Anonymization of location datasets for travel studies

• US 10,200,808 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon Kent, Austin, Mark, Fix, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Phuong Thao
• Application Number:
  US14/686,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20160306813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,393 Days
• Field of Search: 707738
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods and devices for determining a number of mobile devices travelling from a first location to a second location are disclosed. A method includes determining a first subset of mobile location records associated with the first location, determining mobile device identifiers associated with the first subset, and modifying mobile location records in the first subset by replacing a mobile device identifier contained in each mobile location record with a new identifier of the first subset. The method may then determine a second subset of mobile location records associated with the second location, modify mobile location records in the second subset by replacing a mobile device identifier contained in each mobile location record with a new identifier of the first subset, and determine a number of mobile devices that travelled from the first location to the second location based upon the new identifier of the first subset.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a service provider, from a third party, a request for a number of mobile devices that have travelled from a first business location to a second business location, a given time period, a first selection of the first business location, and a second selection of the second business location;

determining, by the processor of the service provider, a first subset of mobile location records associated with the first business location;

determining, by the processor of the service provider, a plurality of mobile device identifiers associated with the first subset, wherein each of the plurality of mobile device identifiers is contained in a mobile location record in the first subset;

modifying, by the processor of the service provider, a first plurality of mobile location records in the first subset of mobile location records, wherein for each of the first plurality of mobile location records the modifying comprises replacing the mobile device identifier contained in each mobile location record with a new identifier of the first subset;

determining, by the processor of the service provider, a second subset of mobile location records associated with the second business location;

modifying, by the processor of the service provider, a second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset, wherein each of the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset contains a mobile device identifier of the plurality of mobile device identifiers associated with the first subset, wherein for each of the second plurality of mobile location records the modifying comprises replacing the mobile device identifier contained in each mobile location record with the new identifier of the first subset;

determining, by the processor of the service provider, the number of mobile devices that have travelled from the first business location to the second business location based upon the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset, wherein the determining the number of mobile devices that have travelled from the first business location to the second business location based upon the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset comprises;

determining an average number of mobile location records in the first subset associated with each mobile device identifier of the plurality of mobile device identifiers for the given time period;

determining a total number of mobile location records in the second plurality of mobile location records for a time period of a same duration as the given time period; and

dividing the total number of mobile location records in the second plurality of mobile location records for the time period of the same duration as the given time period by the average number of mobile location records in the first subset associated with each mobile device identifier of the plurality of mobile device identifiers for the given time period; and

reporting, to the third party, by the processor of the service provider, the number of mobile devices that have travelled from the first business location to the second business location to provide a travel pattern associated with the number of mobile devices for use by the third party in a marketing study, wherein the third party is different from the service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset comprises, for each mobile location record in the second plurality of mobile location records, replacing the mobile device identifier contained in the mobile location record with the new identifier of the first subset and an additional identifier that uniquely identifies a mobile device associated with the mobile device identifier as compared to other mobile devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining the number of mobile devices that have travelled from the first business location to the second business location based upon the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset comprises determining a number of additional identifiers that appear within the second subset.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein after the modifying the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset, each of the additional identifiers is not associated with any one of the mobile device identifiers that was previously contained in a mobile location record of the second plurality of mobile location records.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, by the processor, a set of mobile location records associated with an area comprising a plurality of business locations,

wherein the plurality of business locations includes the first business location and the second business location.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first selection of the first business location and the second selection of the second business location are received from a requesting device of the third party, wherein at least one of the first business location and the second business location comprises a business location associated with the requesting device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, a first time parameter associated with the first business location; and

receiving, by the processor, a second time parameter associated with the second business location.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a service provider, from a third party, a request for a number of mobile devices that have travelled from a first area to a second area, a given time period, a first selection of the first area, and a second selection of the second area;

determining, by the processor of the service provider, a first subset of mobile location records associated with the first area;

determining, by the processor of the service provider, a plurality of mobile device identifiers associated with the first subset, wherein each of the plurality of mobile device identifiers is contained in a mobile location record in the first subset;

modifying, by the processor of the service provider, a first plurality of mobile location records in the first subset of mobile location records, wherein for each of the first plurality of mobile location records the modifying comprises replacing the mobile device identifier contained in each mobile location record with a new identifier of the first subset;

determining, by the processor of the service provider, a second subset of mobile location records associated with the second area;

modifying, by the processor of the service provider, a second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset, wherein each of the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset contains a mobile device identifier of the plurality of mobile device identifiers associated with the first subset, wherein for each of the second plurality of mobile location records the modifying comprises replacing the mobile device identifier contained in the mobile location record with the new identifier of the first subset;

