US-12626214-B2 - Systems and methods for rule-driven management of sensor data across geographic areas and derived actions

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an information gathering method. The information gathering method includes identifying a location of a package, the location associated with one or more location-based restrictions on collecting data. The information gathering method also includes restricting access to sensor-collectable data associated with the package in accordance with the or more location-based restrictions.

Inventors

• Ole-Petter Skaaksrud
• Miley Ainsworth

Assignees

• FEDEX CORPORATE SERVICES, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20230703

Claims (20)

1. 1 . An information gathering method performed by one or more processors of at least one sensor located within or in proximity to a package with a route for delivery from a sender associated with a source location to a recipient associated with a destination location, the method comprising: identifying, by the one or more processors of the at least one sensor, a location of the package and at least one condition of the package during part or all of the delivery between the source location and the destination location; identifying, by the one or more processors of the at least one sensor, a profile of the at least one sensor; accessing regulatory data about encryption restrictions applied in different locations, the regulatory data being stored on the at least one sensor; determining, by the one or more processors of the at least one sensor, a plurality of data collection rules based on the regulatory data, wherein the plurality of data collection rules includes at least one data collection rule that prohibits encryption of data collected by the at least one sensor in different locations; based on a first location of the package, permitting storage of first sensor data reflecting the at least one condition of the package in an encrypted format according to the plurality of data collection rules; and based on a second location of the package, permitting storage of second sensor data reflecting the at least one condition of the package in an unencrypted format according to the plurality of data collection rules.
2. 2 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , wherein the identified profile indicates types of sensor data associated with the package that the at least one sensor is configured to capture, wherein the types of sensor data include at least one of exterior temperature of the package, interior temperature of the package, humidity within or about the package, or moisture levels within or about the package.
3. 3 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor includes multiple sensors located in a vicinity of the package during transit from the source location to the destination location, the multiple sensors are configured to share data.
4. 4 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , wherein, when the package is in transit from the source location to the destination location, the second location includes a regulatory jurisdiction that prohibits encryption of data collected by the at least one sensor.
5. 5 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one data collection rule is further required by a party associated with the delivery of the package from the source location to the destination location.
6. 6 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of data collection rules includes an additional data collection rule that prohibits collection of humidity information in a particular geographical area.
7. 7 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of data collection rules includes a first data collection rule associated with a jurisdictional restriction and a second data collection rule associated with an institutional restriction, and wherein the method further includes giving precedence to the first data collection rule over the second data collection rule.
8. 8 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of data collection rules includes a first data collection rule associated with a stricter data collection requirement than a second data collection rule, and wherein the method further includes giving precedence to the first data collection rule.
9. 9 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor data includes at least one of: time, audio, video, or orientation.
10. 10 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor data includes environmental data associated with at least two of: temperature, light level, motion, pressure, humidity, gas level, airflow, vibrations, or radiation.
11. 11 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , further including identifying that the package has left the second location and moved to a new location; and permitting collection of third sensor data and encryption of the third sensor data in the new location according to the at least one data collection rule.
12. 12 . The information gathering method of claim 11 , wherein while the package is in the second location, sensor data is collected in a manner that prohibits collection of information identifying the recipient, and when the package is in the new location, sensor data is collected in a manner that enable the collection of information identifying the recipient.
13. 13 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , further including determining a permitted encryption for the first sensor data based on the first location of the package.
14. 14 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , wherein when the at least one data collection rule prohibits encryption of video information, the method includes obfuscating video information captured by the at least one sensor to maintain privacy.
15. 15 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , wherein when the at least one data collection rule prohibits encryption of GPS information, the method includes obfuscating GPS information captured by the at least one to sensor maintain privacy.
16. 16 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one data collection rule that prohibits encryption of data indicates a type of encryption permitted for certain types of sensor-collectable data at different locations of the package.
17. 17 . The information gathering method of claim 16 , wherein the type of encryption of associated with encryption strength, encryption algorithm, or length of ciphers.
18. 18 . The information gathering method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor is configured to capture information relevant to determine circumstances of the delivery of the package at the destination location.
