{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9736685","patent":{"patent_number":"US-9736685","title":"Cloaking with footprints to provide location privacy protection in location-based services","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2015-12-21T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2017-08-15T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["H04W","G06F","H04L","H04L","H04W","H04W","H04W","G06F"],"num_claims":6,"abstract":"A method for using a location-based service while preserving anonymity includes receiving a location associated with a mobile node, receiving an anonymity level associated with the mobile node, computing a region containing the location of the mobile node and a number of footprints based on the anonymity level, wherein each of the footprints from a different user, and providing the region to a location-based service to thereby preserve anonymity of the mobile node. A method also allow a mobile device or its user to specify the anonymity level by selecting a public region consistent with a user's feelings towards desired privacy."},"analysis":{"summary":null,"layman_explanation":null,"technical_analysis":null,"business_analysis":null,"faqs":null,"topics":[],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Cloaking with footprints to provide location privacy protection in location-based services","description":"A method for using a location-based service while preserving anonymity includes receiving a location associated with a mobile node, receiving an anonymity level associated with the mobile node, comput","keywords":[]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9736685","license":"CC-BY-4.0-like","license_terms":"AI-generated analysis on this page (summary, layman_explanation, technical_analysis, business_analysis, faqs) may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL above. Patent abstracts, claims, and bibliographic data are USPTO public domain.","required_link":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9736685","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Cloaking with footprints to provide location privacy protection in location-based services\" (US-9736685). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9736685","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9736685","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-9736685","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-06-06T08:20:49.596Z"}