determining, by the processor of the service provider, based upon the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset, a business location within the second area to which a greatest number of mobile devices associated with the plurality of mobile device identifiers have travelled, wherein the determining, based upon the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset, the business location within the second area to which the greatest number of mobile devices associated with the plurality of mobile device identifiers have travelled comprises;

determining an average number of mobile location records in the first subset associated with each mobile device identifier of the first plurality of mobile device identifiers in the given time period;

determining a total number of mobile location records of the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset for a time period of a same duration as the given time period; and

dividing the total number of mobile location records in the second plurality of mobile location records for the time period of the same duration as the given time period by the average number of mobile location records in the first subset associated with each mobile device identifier in the first plurality of mobile device identifiers for the given time period; and

reporting, to the third party, by the processor of the service provider, the business location within the second area to which the greatest number of mobile devices associated with the plurality of mobile device identifiers have travelled to provide a travel pattern associated with the greatest number of mobile devices associated with the plurality of mobile device identifiers for use by the third party in a marketing study, wherein the third party is different from the service provider.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

reporting, by the processor, a number of mobile devices associated with the plurality of mobile device identifiers that have travelled to the business location within the second area to which the greatest number of mobile devices associated with the plurality of mobile device identifiers have travelled.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, based upon the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset, a second business location within the second area to which a second greatest number of mobile devices associated with the plurality of mobile device identifiers have travelled.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

reporting, by the processor, a number of mobile devices associated with the plurality of mobile device identifiers that have travelled to the second business location within the second area to which the second greatest number of mobile devices associated with the plurality of mobile device identifiers have travelled.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the modifying the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset further comprises, for each mobile location record in the second plurality of mobile location records, replacing the mobile device identifier contained in the mobile location record with the new identifier of the first subset and an additional identifier that uniquely identifies a mobile device associated with the mobile device identifier as compared to other mobile devices.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining, based upon the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset, the business location within the second area to which the greatest number of mobile devices associated with the plurality of mobile device identifiers have travelled comprises:

determining a number of additional identifiers that appear within mobile location records in the second subset that are associated with the business location within the second area.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein after the modifying the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset, each of the additional identifiers is not associated with any one of the mobile device identifiers that was previously contained in a mobile location record of the second plurality of mobile location records.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, a first time parameter associated with the first area; and

receiving, by the processor, a second time parameter associated with the second area.

16. A device, comprising:

a processor of a service provider; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processor of the service provider, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving from a third party, a request for a number of mobile devices that have travelled from a first business location to a second business location, a given time period, a first selection of the first business location, and a second selection of the second business location;

determining a first subset of mobile location records associated with the first business location;

determining a plurality of mobile device identifiers associated with the first subset, wherein each of the plurality of mobile device identifiers is contained in a mobile location record in the first subset;

modifying a first plurality of mobile location records in the first subset of mobile location records, wherein for each of the first plurality of mobile location records the modifying comprises replacing the mobile device identifier contained in each mobile location record with a new identifier of the first subset;

determining a second subset of mobile location records associated with the second business location;

modifying a second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset, wherein each of the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset contains a mobile device identifier of the plurality of mobile device identifiers associated with the first subset, wherein for each of the second plurality of mobile location records the modifying comprises replacing the mobile device identifier contained in the mobile location record with the new identifier of the first subset;

determining the number of mobile devices that have travelled from the first business location to the second business location based upon the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset, wherein the determining the number of mobile devices that have travelled from the first business location to the second business location based upon the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset comprises;

determining an average number of mobile location records in the first subset associated with each mobile device identifier of the plurality of mobile device identifiers for the given time period;

determining a total number of mobile location records in the second plurality of mobile location records for a time period of a same duration as the given time period; and

dividing the total number of mobile location records in the second plurality of mobile location records for the time period of the same duration as the given time period by the average number of mobile location records in the first subset associated with each mobile device identifier of the plurality of mobile device identifiers for the given time period; and

reporting, to the third party, the number of mobile devices that have travelled from the first business location to the second business location to provide a travel pattern associated with the number of mobile devices for use by the third party in a marketing study, wherein the third party is different from the service provider.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the modifying the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset further comprises, for each mobile location record in the second plurality of mobile location records, replacing the mobile device identifier contained in the mobile location record with the new identifier of the first subset and an additional identifier that uniquely identifies a mobile device associated with the mobile device identifier as compared to other mobile devices.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the determining the number of mobile devices that have travelled from the first business location to the second business location based upon the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset comprises determining a number of additional identifiers that appear within the second subset.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein after the modifying the second plurality of mobile location records in the second subset, each of the additional identifiers is not associated with any one of the mobile device identifiers that was previously contained in a mobile location record of the second plurality of mobile location records.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining a set of mobile location records associated with an area comprising a plurality of business locations, wherein the plurality of business locations includes the first business location and the second business location.