19. 19 . The information gathering method of claim 18 , wherein information relevant to determining circumstances of the delivery of the package includes an identification of a recipient of the package at the destination location.
20. 20 . A non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions that when executed by at least one processor of at least one sensor located within or in proximity to a package with a route for delivery from a sender associated with a source location to a recipient associated with a destination location cause the at least one processor to perform operations, the operations comprising: identifying, by the at least one processor of the sensor, a location of the package and at least one condition of the package during part or all of the delivery between the source location and the destination location; identifying, by the at least one processor of the at least one sensor, a profile of the at least one sensor; accessing regulatory data about encryption restrictions applied in different locations, the regulatory data being stored on the at least one sensor; determining, by the one or more processors of the at least one sensor, a plurality of data collection rules based on the regulatory data, wherein the plurality of data collection rules includes at least one data collection rule that prohibits encryption of data collected by the sensor in different locations; based on a first location of the package, permitting storage of first sensor data reflecting the at least one condition of the package in an encrypted format according to the plurality of data collection rules; and based on a second location of the package, permitting storage of second sensor data reflecting the at least one condition of the package in an unencrypted format according to the plurality of data collection rules.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/881,438, filed May 22, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/394,085, filed Apr. 25, 2019 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,726,384), which is a continuation of U.S. Application Ser. No. 15/983,383, filed May 18, 2018 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,304,029), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/737,596, filed Jun. 12, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/351,852, filed Jan. 17, 2012 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,087,213), which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/445,260, filed Feb. 22, 2011, the entire contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure generally relates to the field of computerized systems. More particularly, the disclosure relates to computerized systems and methods of rule driven management and/or encryption of sensor data across geographic areas and derived actions. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Data privacy is generally understood as the relationship between the collection and dissemination of data, available technology, the public expectation of privacy, and the surrounding legal and political issues. Privacy concerns exist wherever personally identifiable information (PII) is collected and stored in digital form or otherwise. Improper or non-existent disclosure control can be the root cause for privacy issues. The U.S. government used the term “personally identifiable” in 2007 in a memorandum from the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and that usage now appears in US standards such as the NIST Guide to Protecting the Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information (SP 800-122). The OMB memorandum defines PII as follows: “Information which can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, such as their name, social security number, biometric records, etc. alone, or when combined with other personal or identifying information which is finked or linkable to a specific individual, such as date and place of birth, mother's maiden name, etc.” Many countries have established laws to define capabilities and limitations on the collection of data and the form in which that data can be exported. They have also designated regulatory agencies to monitor compliance with these laws. At present, each sovereign state defines its own rules and oversight agency. Companies engaged in the collection of data across international borders, therefore, should be cognizant of the laws pertaining to each jurisdiction where data is collected. Each jurisdiction may belong to a sovereign country, to a military or security authority, or to a regulatory authority monitoring compliance with a law such as the Health Insurance Portability Authority Act (HIPAA) in the United States. This becomes increasingly important when the data collected also includes information identifying the geographic location where the data was collected. The location information being linked with other collected data may provide the ability to correspond location-specific laws and/or rules of operations to each collected data element. Companies that are in the business of collecting and disseminating information may operate under strict guidelines for how that information is to be controlled. These restrictions can be very granular, and can even be specific to the individual whose data is being collected. Also, where these companies have defined sales territories, commissions can often be calculated based on the specific geography in which the data capture occurs. SUMMARY In accordance with disclosed embodiments, there is provided an information gathering method comprising: identifying a location of a package, the location associated with one or more location-based restrictions on collecting data; and restricting access to sensor-collectable data associated with the package in accordance with the one or more location-based restrictions. In accordance with disclosed embodiments, there is further provided a computer-readable medium storing program instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to perform an information gathering method, comprising: identifying a location of a package, the location associated with one or more location-based restrictions on collecting data; and restricting access to sensor-collectable data associated with the package in accordance with the one or more location-based restrictions. In accordance with disclosed embodiments, there is further provided an information gathering system comprising an information distributor configured to: receive information about a location of a package; look up one or more location-based restrictions on collecting data using the received location information; and instruct a sensor to collect the sensor-collectable data subject to the one or more location-based restrictions. In