IP Library Granted Patent US 10,667,077
Granted Patent B2
US 10,667,077 · App. 16/024,606 · Granted May 26, 2020

User consent for hybrid location sharing services

Inventors: Virginia Howard (Oakland, CA); Dan Hodges (Oakland, CA)
Assignee: Avast Software s.r.o.
H04W4/02H04L67/18
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,667,077
App. No.
16/024,606
Granted
May 26, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A hybrid location service maintains a user state for each of a plurality of mobile devices communicably coupled to the hybrid location service via one or more networks. The hybrid location service can receive a request for a location of a mobile device. In response, the hybrid location service can determine a consent source. The consent source can include the mobile device or a network operator of the network used by the mobile device. The hybrid location service determines a response to the request for the location of the mobile device based, at least in part, on a user state of the mobile device and a user consent obtained from the consent source.

Claims (38)

1. A method for providing mobile device location based on user consent, the method comprising:

maintaining, by a hybrid location service, a user state for each of a plurality of mobile devices communicably coupled to the hybrid location service via one or more networks;

receiving, by the hybrid location service, a request for a location of a first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices;

determining a consent source from a plurality of consent sources based, at least in part, on the user state of the first mobile device, wherein at least a first consent source of the plurality of consent sources is a device-based location consent maintained on the first mobile device, and wherein at least a second consent source of the plurality of consent sources is a network-based location consent maintained by a mobile service operator of at least one of the networks; and

determining a response to the request for the location of the first mobile device based, at least in part, on the user state and a user consent from the consent source.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the response to the request includes determining to share a device based location if the user consent indicates that consent has been provided to share the device based location and determining to share a network based location if the user consent indicates that consent has been provided to share the network based location.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the response to the request includes determining to share a previous location of the first mobile device if the user consent indicates that consent has not been provided to share a device based location or a network based location.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the response to the request includes determining not to share a current location of the first mobile device in response to detecting that the first mobile device is in a tampered state.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising determining that the user state comprises the tampered state in response to determining that a location app has been removed from the first mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request comprises an emergency request, and wherein determining the response to the request includes sharing a device based location if the device based location is available and the user consent indicates that consent has been provided to share the device based location and sharing a network based location if the user consent indicates that consent has not been provided.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request comprises an emergency request, and further comprising:

causing a user interface for providing consent to be displayed more prominently on the first mobile device receiving the emergency request in response to determining that at least one of consent to share device based location or consent to share network based location has not been provided.

8. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for providing mobile device location based on user consent, the computer executable instructions to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

maintain, by a hybrid location service, a user state for each of a plurality of mobile devices communicably coupled to the hybrid location service via one or more networks;

receive, by the hybrid location service, a request for a location of a first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices;

determine a consent source from a plurality of consent sources based, at least in part, on the user state of the first mobile device, wherein at least a first consent source of the plurality of consent sources is a device-based location consent maintained on the first mobile device, and wherein at least a second consent source of the plurality of consent sources is a network-based location consent maintained by a mobile service operator of at least one of the networks; and

determine a response to the request for the location of the first mobile device based, at least in part, on the user state and a user consent from the consent source.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the computer executable instructions to determine the response to the request include computer executable instructions to determine to share a device based location if the user consent indicates that consent has been provided to share the device based location and determine to share a network based location if the user consent indicates that consent has been provided to share the network based location.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the computer executable instructions to determine the response to the request include computer executable instructions to determine to share a previous location of the first mobile device if the user consent indicates that consent has not been provided to share a device based location or a network based location.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the computer executable instructions to determine the response to the request include computer executable instructions to determine not to share a current location of the first mobile device in response to detecting that the first mobile device is in a tampered state.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise computer executable instructions to determine that the user state comprises the tampered state in response to a determination that a location app has been removed from the first mobile device.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the request comprises an emergency request, and wherein the computer executable instructions to determine the response to the request include computer executable instructions to share a device based location if the device based location is available and the user consent indicates that consent has been provided to share the device based location and to share a network based location if the user consent indicates that consent has not been provided.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the request comprises an emergency request, and wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise computer executable instructions to:

cause a user interface for providing consent to be displayed more prominently on the first mobile device receiving the emergency request in response to a determination that at least one of consent to share device based location or consent to share network based location has not been provided.

15. An apparatus for providing mobile device location based on user consent, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions to cause the one or more processors to:

maintain, by a hybrid location service, a user state for each of a plurality of mobile devices communicably coupled to the hybrid location service via one or more networks;

receive, by the hybrid location service, a request for a location of a first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices;

determine a consent source from a plurality of consent sources based, at least in part, on the user state of the first mobile device, wherein at least a first consent source of the plurality of consent sources is a device-based location consent maintained on the first mobile device, and wherein at least a second consent source of the plurality of consent sources is a network-based location consent maintained by a mobile service operator of at least one of the networks; and

determine a response to the request for the location of the first mobile device based, at least in part, on the user state and a user consent from the consent source.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the computer executable instructions to determine the response to the request include computer executable instructions to determine to share a device based location if the user consent indicates that consent has been provided to share the device based location and determine to share a network based location if the user consent indicates that consent has been provided to share the network based location.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the computer executable instructions to determine the response to the request include computer executable instructions to determine to share a previous location of the first mobile device if the user consent indicates that consent has not been provided to share a device based location or a network based location.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the computer executable instructions to determine the response to the request include computer executable instructions to determine not to share a current location of the first mobile device in response to detecting that the first mobile device is in a tampered state.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise computer executable instructions to determine that the user state comprises the tampered state in response to a determination that a location app has been removed from the first mobile device.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the request comprises an emergency request, and wherein the computer executable instructions to determine the response to the request include computer executable instructions to share a device based location if the device based location is available and the user consent indicates that consent has been provided to share the device based location and to share a network based location if the user consent indicates that consent has not been provided.

21. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the request comprises an emergency request, and wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise computer executable instructions to:

cause a user interface for providing consent to be displayed more prominently on the first mobile device receiving the emergency request in response to a determination that at least one of consent to share device based location or consent to share network based location has not been provided.

Assignments (8)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 30, 2025
From: GEN DIGITAL AMERICAS S.R.O.
To: GEN DIGITAL INC.
Reel/Frame 071771/0767 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 30, 2025
From: AVAST SOFTWARE S.R.O.
To: GEN DIGITAL AMERICAS S.R.O.
Reel/Frame 071777/0341 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 4, 2020
From: AVAST SOFTWARE B.V.
To: AVAST SOFTWARE S.R.O.
Reel/Frame 052009/0605 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 4, 2020
From: AVG NETHERLANDS B.V.
To: AVAST SOFTWARE B.V.
Reel/Frame 052008/0798 →
PROPRIETARY INFORMATION AND INVENTIONS AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 3, 2020
From: HODGES, DAN
To: WAVEMARKET, INC.
Reel/Frame 052077/0111 →
PROPRIETARY INFORMATION AND INVENTIONS AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 3, 2020
From: HOWARD, VIRGINIA
To: WAVEMARKET, INC.
Reel/Frame 052077/0016 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Mar 3, 2020
From: WAVEMARKET, INC.
To: LOCATION LABS, INC.
Reel/Frame 051996/0853 →
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 3, 2020
From: LOCATION LABS, INC.
To: AVG NETHERLANDS B.V.
Reel/Frame 052079/0569 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62527664 · Jun 30, 2017
Related Publication 20190007790A1 · Jan 3, 2019