NETWORK-BASED GEO-LOCATION IDENTIFICATION OF AN END-USER DEVICE

• US 20100318628A1
• Filed: 06/10/2009
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: PACELLA, Dante J., Schiller, Harold Jason, Solis, Norman Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,077,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/30 for supporting lawful interception, monitoring or retaining of communications or communication related information circuit switched telephony call monitoring H04M3/2281
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• 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

A device receives a connection from a user device, and provides, to a database, connection information associated with the user device. The device receives, from the database, user device information based on the connection information, where the user device information includes a location associated with the user device. The device also receives a trigger instructing the device to provide the user device information to a content provider device, and provides the user device information to the content provider device when the trigger is received.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computing device associated with a network, the method comprising:

receiving a connection by a user device to the computing device;

providing, by the computing device and to a database, connection information associated with the user device;

receiving, from the database and by the computing device, user device information based on the connection information, the user device information including a location associated with the user device;

receiving, by the computing device, a trigger instructing the computing device to provide the user device information to a content provider device; and

providing, by the computing device, the user device information to the content provider device when the trigger is received.

2. The method of claim 1, where the receiving a connection comprises one or more of:

receiving a single port connection by the user device,

receiving a shared access connection by the user device, or

receiving a mobile connection by the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, where providing connection information comprises one or more of:

providing, to the database, information associated with a network attachment point of the user device, or

providing, to the database, information associated with a user device attachment point.

4. The method of claim 1, where receiving user device information comprises one or more of:

receiving registration information associated with the user device,

receiving attachment point information associated with the user device,

receiving location information associated with the user device,

receiving zip code information associated with the user device,

receiving speed information associated with the user device,

receiving type information associated with the user device, or

receiving load information associated with the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, where receiving a trigger comprises one or more of:

receiving a network event-based trigger,

receiving a customer-specified trigger,

receiving a content provider-specified trigger, or

receiving a provider-specified trigger.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

verifying a content provider associated with the content provider device when the trigger is received; and

providing the user device information to the content provider device when the content provider is verified.

7. The method of claim 1, where the content provider device provides custom content to the user device when the user device information is received from the computing device.

8. The method of claim 7, where the custom content comprises one or more of:

content localized for the user device based on the user device information,

content redirected to a specific local content provider based on the user device information, or

financial transactions restricted to a specific location based on the user device information.

9. The method of claim 1, where, when the user device information is received from the computing device, the content provider device one or more of:

calculates demographic statistics based on the user device information,

prevents content delivery to illegal locations based on the user device information, or

provides, to law enforcement or emergency services entities, a location of the user device based on the user device information.

10. The method of claim 1, where the computing device comprises a provider device.

11. The method of claim 1, where the user device comprises one or more of:

a radiotelephone,

a personal communications system (PCS) terminal,

a set-top box (STB),

a personal digital assistant (PDA),

a laptop computer, or

a personal computer.

12. A method implemented by a computing device associated with a network, the method comprising:

receiving, from a provider device associated with the network and by the computing device, information associated with a user device connected to the provider device; and

providing, by the computing device, custom content to the user device when the user device information is received, where the custom content includes information customized based on the location of the user device, as determined from the user device information.

13. The method of claim 12, where the custom content comprises one or more of:

content localized for the user device based on the user device information,

content redirected to a specific local content provider based on the user device information, or

financial transactions restricted to a specific location based on the user device information.

14. The method of claim 12, where, when the user device information is received from the provider device, the method further comprises one or more of:

calculating demographic statistics based on the user device information,

preventing content delivery to illegal locations based on the user device information, or

providing, to law enforcement or emergency services entities, the location of the user device based on the user device information.

15. The method of claim 12, where the computing device comprises a content provider device.

16. A device, comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

a processor to execute instructions in the memory to;

receive a connection by a user device to the device,

provide, to a database, connection information associated with the user device,

receive, from the database, user device information based on the connection information, the user device information including a location associated with the user device,

receive a trigger instructing the device to provide the user device information to a content provider device,

verify a content provider associated with the content provider device when the trigger is received, and

provide the user device information to the content provider device when the content provider is verified.

17. The device of claim 16, where the device comprises a provider device.

18. The device of claim 16, where the connection comprises one or more of:

a single port connection by the user device,

a shared access connection by the user device, or

a mobile connection by the user device.

19. The device of claim 16, where the connection information comprises one or more of:

information associated with a network attachment point of the user device, or

information associated with a user device attachment point.

20. The device of claim 16, where the user device information comprises one or more of:

registration information associated with the user device,

attachment point information associated with the user device,

location information associated with the user device,

zip code information associated with the user device,

speed information associated with the user device,

type information associated with the user device, or

load information associated with the device.

21. The device of claim 16, where the trigger comprises one or more of:

a network event-based trigger,

a customer-specified trigger,

a content provider-specified trigger, or

a provider-specified trigger.

22. The device of claim 16, where the content provider device provides custom content to the user device when the user device information is received from the device.

23. The device of claim 22, where the custom content comprises one or more of:

content localized for the user device based on the user device information,

content redirected to a specific local content provider based on the user device information, or

financial transactions restricted to a specific location based on the user device information.

24. The device of claim 16, where, when the user device information is received from the device, the content provider device one or more of:

calculates demographic statistics based on the user device information,

prevents content delivery to illegal locations based on the user device information, or

provides, to law enforcement or emergency services entities, a location of the user device based on the user device information.

25. The device of claim 16, where the user device comprises one or more of:

a radiotelephone,

a personal communications system (PCS) terminal,

a set-top box (STB),

a personal digital assistant (PDA),

a laptop computer, or

a personal computer.