System and method of decoupling and exposing computing device originated location information

• US 9,647,995 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Narayan, Pramodh D., Ramanathan, Sri, Terry, Matthew A., Trevathan, Matthew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Colin, Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAVELLE, GARY E
• Application Number:
  US14/873,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20160021074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0813 with a network or matrix configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/154 Networked environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/60 Details of cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/62 Details of cache specific to multiprocessor cache arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• 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: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/104 Location integrity, e.g. secure geotagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method is provided to determine location information of a portable computing device and, in particular, to a secure and scalable system and method of decoupling and exposing handset originated location information to third parties. The system includes a location platform to determine location information of a remote user, and an encryption service configured to secure the location information of the remote user and send the secure location information to a content provider.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable storage medium having readable program code embodied in the non-transitory computer usable storage medium, wherein the non-transitory computer usable storage medium stores the program code, and the computer program product includes at least one component operable to cause a computing device to;

determine whether a location of a remote user was obtained locally at a handheld device of the remote user;

determine location information of the remote user that is outside an infrastructure of the carrier network;

determine whether decryption of the location information for a content provider will be handled by the carrier network;

secure the location information of the remote user;

insert the secure location information into a message;

determine whether a content provider is on a white-list representing where the secure location information can be sent;

forward the message including the secure location information directly to the content provider on the white-list;

generate and provide a decryption key to the content provider configured to decrypt the secure location information;

determine whether the remote user is entitled to location services or content of the content provider;

determine whether to provide the decryption key to the content provider based on a charging model of the content provider;

receive cached location information of the remote user from the remote user;

scramble the cached location information in the header of the HTTP request; and

bundle service subscription information and an authorization key in the HTTP header with the cached location information.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a network carrier.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer program product includes at least one component operable to cause the computing device to determine coarse and fine location of the remote user.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer program product includes at least one component operable to cause the computing device to:

intercept the message, wherein the message is the HTTP request sent by the remote user to the content provider via the carrier network;

to insert the secure location information in a header of the HTTP request; and

forward the HTTP request including the secure location information to the content provider.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer program product includes at least one component operable to cause the computing device to receive a decrypt request from the content provider.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer program product includes at least one component operable to cause the computing device to charge a fee to the content provider for the location information.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the fee is a flat fee or a fee based on coarse or fine location information.

8. A system for obtaining location specific content comprising:

a processor;

one or more computer readable hardware storage devices; and

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable hardware storage devices for execution by the processor, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to intercept, by an encryption service of a carrier network, an HTTP request sent from a remote user that is outside an infrastructure of the carrier network to a content provider;

program instructions to determine that a location of the remote user was not obtained locally at a handheld device of the remote user;

program instructions to receive cached location information of the remote user from the remote user;

program instructions to scramble, by the encryption service, the cached location information of the remote user and inserting the scrambled cached location information into a header of the HTTP request;

program instructions to determine whether the content provider is on a white-list representing where the location information can be sent;

program instructions to send the HTTP request including the scrambled cached location information directly to the content provider on the white-list;

program instructions to provide a decryption key to the content provider which ensures secure transmission of the location information and provides authorization to the content provider to decrypt and use the location information for location specific content dissemination;

program instructions to determine whether the remote user is entitled to services or content of the content provider;

program instructions to determine whether to provide the decryption key to the content provider based on a charging model of the content provider; and

program instructions to bundle service subscription information and an authorization key in the HTTP header with the cached location information.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising determining the location information of the remote user.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the determining location information includes one of:

fine location, coarse location and a combination of fine location and coarse location.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the location information is received from the remote user by an agent locally resident on a computing device.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising charging a content provider for the scrambled location information.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising providing decryption services to the content provider in order to descramble the scrambled location information.