Depersonalizing location traces
US8463289B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 17, 2011 |
| Grant date | Jun 11, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 17, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04W88/08
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Positional information is provided while minimizing the possibility that personally identifiable information can be derived therefrom. Positional information is received in the form of trails that can be aggregated. Individual cells of a grid reflect a quantity of aggregated trails through those cells, an average intensity and direction of movement through those cells, or a more detailed distribution thereof. Alternatively, individual trails are aggregated to an aggregated trail in the form of a line. Further obfuscation of personally identifiable information occurs by resampling aggregated positional information, by introducing false positional information, or by falsely modifying existing positional information, in a manner that does not impact the overall aggregations, and by pruning, or deleting, positional information, especially around sensitive locations, such as a user's home, place of business, or other location that users typically would seek to keep private. Provision of positional information is delayed until a sufficient amount is received.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.