Granted Patent B2

US 10,123,255 · App. 15/356,746 · Granted Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

Claims (44)

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining that a first balloon is at a location associated with a first legally-defined geographic area in a balloon network, wherein the balloon network provides service in a plurality of legally-defined geographic areas;

in response to determining that the first balloon is at the location, accessing an area profile associated with the first legally-defined geographic area, wherein the area profile identifies a list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached by the first balloon while the first balloon as at the location within the first legally-defined geographic area;

while the first balloon is at the location, the first balloon receiving data from a device at a location outside of the first legally-defined geographic area;

using the list of geographically-prohibited data to determine that the data is geographically-prohibited data in the first legally-defined geographic area; and

responsive to the determination that the received data is geographically-prohibited data, refraining from caching the received data in data storage at the first balloon while the first balloon is at the location within the first legally-defined geographic area.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached in the first legally-defined geographic area comprises a prohibited class of data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached in the first legally-defined geographic area comprises a prohibited instance of data.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the first balloon receiving the area profile from a ground-based station that is associated with the first legally-defined geographic area.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the first balloon receiving the area profile from a second balloon in the balloon network.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein refraining from storing the data in the data storage at the first balloon comprises the balloon altering a routing process such that the data is not cached in the data storage at the first balloon as part of the routing process.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the area profile for the first legally-defined geographic area further indicates geographically-prohibited data for each of one or more second legally-defined geographic areas, the method further comprising:

responsive to the determination that the received data is geographically-prohibited data in the first legally-defined geographic area, (i) identifying a second balloon of the plurality of balloons that is at a location outside of the second legally-defined geographic area, (ii) using the second list of geographically-prohibited data to determine that the received data is not geographically-prohibited at the location of the second balloon, and (iii) routing the received data to the second balloon.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more second legally-defined geographic areas are adjacent to the first legally-defined geographic area.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors in a computing device, cause that computing device to perform functions, the functions comprising:

determining that a first balloon is at a location associated with a first legally-defined geographic area in a balloon network, wherein the balloon network provides service in a plurality of legally-defined geographic areas;

in response to determining that the first balloon is at the location, accessing an area profile associated with the first legally-defined geographic area, wherein the area profile identifies a list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached by the first balloon while the first balloon as at the location within the first legally-defined geographic area;

while the first balloon is at the location, the first balloon receiving data from a device at a location outside of the first legally-defined geographic area;

using the list of geographically-prohibited data to determine that the data is geographically-prohibited data in the first legally-defined geographic area; and

responsive to the determination that the received data is geographically-prohibited data, refraining from caching the received data in data storage at the first balloon while the first balloon is at the location within the first legally-defined geographic area.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , the functions further comprising the first balloon receiving the area profile from a ground-based station that is associated with the first legally-defined geographic.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , the functions further comprising the first balloon receiving the area profile from a ground-based station that is associated with the first legally-defined geographic area.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached in the first legally-defined geographic area comprises a prohibited class of data.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached in the first legally-defined geographic area comprises a prohibited instance of data.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein refraining from storing the data in the data storage at the first balloon comprises the balloon altering a routing process such that the data is not cached in the data storage at the first balloon as part of the routing process.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the area profile for the first legally-defined geographic area further indicates geographically-prohibited data for each of one or more second legally-defined geographic areas, the method further comprising:

responsive to the determination that the received data is geographically-prohibited data in the first legally-defined geographic area, (i) identifying a second balloon of the plurality of balloons that is at a location outside of the second legally-defined geographic area, (ii) using the second list of geographically-prohibited data to determine that the received data is not geographically-prohibited at the location of the second balloon, and (iii) routing the received data to the second balloon.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the one or more second legally-defined geographic areas are adjacent to the first legally-defined geographic area.

17. A balloon comprising:

a location determination system configured to determine a location of the balloon;

a communication interface configured to receive data; and

a control system configured to:

determine that the location of the balloon is associated with a first legally-defined geographic area in a balloon network, wherein the balloon network provides service in a plurality of legally-defined geographic areas;

in response to determining that the balloon is at the location, access an area profile associated with the first legally-defined geographic area, wherein the area profile identifies a list of geographically-prohibited data that is restricted from being cached by the balloon while the balloon as at the location within the first legally-defined geographic area;

while the balloon is at the location, receive data from a device at a location outside of the first legally-defined geographic area;

use the list of geographically-prohibited data to determine that the data is geographically-prohibited data in the first legally-defined geographic area; and

responsive to the determination that the received data is geographically-prohibited data, refrain from caching the received data in data storage at the balloon while the balloon is at the location within the first legally-defined geographic area.

18. The balloon of claim 17 , wherein the balloon is a first balloon, and wherein the area profile further indicates geographically-restricted data that must not be removed from the first legally-defined geographic area, wherein the control system is further configured to:

determine that the first balloon contains at least some of the geographically-restricted data;

detect when the first balloon is likely to move out of the first legally-defined geographic area; and

when the first balloon is likely to move out of the first legally-defined geographic area, responsively remove the geographically-restricted data from the memory of the first balloon.

19. The balloon of claim 18 , wherein the area profile further indicates geographically-restricted data be saved in at least one location in the first legally-defined geographic area, wherein the control system is further configured to:

determine if a second balloon located in the first legally-defined geographic area contains the geographically-restricted data; and

responsive to the determination that the second balloon does not include the geographically-restricted data, transfer the geographically-restricted data from the first balloon to a device that is located in the first legally-defined geographic area, before removing the geographically-restricted data from the memory of the first balloon.

Assignments (8)