined based on a most frequently occurring geographic location of the geographic locations received from the plurality of location aware access devices.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the geographic area of the location unaware access device is determined based on a time in which each of the geographic locations is received from the plurality of location aware access devices.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the IP address is a first IP address in a first instance, and the network device acquires a second IP address different from the first IP address in a second instance;

the method further comprising;

receiving, at the one or more processors, a third communication from the location aware access device via the network device, wherein the third communication includes (i) the second IP address and (ii) an updated geographic location of the location aware access device;

receiving, at the one or more processors, a fourth communication from the location unaware access device via the network device, wherein the fourth communication includes the second IP address;

determining, by the one or more processors, an updated geographic area of the location unaware access device based on the updated geographic location received from the location aware access device; and

transmitting, by the one or more processors, the updated geographic area of the location unaware access device to the content provider.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the geographic area is determined based on the geographic location received from the location aware access device only when the first communication and the second communication are received within a certain time relative to each other.