Access to applications of an electronic processing device solely based on geographic location

• US 7,080,402 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2001
• Issued: 07/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Santosuosso, John Matthew, Nelson, Eric John, Bates, Cary Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUONG, THANHNGA B
• Application Number:
  US09/804,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20020125886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,954 Days
• Field of Search: 713/200, 342/357, 455/410, 455/429, 455/411, 705/3, 701/200, 235/487, 235/457, 380/258, 726/2, 709/226, 709/229, 711/170
• US Class Current: 726/2
• 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: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals

Abstract

Applications/functions within an electronic processing device having a GPS card and antenna, such as a laptop or personal digital assistant, can be enabled only when in a specified geographic location. For each critical application/function, its accessibility is programmed to be enabled/disabled only in specified geographic regions. No additional passwords are required: access or abortion of an running program are automatic. The geographic regions can be input into the electronic processing device using GPS processing or using a graphical user interface on a map. Other methods of determining the boundaries of the appropriate geographic regions for each applications/functions are disclosed. An application/function will not be opened if the electronic device is not within the geographic region associated with the application/function. When an existing application/function is running and the user changes geographic regions, an abort message is automatically generated for those applications/functions that should not be active in the new geographic regions. A GPS card and antenna within the electronic processing device receive and process the device'"'"'s current location.

Claims

1. An electronic processing device, comprising:

(a) a user interface to interact with a user;

(b) location detection electronics within the electronic processing device;

(c) processing electronics within the electronic processing device connected to the user interface and the location detection electronics;

(d) memory to store a plurality of functions/applications, and at least one geographic location in which at least one function/application is enabled, and an enablement bit to enable the at least one function/application in the geographic location, the memory within the electronic processing device and connected to the processing electronics; and

(e) a verifier to periodically determine that the electronic processing device is still within the geographic region while the at least one function/application is enabled, and if not, to disable the at least one function/application.

2. A method to access an application/function in an electronic processing device, comprising the steps of:

(a) invoking a user interface of the electronic processing device;

(b) obtaining the GPS location from GPS processing electronics within the electronic processing device of a first geographic location and creating boundaries by extending a selected distance from the GPS location to derive a first geographic region;

(c) associating at least one application/function of the electronic processing device with the first geographic region;

(d) enabling a user to access the at least one application/function of the electronic device only when the electronic device is in the first geographic region based solely on whether the electronic processing device is within the geographic region associated with the at least one application/function by determining the present location of the electronic device using GPS signals processed by GPS processing electronics within the electronic device, and enabling the electronic device based on an enablement bit within the electronic device;

(e) periodically confirming that the electronic device is still within the first geographic region while the at least one application/function is enabled; and

(f) disabling the at least one application/function when the electronic device is moved out of the first geographic region while the at least one application/function is enable.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of entering a description of a first geographic region further comprises:

(a) delineating the boundaries of the first geographic region using a graphical user interface on a map containing the first geographic region.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of entering a description of a first geographic region further comprises entering the longitude and latitude coordinates of the boundaries of the geographic region.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of entering a description of a first geographic region further comprises entering a street address associated with a geographic region.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(a) entering a description of a second geographic region;

(b) associating a second application/function with the second geographic region.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

(a) assigning a priority to the first and second geographic region.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

(a) assigning a priority to the first and second application/function.

9. A method to restrict access to an application/function of an electronic processing device, comprising the steps of:

(a) invoking a user interface of the electronic processing device;

(b) determining the present location of the electronic processing device;

(c) invoking an application/function of the electronic processing device;

(d) enabling the application/function of the electronic processing device by determining that an enablement bit in memory of the electronic processing device is enabled within the present location of the electronic processing device; and

(e) sending a message to abort the enabled application/function whenever the electronic processing device is moved out of present location.

10. A method to protect an electronic processing device from unauthorized use, comprising the steps of:

(a) invoking a user interface of the electronic processing device;

(b) entering a description of at least one geographic location by a method selected from the group of methods consisting of;

obtaining the GPS location from GPS processing electronics within the electronic processing device and creating boundaries by extending a selected distance from the GPS location, delineating the boundaries of the first geographic region using a graphical user interface on a map containing the first geographic region, entering the longitude and latitude of the boundaries of the geographic region, and entering a street address associated with a geographic region;

(c) invoking at least one application/function stored on the electronic processing device;

(d) associating each of the at least one application/function with one of the at least one geographic region by enabling a bit in memory of the electronic processing device which indicates that the at least one application/function can be enabled with the at least one geographic region;

(e) determining the present location of the electronic processing device using GPS signals processed by GPS processing electronics within the electronic processing device;

(f) assigning priority to the at least one geographic region;

(g) allowing the user to use the at least one application/function in the at least one geographic region solely because the at least one geographic region is the geographic region associated with the at least one application/function;

(h) indicating that the electronic processing device has moved out of the associated geographic region; and

(i) notifying a user that the at least one application/function should be aborted.

11. An article of manufacture, comprising a data storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine readable instructions executable by an electronic processing apparatus to perform method steps for operating the electronic processing apparatus, said method steps comprising the steps of:

(a) storing a plurality of descriptions of geographic regions in memory of an electronic processing apparatus;

(b) storing a plurality of applications/functions in memory of an electronic processing apparatus, each associated with one or more of the descriptions of geographic regions by storing an enablement bit in memory of the electronic processing apparatus for one of the plurality of applications/functions for one or more of the descriptions of geographic regions;

(c) assigning a priority to each of the plurality of descriptions of geographic regions;

(d) determining and periodically updating the present location of the electronic processing device; and

(e) allowing a user to use an application/function of the electronic processing device in the present location solely because the present location is within the description of the geographic region associated with the application/function of the electronic processing device.

12. A secure electronic processing device, comprising:

(a) means within the secure electronic processing device to store a plurality of descriptions of geographic locations in which said secure electronic processing device may be used;

(b) means within the secure electronic processing device to store a plurality of geographic-specific applications/functions;

(c) means within the secure electronic processing device to store a plurality of enablement bits, each of the enablement bits enables on of the plurality of geographic-specific applications/functions in at least one of the plurality of descriptions of geographic locations;

(d) means within the secure electronic processing device to periodcally determine that present location of said electronic processing device;

(e) means within the secure electronic processing device to determine that said present location is one of said geographic locations;

(f) means within the secure electronic processing device to invoke a geographic-specific application/function;

(g) means within the secure electronic processing device to allow access to the invoked geographic-specific application/function because the present location is one of said geographic locations associated and the invoked geographic-specific application/function has an enablement bit on.

13. The secure electronic processing device of claim 12, wherein the means to determine that said present location is one of said geographic locations further comprises a GPS antenna and GPS processing electronics.

14. The secure electronic processing device of claim 13, further comprising means to abort the invoked geographic-specific application/function solely because the present location is not one of said geographic locations associated with the invoked geographic-specific application/function.