Location-based parental controls

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11303648-B2
Application number	US-201916676596-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2019
Priority date	Nov 7, 2019
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are described for parental controls based on the location of a wireless computing device. Wireless access points may be located in different locations, e.g., in different rooms of a home. The location of the wireless computing device may be determined based on comparing measured signal strengths to baseline signal strengths associated with the location. Information related to an access level associated with the location may be determined. The access level may, for example, permit access to content in a first location, but prevent access to the content in a second location. Content may be provided to the wireless computing device based on the access level associated with the location.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
determining, based on communications between a wireless computing device and one or more wireless access points, a location, of the wireless computing device, within a premises;
receiving, from the wireless computing device, a request for content;
determining, based on the request and on an access level associated with the location within the premises, whether the wireless computing device is permitted to access the content; and
causing, based on the access level, the content to be sent to the wireless computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the location comprises:
comparing signal strengths associated with the communications between the wireless computing device and the one or more wireless access points with a threshold, wherein the threshold is associated with the location.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the wireless computing device is permitted to access the content comprises:
determining that the wireless computing device is allowed to access the content at the location.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the location of the wireless computing device is based on signal strengths associated with the communications between the wireless computing device and the one or more wireless access points.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the wireless computing device has moved to a second location;
determining a second access level associated with the second location; and
preventing, based on the second access level, the wireless computing device from accessing content.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sending, based on determining that a second wireless computing device is not allowed to access the content, a message associated with the content.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that a second wireless computing device is in the location; and
preventing, based on the determination that the second wireless computing device is in the location and further based on the access level, the second wireless computing device from accessing the content.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the location of the wireless computing device is further based on a history of signal strengths associated with the location.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more wireless access points is located in a different room of the premises.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location corresponds to a common area of the premises.

11. A method comprising:
determining expected signal strengths associated with a location within a premises;
receiving, from a wireless computing device, a request for content;
determining current signal strengths associated with communications between the wireless computing device and one or more wireless access points;
determining, by comparing the expected signal strengths and the current signal strengths, that the wireless computing device is in the location within the premises; and
causing, based on determining that the wireless computing device is allowed to access content in the location within the premises, the content to be sent to the wireless computing device.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining the expected signal strengths is based on a history of signal strengths associated with the location.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining that the wireless computing device has moved to a second location;
determining an access level associated with the second location; and
preventing, based on the access level, the wireless computing device from accessing the content.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the location corresponds to a common area of the premises.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining that a second wireless computing device is in the location; and
preventing, based on the determination that the second wireless computing device is in the location and further based on determining that the second wireless computing device is not allowed to access the content in the location, the second wireless computing device from accessing the content.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein each of the one or more wireless access points is located in a different room of the premises.

17. A method comprising:
determining, based on first communications between a first wireless computing device and one or more wireless access points, and based second communications between a second wireless computing device and the one or more wireless access points, a location, associated with both the first and second wireless computing devices, within a premises;
receiving, from the first wireless computing device and the second wireless computing devices, requests for content;
causing, based on the location within the promises, at least a portion of the content to be sent to the first wireless computing device; and
preventing, based on the location, the second wireless computing device from accessing the content.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein determining the location comprises:
comparing first signal strengths, associated with the first communications, with a threshold associated with the location; and
comparing second signal strengths, associated with the second communications, with the threshold.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
determining that the first wireless computing device has moved to a second location;
determining a second access level associated with the second location; and
preventing, based on the second access level, the first wireless computing device from accessing the content.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein each of the one or more wireless access points is located in a different room of the premises.

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• James Brian
• Brennan Bridget
• Leardi Steven

Classifications

• H04N21/43637

  involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth®, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] (arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114) · CPC title

• H04L63/107 Primary

  wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals · CPC title

• H04L63/102

  Entity profiles · CPC title

• H04N21/4542

  Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes · CPC title

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title