THIRD PARTY CONTROL OF LOCATION INFORMATION ACCESS

• US 20110173545A1
• Filed: 01/08/2010
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Meola, Aaron George
• Granted Patent: US 8,943,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/743
• 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: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment

Abstract

Controlling access to location information by entities hosted by an execution extension environment. After receiving a request from the entity for location information associated with a computing device, access rights of the entity for the requested location information are accessed. A request is sent to another computing device to determine whether to authorize access by the entity to the requested location information. Based on a response from the other computing device, access to the requested location information is enabled.

Claims

1. A system for enabling access to location information on a mobile computing device, said system comprising:

a memory area for storing access rights of an entity to location information of a first mobile computing device, the access rights specifying whether entities have access to location information associated with the first mobile computing device; and

a processor programmed to;

receive a request for the location information associated with the first mobile computing device;

obtain, from the memory area, the access rights of the entity to the requested location information;

determine whether the entity is authorized to have access to the requested location information based on the obtained access rights;

send, to a second mobile computing device, a request to authorize the entity to access the requested location information if the obtained access rights do not authorize access to the requested location information associated with the first mobile computing device; and

enable access to the requested location information based on a response from the second mobile computing device to the sent request.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application program comprises a browser and the entity comprises a web page and associated scripts.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to associate an expiration value for the access rights.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the access rights include data defining the requested location information to be collected by the entity and/or a purpose for the requested location information.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for controlling access by the entity to the requested location information.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for managing the access rights in the memory area.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured to request user input from the second mobile computing device to define the access rights.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the access rights include data for reducing an accuracy of the location information to be collected by the entity.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, from an entity associated with at least one execution extension environment, a request for location information of a first computing device;

accessing access rights of the entity for the requested location information;

determining, via a processor, if the entity has access to the requested location information;

sending, to a second computing device, a request to authorize the entity access to the requested location information based on the determining; and

enabling access to the requested location information associated with the first computing device based on a response from the second computing device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving user input from the second computing device that defines the access rights.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising reducing the accuracy of the location information exposed to the entity.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the access rights are predefined.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising associating an expiration value with the access rights.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the execution extension environment comprises a browser and the entity comprises a web page.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the request to authorize the entity access to the requested location information is sent by at least one of the following:

SMS, email, automated voice message, and an application built into the second computing device.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the access rights authorize access to the requested location information based on at least one of the following:

a type of entity making a request for the location information, a day of the week, a time of day, and a location of the first computing device.

17. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components, said components comprising:

an access component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to receive, from an entity, a request for location information associated with a first mobile computing device;

a permissions component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to send the request for the location information from the first mobile computing device to a second mobile computing device; and

an interface component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to receive user input from the second mobile computing device, wherein the user input comprises access rights for the entity to the location information on the first mobile computing device.

18. The computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the interface component further comprises requesting user input to define an expiration for the access rights

19. The computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the location information describes a current location of the first mobile computing device.

20. The computer-readable media of claim 17, further comprising an accuracy component that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to reduce accuracy of the location information exposed to the entity.