System and process for distribution of information on a communication network

• US 9,924,216 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2001
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Geocom LLC
• Original Assignee: Geocom LLC
• Inventors: Rittmaster, Ted R., Piccionelli, Greg A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Refai, Sam
• Application Number:
  US98/122,96
• Time in Patent Office: 6,209 Days
• Field of Search: 705 14, 705 141- 1473, 795 1457
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• 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 67/10 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A communications system includes a plurality of recipient processors located at geographically remote locations with respect to each other and connected for communication with an information provider processor, over the communications network. The provider and recipient processors may comprise respective computers coupled for communication on the Internet or WWW. The provider processor is capable of providing information form any suitable source, by communicating such information over a communications network. However, access to the information by the recipient processors is controlled, based on the geographic location or region of the recipient processors. Each recipient processor is operably associated with a positioning system for providing geographic location information corresponding to the location or region in which the positioning system is located, such as a global positioning system GPS. The geographic position information is used to determine whether or not the processor requesting the information is within a restricted (or limited) or non-restricted region. This determination may be made comparing the geographic information provided by the recipient processor and positioning system with a list of non-restricted or non-limited (or a list of restricted or limited) geographic locations or regions.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the distribution of information from an information provider processor to a plurality of recipient processors on a communications network, based on the geographic locations of the recipient processors, the method comprising:

connecting the information provider processor for communication on the communication network with the plurality of recipient processors that each have an associated, respective positioning system for providing location information to the associated recipient processor, the location information corresponding to the geographic location of the associated recipient processor;

providing each recipient processor access over the communication network, by the information provider processor, to first information in encrypted form of the type that can be decrypted using a decryption key that includes or is composed of at least one value, number or parameter that includes location information for one or more of the recipient processors, but not all of the recipient processors, to allow each of said one or more of the recipient processors, but not all of the recipient processors, to use location information provided by its associated positioning system to form a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted first information to a decrypted form; and

configuring each respective recipient processor to apply a decryption routine on the encrypted first information using a decryption key that includes or is composed of at least one value, number or parameter that includes location information for the respective recipient processor, to attempt to decrypt the encrypted first information.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

storing location information corresponding to at least one expected recipient processor location; and

receiving a request for the first information from a recipient processor after storing the location information;

providing each recipient processor access comprises providing each recipient processor access to first information in encrypted form of the type that can be decrypted using a decryption key that includes or is composed of at least one value, number or parameter that includes the stored location information corresponding to at least one expected recipient processor location.

2. A method for controlling the distribution of information from an information provider processor to a plurality of recipient processors on a communications network, based on the geographic locations of the recipient processors, the method comprising:

connecting the information provider processor for communication on the communication network with the plurality of recipient processors that each have an associated, respective positioning system for providing location information to the associated recipient processor, the location information corresponding to the geographic location of the associated recipient processor;

providing each recipient processor access over the communication network, by the information provider processor, to first information in encrypted form of the type that can be decrypted using a decryption key that includes or is composed of at least one value, number or parameter that includes location information for one or more of the recipient processors, but not all of the recipient processors, to allow each of said one or more of the recipient processors, but not all of the recipient processors, to use location information provided by its associatcd positioning system to form a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted first information to a decrypted form; and

configuring each respective recipient processor to apply a decryption routine on the encrypted first information using a decryption key that includes or is composed of at least one value, number or parameter that includes a conjunction of current time information and location information for the respective recipient processor, to attempt to decrypt the encrypted first information.

3. A method for controlling the distribution of information from an information provider processor to a plurality of recipient processors on a communications network, based on the geographic locations of the recipient processors, the method comprising:

connecting the information provider processor for communication on the communication network with the plurality of recipient processors that each have an associated, respective positioning system for providing location information to the associated recipient processor, the location information corresponding to the geographic location of the associated recipient processor;

providing each recipient processor access over the communication network, by the information provider processor, to first information in encrypted form of the type that can be decrypted using a decryption key that includes or is composed of at least one value, number or parameter that includes location information for one or more of the recipient processors, but not all of the recipient processors, to allow each of said one or more of the recipient processors, but not all of the recipient processors, to use location information provided by its associated positioning system to form a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted first information to a decrypted form; and

configuring each respective recipient processor to apply a decryption routine on the encrypted first information using a decryption key that includes or is composed of at least one value, number or parameter that includes a conjunction of identification information and location information for the respective recipient processor, to attempt to decrypt the encrypted first information.

4. A method for controlling the distribution of information from an information provider processor to a recipient processor on a communications network, based on the geographic location of the recipient processor, the method comprising:

connecting the recipient processor for communication with the provider processor on the communication network;

receiving location information by the recipient processor from a positioning system, the location information corresponding to the current geographic location of the recipient processor;

receiving first information in encrypted form by the recipient processor from the information provider processor, over the communication network;

decrypting the first information using a decryption key that includes or is composed of at least one value, number or parameter that includes location information corresponding to the current geographic location of the recipient processor.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein decrypting comprises creating a decryption key that includes at least one value, number or parameter that includes location information corresponding to the current geographic location of the recipient processor and applying the decryption key in a decryption routine on the first information.

6. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein decrypting comprises configuring the recipient processor to implement a decryption module, the decryption module for receiving the location information corresponding to the current geographic location of the recipient processor and applying that location information as part of the decryption key.

7. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the encrypted form of the first information can be decrypted using a decryption key that includes or is composed of at least one value, number or parameter that includes location information corresponding to the current geographic location of the recipient processor and current time information.

8. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the encrypted form of the first information can be decrypted using a decryption key that includes or is composed of at least one value, number or parameter that includes location information corresponding to the current geographic location of the recipient processor and identification information.

9. A method for controlling the distribution of information from an information provider processor to a plurality of recipient processors on a communications network, based on the geographic locations of the recipient processors, the method comprising:

connecting the information provider processor for communication on the communication network with the plurality of recipient processors that each have an associated, respective positioning system for providing location information to the associated recipient processor, the location information corresponding to the geographic location of the associated recipient processor;

encrypting first information in an encrypted form of the type that can be decrypted using a decryption key that includes or is composed of at least one value, number or parameter that includes location information for one or more of the recipient processors, but not all of the recipient processors, to allow each of said one or more of the recipient processors, but not all of the recipient processors, to use location information provided by its associated positioning system to form the decryption key for decrypting the encrypted first information;

providing each recipient processor access over the communication network, by the information provider processor, to the first information in the encrypted form; and

configuring each respective recipient processor to apply a decryption routine on the encrypted first information using a decryption key that includes or is composed of at least one value, number or parameter that includes location information for the respective recipient processor, to attempt to decrypt the encrypted first information.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

storing location information corresponding to at least one expected recipient processor location; and

receiving a request for the first information from a recipient processor after storing the location information;

wherein encrypting first information comprises encrypting the first information in an encrypted form of the type that can be decrypted using a decryption key that includes or is composed of at least one value, number or parameter that includes the stored location information corresponding to at least one expected recipient processor location.