# US 2019/0378231 A1 · Preventing unauthorized use of protected equipment in violation of export regulations > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0378231 A1 - Document ID: US20190378231A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/005,738 - Filed: 2018-06-12 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-12 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: DANIEL J. KEARNEY; THOMAS C. LONG; BUDY NOTOHARDJONO; STEVEN J. AHLADAS; DAVID KUMHYR - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190378231A1 ## CPC - G06Q 50/26: Government or public services (business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40) - G01S 19/13: Receivers - G01S 19/42: Determining position - H04L 12/4625: {Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge} - H04L 12/28: characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] (wireless communication networks H04W {; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00}) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Methods, systems and computer program products for preventing unauthorized use of protected equipment in violation of export regulations are provided. Aspects include periodically obtaining a location of the protected equipment and storing the location in a location log in a non-volatile memory. Upon receiving a request to operate the protected equipment, aspects also include obtaining the location log from the non-volatile memory and parsing data from the location log to determine whether the protected equipment entered a restricted geographic area. Based on a determination that the protected equipment did not enter a restricted geographic area, aspects include granting the request to operate the protected equipment. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for monitoring and reporting export control violations for a protected equipment, comprising: a memory having computer readable instructions; and a processor for executing the computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions including instructions for: periodically obtaining a location of the protected equipment and storing the location in a location log in a non-volatile memory; upon receiving a request to operate the protected equipment: obtaining the location log from the non-volatile memory; parsing data from the location log to determine whether the protected equipment entered a restricted geographic area; and based on a determination that the protected equipment did not enter a restricted geographic area, granting the request to operate the protected equipment. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein parsing data from the location log further includes detecting potential tampering with the protected equipment by determining a distance between sequentially obtained locations of the protected equipment stored in the location log. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein periodically obtaining the location of the protected equipment includes obtaining multiple readings from a global position sensor (GPS) in communication with the processor and storing an average reading from the GPS sensor in the location log as the location. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether the protected equipment entered the restricted geographic area includes obtaining a polygon representing the restricted geographic area and performing ray casting to determine whether each location in the location log is within the polygon. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the computer readable instructions also including instructions for denying the request to operate the protected equipment based on a determination that the protected equipment entered the restricted geographic area. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the computer readable instructions also including instructions for transmitting the location log based on a determination that the protected equipment entered the restricted geographic area. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether the protected equipment entered the restricted geographic area includes obtaining a fixed grid boundary representing the restricted geographic area and comparing each location in the location log to a nearest gridline of the fixed grid boundary. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the nearest gridline of the fixed grid boundary is selected by identifying a gridline of the fixed grid boundary that has a longitude value closest to a longitude value of the location. ### Claim 9 A method for preventing unauthorized use of protected equipment in violation of export regulations comprising: periodically obtaining a location of the protected equipment and storing the location in a location log in a non-volatile memory; upon receiving a request to operate the protected equipment: obtaining the location log from the non-volatile memory; parsing data from the location log to determine whether the protected equipment entered a restricted geographic area; and based on a determination that the protected equipment did not enter a restricted geographic area, granting the request to operate the protected equipment. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein parsing data from the location log further includes detecting potential tampering with the protected equipment by determining a distance between sequentially obtained locations of the protected equipment stored in the location log. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein periodically obtaining the location of the protected equipment includes obtaining multiple readings from a global position sensor (GPS) and storing an average reading from the GPS sensor in the location log as the location. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the determination of whether the protected equipment entered the restricted geographic area includes obtaining a polygon representing the restricted geographic area and performing ray casting to determine whether each location in the location log is within the polygon. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising denying the request to operate the protected equipment based on a determination that the protected equipment entered the restricted geographic area. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting the location log based on a determination that the protected equipment entered the restricted geographic area. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the determination of whether the protected equipment entered the restricted geographic area includes obtaining a fixed grid boundary representing the restricted geographic area and comparing each location in the location log to a nearest gridline of the fixed grid boundary. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the nearest gridline of the fixed grid boundary is selected by identifying a gridline of the fixed grid boundary that has a longitude value closest to a longitude value of the location. ### Claim 17 A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith the program instructions executable by a computer processor to cause the computer processor to perform a method, comprising: periodically obtaining a location of a protected equipment and storing the location in a location log in a non-volatile memory; upon receiving a request to operate the protected equipment: obtaining the location log from the non-volatile memory; parsing data from the location log to determine whether the protected equipment entered a restricted geographic area; and based on a determination that the protected equipment did not enter a restricted geographic area, granting the request to operate the protected equipment. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein parsing data from the location log further includes detecting potential tampering with the protected equipment by determining a distance between sequentially obtained locations of the protected equipment stored in the location log. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein periodically obtaining the location of the protected equipment includes obtaining multiple readings from a global position sensor (GPS) in communication with the processor and storing an average reading from the GPS sensor in the location log as the location. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the determination of whether the protected equipment entered the restricted geographic area includes obtaining a polygon representing the restricted geographic area and performing ray casting to determine whether each location in the location log is within the polygon.