Location-based obfuscation of user information

• US 10,776,842 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2018
• Issued: 09/15/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Inventors: Liu, Zhe, Phillips, Jeremy, Volfson, Hannah
• Primary Examiner(s): Airapetian, Mila
• Application Number:
  US16/017,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20190139114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0615 Anonymizing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A device is provided to receive, from a first device, a request for a product or service, determine a first geographic location of the first device, and identify a second device that is located in a geographic region associated with the first geographic location. The second device may be associated with a user that is capable of providing the product or service. The device may provide, to the first device, information regarding a second geographic location of the second device. The information may specify an obfuscated second geographic location without revealing the second geographic location. The device may also receive, from the first device, an instruction to provide the request to the second device, provide the request to the second device, receive an acceptance of the request from the second device, and provide, to the second device, data indicating the first geographic location of the first device.

Claims

1. A server device, comprising:

one or more memories; and

one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, to;

identify, based on a request from a first device, a plurality of second devices that are located in a geographic region associated with a first geographic location of the first device,

the plurality of second devices being associated with respective users that are capable of providing a product or a service; and

provide, to the first device via a user interface, information regarding second geographic locations of the plurality of second devices,

the information specifying an obfuscated second geographic location of at least one of the plurality of second devices,

the obfuscated second geographic location being determined based on identifying a third geographic location that is within a threshold distance from an actual second geographic location of the at least one of the plurality of second devices, and

the user interface to enable the first device to select a second device of the plurality of second devices.

2. The server device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

receive, from the first device, an instruction to provide the request to a subset of the plurality of second devices; and

provide, based on the instruction, the request to the subset of the plurality of second devices.

3. The server device of claim 2, where the one or more processors are further to:

receive an acceptance of the request from the second device included in the subset of the plurality of second devices; and

provide, to the second device and based on receiving the acceptance, data indicating the first geographic location of the first device.

4. The server device of claim 1, where the threshold distance is based on a measure of population density for the geographic region.

5. The server device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when providing the information regarding the second geographic locations of the plurality of second devices, are to:

provide, for display by the first device, data representing the obfuscated second geographic location on a map.

6. The server device of claim 1, where the obfuscated second geographic location is associated with an estimated time of arrival of the first device at a second geographic location of the second device.

7. The server device of claim 1, where the user interface is provided via a peer-to-peer transaction application.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

identify, based on a request from a first device, a plurality of second devices that are located within a threshold distance of a first geographic location of the first device,

the plurality of second devices being associated with respective users that are capable of providing a product or a service; and

provide, to the first device via a user interface, information regarding second geographic locations of the plurality of second devices,

the information specifying an obfuscated second geographic location of the plurality of second devices,

the obfuscated second geographic location being different than an actual second geographic location of the at least one of the plurality of second devices, and

the user interface to enable the first device to select a second device of the plurality of second devices.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

provide, for display by the first device, data representing the obfuscated second geographic location on a map.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive, from the first device, an instruction to provide the request to a subset of the plurality of second devices; and

provide, based on the instruction, the request to the subset of the plurality of second devices.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive an acceptance of the request from the second device,

the second device being included in the subset of the plurality of second devices; and

provide, to the second device and based on receiving the acceptance, data indicating the first geographic location of the first device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the obfuscated second geographic location is associated with an estimated time of arrival of the first device at a second geographic location of the second device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

provide a navigation device with data requesting navigation instructions for navigating from the second geographic location to the first geographic location; and

receive, from the navigation device, data indicating the estimated time of arrival.

14. A method, comprising:

identifying, by a server device and based on a request from a first device, a second device that is located in a geographic region associated with a first geographic location,

the second device being associated with a user that is capable of providing a product or a service; and

providing, by the server device and to the first device via a user interface, information regarding a second geographic location of the second device,

the information specifying an obfuscated second geographic location of the second device, and

the obfuscated second geographic location including mock data representing a mock geographic location of the second device without revealing the second geographic location of the second device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing, for display by the first device, data representing the obfuscated second geographic location on a map.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying user account data associated with the first device; and

generating information specifying the obfuscated second geographic location based on a type of account associated with the user account data.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying first user account data associated with the first device;

identifying second user account data associated with the second device;

identifying a social connection based on the first user account data and the second user account data; and

generating the information specifying the obfuscated second geographic location based on the social connection.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying user account data associated with the second device;

identifying, based on the user account data, obfuscation preferences; and

generating the information specifying the obfuscated second geographic location based on the obfuscation preferences.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying user account data associated with the second device; and

providing, to the first device, information specifying obfuscated account data based on the user account data.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating the information specifying the obfuscated second geographic location based on the product or service.