SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING WIRELESS NETWORK SERVICES USING THREE-DIMENSIONAL ACCESS ZONES

• US 20080287056A1
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: van de Groenendaal, Joannes G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/14 Arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations

Abstract

A system and method for providing wireless network services using three-dimensional access zones is provided. One or more sensors may determine signal strength information, distance, or other positional information for wireless devices. An agent may provide information relating to fixed wireless reference points, and may control underlying operating systems for the reference points based on policies defined by a manager. For example, the manager may be coupled to the sensors and to the agent, and may define a three-dimensional coordinate system for a managed environment. By collecting information from the sensors and the agent, the manager may triangulate three-dimensional locations of the wireless devices, and may enforce three-dimensional access zone policies for the wireless network via the agent.

Claims

1. A method for providing wireless network services using three-dimensional access zones, comprising:

defining a three-dimensional managed network space that includes one or more three-dimensional access zones;

determining a three-dimensional location of a wireless networking device, the determined location identifying at least one of the access zones in the defined space in which the device is located; and

enforcing at least one policy associated with the identified access zone to determine whether to provide the wireless network services to the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location includes collecting signal strength information for the wireless networking device using a wireless radio frequency sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location includes collecting relative distance and directional information using a position-aware sensor.

4. The method of claim 3, the position-aware sensor including a sectored antenna.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the location further includes:

collecting relative distance and directional information based on a signal received in a first sector visible to the sectored antenna; and

adjusting the collected distance and directional information based on a signal received in at least one second sector visible to the sectored antenna.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the location includes determining a plurality of possible three-dimensional locations for the wireless networking device, and eliminating at least one of the possible locations as a non-physical result.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein eliminating at least one of the possible locations includes comparing the determined possible locations to the defined coordinate system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location includes querying the device or a user of the device as to the location.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the querying includes confirming a response by the device or the user of the device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location includes determining positional information for the wireless networking device using at least four wireless network reference points to uniquely identify the location.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein uniquely identifying the location includes determining a point of intersection of four spheres, the four spheres respectively centered around the four wireless network reference points and having respective radii equal to a determined distance from the reference point to the device.

12. The method of claim 1, the enforced policy controlling access to the wireless network services based on an association between the identified access zone and one or more user, device, or temporal authorizations.

13. A system for providing wireless network services using three-dimensional access zones, comprising:

a plurality of sensors that receive a signal from a wireless networking device;

a controller coupled to the sensor, the controller operable to;

store a three-dimensional managed network space that includes one or more three-dimensional access zones;

determine a three-dimensional location of the wireless networking device, the determined location identifying at least one of the access zones in the defined space in which the device is located; and

enforce at least one policy associated with the identified access zone to determine whether to provide the wireless network services to the device.

14. The system of claim 13, at least one of the sensors including a sectored antenna, the controller further operable to collect signals received by each of a plurality of sectors visible to the sectored antenna to determine a distance and a direction from the sectored antenna, the collected signals being used to determine the three-dimensional location of the device.

15. The system of claim 14, the controller further operable to:

collect relative distance and directional information based on a signal received in a first sector visible to the sectored antenna; and

adjust the collected distance and directional information based on a signal received in at least one second sector visible to the sectored antenna.

16. The system of claim 14, the plurality of sensors including at least three wireless network reference points, the controller further operable to determine a plurality of possible three-dimensional locations for the wireless networking device and eliminate at least one of the possible locations as a non-physical result.

17. The system of claim 16, the controller operable to eliminate the at least one possible location by comparing the determined possible locations to the stored coordinate system.

18. The system of claim 13, plurality of sensors including at least four wireless network reference points, the controller operable to uniquely identify the location using the four reference points.

19. The system of claim 13, the controller operable to enforce the policy by controlling access to the wireless network services based on an association between the identified access zone and one or more user, device, or temporal authorizations.