Securely conveying location and other information in advanced networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10798566-B2
Application number	US-201816210538-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2018
Priority date	Dec 5, 2018
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

Facilitating secure conveyance of location information and other information in advanced networks (e.g., 4G, 5G, and beyond) is provided herein. Operations of a system can comprise transforming, at a chipset level of the device, information indicative of a location of the device into a binary representation of the information indicative of the location of the device. The operations can also comprise embedding the binary representation of the information indicative of the location of the device into a message. Further, the operations can comprise facilitating a transmission of the message and the binary representation of the information indicative of the location of the device to a network device of a communications network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
transforming, at a chipset level of the device, information indicative of a location of the device into a binary representation of the information indicative of the location of the device;
selecting a message from a group of messages, the selecting being based on an occurrence frequency of a transmission of the message being determined to satisfy a defined occurrence frequency level;
embedding the binary representation of the information indicative of the location of the device into the message; and
facilitating the transmission of the message and the binary representation of the information indicative of the location of the device to network equipment.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the embedding comprises embedding the binary representation in least significant bits of the message.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the defined occurrence frequency level is selected to retain a defined radio link performance level of a radio link of a communications network, comprising the network equipment.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving the information indicative of the location of the device from a radio beacon within a vicinity of the device during a defined time period.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the information indicative of the location of the device comprises proxy information that is related to the location of the device, and that is indirectly converted into location information.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein the radio beacon is received from a Wi-Fi enabled device via a Wi-Fi communications link of a communications network comprising the network equipment.

7. The device of claim 4 , wherein the radio beacon is received from a Bluetooth enabled device via a Bluetooth communications link of a communications network, comprising the network equipment.

8. The device of claim 4 , wherein the radio beacon is received from a near field communication enabled device via a near field communications link of a communications network, comprising the network equipment.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
prior to the facilitating of the transmission of the message, facilitating a conveyance of a preamble that indicates a start of the binary representation of the information indicative of the location of the device.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the embedding comprises using steganography to embed the binary representation in the message.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the facilitating comprises facilitating the transmission of the message via a communications network configured to operate according to a fifth generation communications protocol.

12. A method, comprising:
receiving, by first network equipment comprising a processor, information indicative of a location of the first network equipment from a radio beacon within a vicinity of the first network equipment during a defined time period;
embedding, by the first network equipment, a preamble and a binary representation of the information indicative of the location into a message directed to second network equipment, wherein the preamble provides an indication of a start of the binary representation of the information indicative of the location of the first network equipment; and
communicating, by the first network equipment, the message that comprises the preamble and the binary representation to the second network equipment.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the embedding comprises embedding the binary representation in a group of least significant bits of the message.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the preamble comprises a synchronization signal of bits.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the information indicative of the location of the first network equipment comprises proxy information that is related to the location of the first network equipment, and wherein the proxy information does not comprise global positioning system information.

16. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a base station comprising a processor, a transmission from a mobile device, wherein the transmission comprises a first message embedded in a second message, wherein the first message comprises information indicative of a location of the mobile device;
separating, by the base station, a first group of bits in the first message from a second group of bits in the first message; and
determining, by the base station, the location of the mobile device based on a determination that the second group of bits in the first message comprises a synchronization signal.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first group of bits in the first message are least significant bits of the first message.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
determining, by the base station, that the least significant bits of the first message constitute a preamble that indicates the information indicative of the location of the mobile device is included in the second group of bits of the first message.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the determining comprises translating the information indicative of the location of the mobile device to a geographic location of the mobile device.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first message and the second message are received signal code power messages.

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Austin Mark D
• Meredith Sheldon

Classifications

• H04W72/543

  based on requested quality, e.g. QoS · CPC title

• H04W12/03 Primary

  Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption · CPC title

• H04W12/63

  Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent · CPC title

• G01S5/0027

  of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile · CPC title

• H04W4/12

  Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements · CPC title