Zone policy administration for entity tracking and privacy assurance

Abstract

The present invention includes entity tracking, privacy assurance, and zone policy administration technologies allowing for the creation of zone policies, including the definition of zones and managed entities, the zone policies including rules that apply to the managed entities within or in relation to the zones, and privacy policies assuring privacy of sensitive data. The technologies also provide for the definition of sensors, rule event objects, and default event objects, and for the establishment of associations between rules and managed entities, sensors, and rule event objects so as to create zone policies. Event objects may generate zone policy events or actions upon compliance with or violation of various rules of zone policy. Managed entities are defined as entities associated with mobile devices capable of location tracking and communication with zone policy servers. Entities may be persons, vehicles, animals, or any other object for which tracking and zone policy administration is of value. Zone policy may include privacy policy that may restrict access to or set access conditions for data or information. Privacy policies may be used to ensure individual managed entities and their data remain anonymous to a desired degree and that sensitive data is appropriately protected.

1 . A method performed on a computing device that includes at least one processor and memory, the method comprising: monitoring a managed entity according to a zone policy, where an entity and a mobile device are together considered the managed entity, and where the zone policy indicates a mobile zone, a relationship between the mobile zone and the managed entity, and physical boundaries of the mobile zone. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising verifying that the mobile device is in the possession of the entity. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising generating an event in response to the managed entity entering a particular zone. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising generating an event in response to the managed is within a particular proximity of another managed entity. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  where the mobile device s an electronic badge, a cell phone, or a mobile computing device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  where the entity is a person, animal, vehicle, or other physical object. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  where the managed entity is coupled to a network. 
     
     
         8 . A system comprising a computing device and at least one program module that are together configured for performing actions, the computing device comprising at least one processor and memory, the actions comprising: monitoring a managed entity according to a zone policy, where an entity and a mobile device are together considered the managed entity, and where the zone policy indicates a mobile zone, a relationship between the mobile zone and the managed entity, and physical boundaries of the mobile zone. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , the actions further comprising verifying that the mobile device is in the possession of the entity. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , the actions further comprising generating an event in response to the managed entity entering a particular zone. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , the actions further comprising generating an event in response to the managed is within a particular proximity of another managed entity. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8  where the mobile device is an electronic badge, a cell phone, or a mobile computing device. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8  where the entity is a person, animal, vehicle, or other physical object. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 8  where the managed entity is coupled to a network. 
     
     
         15 . At least one computer-readable device storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device comprising memory, cause the computing device to perform actions comprising: monitoring a managed entity according to a zone policy, where an entity and a mobile device are together considered the managed entity, and where the zone policy indicates a mobile zone, a relationship between the mobile zone and the managed entity, and physical boundaries of the mobile zone. 
     
     
         16 . The at least one computer-readable device of  claim 15 , the actions further comprising verifying that the mobile device is in the possession of the entity. 
     
     
         17 . The at least one computer-readable device of  claim 15 , the actions further comprising generating an event in response to the managed entity entering a particular zone. 
     
     
         18 . The at least one computer-readable device of  claim 15 , the actions further comprising generating an event in response to the managed is within a particular proximity of another managed entity. 
     
     
         19 . The at least one computer-readable device of  claim 15  where the mobile device is an electronic badge, a cell phone, or a mobile computing device, or where the managed entity is coupled to a network. 
     
     
         20 . The at least one computer-readable device of  claim 15  where the entity is a person, animal, vehicle, or other physical object.