Geolocation safety awareness

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016134644-A1
Application number	US-201414539324-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 12, 2014
Priority date	Nov 12, 2014
Publication date	May 12, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and/or technique for geolocation safety awareness is provided herein. When a user, having a client device, travels to a location, threats associated with that location may not be known to the user. To determine a safety of the location, the location of a client device may be determined. A search for safety information about the location may be performed, and a threat level may be determined based upon the safety information. When the threat level exceeds a threat threshold, a security operation may be performed. The security operation may comprise presenting a warning notice to the user and/or activating a security timer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of geolocation safety awareness, comprising:
determining a location of a client device; searching for safety information about the location; computing a threat level based upon the safety information; determining whether the threat level exceeds a threat threshold; and performing a security operation when the threat level exceeds the threat threshold, the security operation comprising at least one of:
presenting a warning notice on the client device; or
activating a security timer, the security timer used to at least one of intermittently or periodically evaluate the safety of a user of the client device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , comprising
computing a baseline security state for the user based upon a home region of the user; and setting the threat threshold based on the baseline security state.

3 . The method of claim 1 , the computing a threat level comprising:
computing a first threat level for a first type of threat associated with the location; and computing a second threat level for a second type of threat associated with the location.

4 . The method of claim 3 , comprising:
computing a first baseline security state for the first type of threat based upon a home region of the user; and computing a second baseline security state for the second type of threat based upon a home region of the user.

5 . The method of claim 4 , comprising:
setting a first threat threshold based on the first baseline security state; and setting a second threat threshold based on the second baseline security state.

6 . The method of claim 5 , the determining comprising:
determining whether the first threat threshold exceeds the first threat level; and determining whether the second threat threshold exceeds the second threat level.

7 . The method of claim 6 , performing the security operation when at least one of:
the first threat threshold exceeds the first threat level; or the second threat threshold exceeds the second threat level.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the security operation comprises the presenting a warning notice when a difference between the threat level and the threat threshold is less than a first threshold.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the security operation comprises the activating a security timer when the difference between the threat level and the threat threshold is greater than a first threshold.

10 . The method of claim 1 , the warning notice comprising at least one of:
a type of threat; a route away from a threat; or a recommendation on how to react to the threat.

11 . The method of claim 1 , the activating a security timer comprising:
setting a check-in time for the user; and notifying an emergency contact if the user fails to check-in by the check-in time.

12 . The method of claim 11 , the notifying an emergency contact comprising:
notifying the emergency contact of a last known location of the client device.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the security timer is associated with a check-in passcode and an emergency passcode:
deactivating the security timer responsive to receiving the check-in passcode; and notifying an emergency contact responsive to receiving the emergency passcode.

14 . The method of claim 13 , comprising notifying the emergency contact responsive to not receiving the check-in password by a check-in time.

15 . A system of geolocation safety awareness, comprising:
a geolocation safety awareness component configured to:
determine a baseline security state for a user based upon a home region of the user;
determine a location of a client device;
search for safety information about the location;
determine a threat level based upon the safety information;
set a threat threshold based on the baseline security state;
determine whether the threat level exceeds the threat threshold; and
perform a security operation when the threat level exceeds the threat threshold, the security operation comprising at least one of:
presenting a warning notice on the client device; or
activating a security timer, the security timer used to at least one of intermittently or periodically evaluate the safety of the user of the client device.

16 . The system of claim 15 , the warning notice comprising at least one of:
a type of threat; a route away from a threat; or a recommendation on how to react to the threat.

17 . The system of claim 15 , responsive to activating the security timer, the geolocation safety awareness component configured to:
notify an emergency contact if the user does not check-in by a check-in time.

18 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by a processor perform a method for geolocation safety awareness, comprising:
determining a location of a client device; searching for safety information about the location; computing a first threat level for a first type of threat associated with the location; computing a second threat level for a second type of threat associated with the location; computing a first baseline security state for the first type of threat based upon a home region of a user; computing a second baseline security state for the second type of threat based upon the home region of the user; setting a first threat threshold based on the first baseline security state; setting a second threat threshold based on the second baseline security state; determining whether the first threat threshold exceeds the first threat level; determining whether the second threat threshold exceeds the second threat level; and performing a security operation when at least one of the first threat level exceeds the first threat threshold or the second threat level exceeds the second threat threshold, the security operation comprising at least one of:
presenting a warning notice on the client device; or
activating a security timer, the security timer used to at least one of intermittently or periodically evaluate the safety of a user of the client device.

19 . The method of claim 18 , the warning notice comprising at least one of:
a type of threat; a route away from a threat; or a recommendation on how to react to the threat.

20 . The method of claim 18 , the activating a security timer comprising:
setting a check-in time for the user; and notifying an emergency contact of a last known location of the client device if the user fails to check-in by the check-in time.

Assignees

• Yahoo Inc

Inventors

• Chan Chris
• Ningappa Shivakumar
• Goyal Shatakshi
• Tempero Katrina Kimball Clark
• Tai Yu-Chin
• Barsode Ameya
• Leung Clarence Lok Him

Classifications

• H04L63/1408 Primary

  by monitoring network traffic (monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00) · CPC title

• H04L67/18

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L63/08

  for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32) · CPC title

• H04L67/52 Primary

  specially adapted for the location of the user terminal · CPC title

• H04L63/083

  using passwords (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226) · CPC title