US 8,583,924 B2Granted

Location-based feature enablement for mobile terminals

AssigneeHand Held Products, Inc.

InventorsAldo Caballero, Dan Yeakley

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Abstract

A computing device to enable a feature thereof according to a current location and a control method thereof, the computing device including: a location unit to determine the current location of the computing device; and a licensing unit to determine whether the current location corresponds to a predetermined authorized location, and to enable the feature if the current location corresponds to the authorized location. Accordingly, a permission to use a software feature or a hardware feature of the computing device can be controlled according to the current location of the computing device.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A portable data terminal (PDT) comprising:

a Global Positioning System receiver, wherein the Global Positioning System receiver determines a current location of the PDT;
at least one memory unit, wherein the at least one memory unit stores at least one software feature installed in the PDT;
at least one data input device configured to receive a user input;
a display unit configured to display data generated by the PDT;
at least one communication unit configured to transmit and/or to receive data to/from an outside source;
at least one data collection subsystem configured to generate data according to a received waveform or collected light;
and
at least one processing unit, wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to perform a method comprising:
using a license key to enable at least one feature of:
the at least one data input device, the display unit, the at least one communication unit, the at least one data collection subsystem, or the at least one software feature installed in the computing device, wherein the license key is associated with the installed at least one software feature and controls permission to use the installed at least one software feature, wherein using the license key comprises:
determining, using the license key, whether the determined current location corresponds to a predetermined authorized location, the predetermined authorized location being associated with the license key, wherein the license key is encrypted using a coordinate pair of a reference point of an area cell of the predetermined authorized location, and wherein determining whether the current location corresponds to the predetermined authorized location comprises:
converting the current location to obtain a coordinate pair of a reference point of an area cell of the current location;
initiating a decryption trial and error routine to decrypt the license key using at least one reference point of at least one area cell of a defined area around the current location, wherein the area cell of the predetermined authorized location matches an area cell of the defined area around the current location, wherein, based on selecting the area cell of the defined area that matches the area cell of the predetermined authorized location, the initiated decryption trial and error routine attempts to decrypt the license key using a coordinate pair of a reference point of the area cell of the defined area, which coordinate pair matches the coordinate pair of the reference point of the area cell of the predetermined authorized location and which is used in encryption of the license key;
and
based on successful decryption of the license key using the coordinate pair of the reference point of the area cell of the defined area, determining that the current location corresponds to the predetermined authorized location;
and
enabling the at least one feature of:
the at least one data input device, the display unit, the at least one communication unit, the at least one data collection subsystem, or the at least one software feature when the current location corresponds to the predetermined authorized location.

15 more elements

A self-contained portable computing device comprising:

a location unit, wherein the location unit determines a current location of the computing device;
and
a processor, wherein the computing device is configured to perform a method comprising:
using a license key to enable a feature installed in the computing device, the license key being associated with the installed feature and controlling permission to use the installed feature, wherein using the license key to enable the feature comprises:
determining, using the license key, whether the determined current location corresponds to a predetermined authorized location, the predetermined authorized location being associated with the license key, wherein the license key is encrypted using a coordinate pair of a reference point of an area cell of the predetermined authorized location, and wherein determining whether the current location corresponds to the predetermined authorized location comprises:
converting the current location to obtain a coordinate pair of a reference point of an area cell of the current location;
initiating a decryption trial and error routine to decrypt the license key using at least one reference point of at least one area cell of a defined area around the current location, wherein the area cell of the predetermined authorized location matches an area cell of the defined area around the current location, wherein, based on selecting the area cell of the defined area that matches the area cell of the predetermined authorized location, the initiated decryption trial and error routine attempts to decrypt the license key using a coordinate pair of a reference point of the area cell of the defined area, which coordinate pair matches the coordinate pair of the reference point of the area cell of the predetermined authorized location and which is used in encryption of the license key;
and
based on successful decryption of the license key using the coordinate pair of the reference point of the area cell of the defined area, determining that the current location corresponds to the predetermined authorized location;
and
enabling the feature installed in the computing device when the determined current location corresponds to the predetermined authorized location.

8 more elements

A method of enabling a feature of a self-contained portable computing device, the method comprising:

using a license key to enable a feature installed in the computing device, the license key being associated with the installed feature and controlling permission to use the installed feature, wherein using the license key to enable the feature comprises:
determining, using the license key, whether a current location determined by a location unit of the computing device corresponds to a predetermined authorized location, the predetermined authorized location being associated with the license key, wherein the license key is encrypted using a coordinate pair of a reference point of an area cell of the predetermined authorized location, and wherein determining whether the current location corresponds to the predetermined authorized location comprises:
converting the current location to obtain a coordinate pair of a reference point of an area cell of the current location;
initiating a decryption trial and error routine to decrypt the license key using at least one reference point of at least one area cell of a defined area around the current location, wherein the area cell of the predetermined authorized location matches an area cell of the defined area around the current location, wherein, based on selecting the area cell of the defined area that matches the area cell of the predetermined authorized location, the initiated decryption trial and error routine attempts to decrypt the license key using a coordinate pair of a reference point of the area cell of the defined area, which coordinate pair matches the coordinate pair of the reference point of the area cell of the predetermined authorized location and which is used in encryption of the license key;
and
based on successful decryption of the license key using the coordinate pair of the reference point of the area cell of the defined area, determining that the current location corresponds to the predetermined authorized location;
and
enabling, by a processor of the self-contained portable computing device, the feature installed in the computing device when the determined current location corresponds to the predetermined authorized location.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A portable data terminal (PDT) comprising:

a Global Positioning System receiver, wherein the Global Positioning System receiver determines a current location of the PDT;
at least one memory unit, wherein the at least one memory unit stores at least one software feature installed in the PDT;
at least one data input device configured to receive a user input;
a display unit configured to display data generated by the PDT;
at least one communication unit configured to transmit and/or to receive data to/from an outside source;
at least one data collection subsystem configured to generate data according to a received waveform or collected light;
and
at least one processing unit, wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to perform a method comprising:
using a license key to enable at least one feature of:
the at least one data input device, the display unit, the at least one communication unit, the at least one data collection subsystem, or the at least one software feature installed in the computing device, wherein the license key is associated with the installed at least one software feature and controls permission to use the installed at least one software feature, wherein using the license key comprises:
determining, using the license key, whether the determined current location corresponds to a predetermined authorized location, the predetermined authorized location being associated with the license key, wherein the license key is encrypted using a coordinate pair of a reference point of an area cell of the predetermined authorized location, and wherein determining whether the current location corresponds to the predetermined authorized location comprises:
converting the current location to obtain a coordinate pair of a reference point of an area cell of the current location;
initiating a decryption trial and error routine to decrypt the license key using at least one reference point of at least one area cell of a defined area around the current location, wherein the area cell of the predetermined authorized location matches an area cell of the defined area around the current location, wherein, based on selecting the area cell of the defined area that matches the area cell of the predetermined authorized location, the initiated decryption trial and error routine attempts to decrypt the license key using a coordinate pair of a reference point of the area cell of the defined area, which coordinate pair matches the coordinate pair of the reference point of the area cell of the predetermined authorized location and which is used in encryption of the license key;
and
based on successful decryption of the license key using the coordinate pair of the reference point of the area cell of the defined area, determining that the current location corresponds to the predetermined authorized location;
and
enabling the at least one feature of:
the at least one data input device, the display unit, the at least one communication unit, the at least one data collection subsystem, or the at least one software feature when the current location corresponds to the predetermined authorized location.

15 more elements