Techniques for trusted location application and location provider communications

Abstract

Various embodiments are generally directed to techniques for conveying location information between a location provider and a trusted location application within a mobile device through trusted communications to preclude its provision to an untrusted location application. An apparatus includes a processor component; and a location provider for execution by the processor component comprising a location baseband to determine a current location in a venue based on wireless signals received from a location network of the venue, a verification component to verify a trusted location application associated with the venue based at least on credentials received from the trusted location application, and an encryption component to encrypt location information indicating the current location and convey the location information to the trusted location application through a location manager interposed between the location provider and the trusted location application based on verification of the trusted location application. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

1 . An apparatus to determine a location comprising:
 a processor component; and   a location provider for execution by the processor component comprising:
 a location baseband to determine a current location in a venue based on wireless signals received from a location network of the venue; 
 a verification component to verify a trusted location application associated with the venue based on credentials received from the location network and the trusted location application; and 
 an encryption component to encrypt location information indicating the current location and convey the location information to the trusted location application through a location manager interposed between the location provider and the trusted location application based on verification of the trusted location application. 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , the apparatus comprising an interface to receive the wireless signals, the wireless signals transmitted by a station (STA) of the location network disposed at the venue, the signals conveying the credentials. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , the apparatus comprising an interface to receive the wireless signals, the wireless signals transmitted by one or more access points (APs) of the location network, the one or more APs disposed about the venue. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , the verification component to receive credentials from an AP of the one or more APs and verify the trusted location application based at least on the credentials received from the trusted location application and the AP. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising the location manager, the location manager to distribute the location information to multiple location applications, the multiple location applications comprising the trusted location application and an untrusted location application. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , the location provider to signal the location manager with a request to convey the location information to no other location application except the trusted location application. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , comprising the trusted location application, the trusted location application to signal the location manager with a request to convey the location information to no other application except the trusted location application. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising the trusted location application, the trusted location application to provide credentials to the verification component and receive the location information from the location manager, and the trusted location application comprising a decryption component to decrypt the location information. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , the location network comprising multiple APs disposed about the venue, the location provider to receive a location data indicating items offered within the venue and locations of the items within the venue from an AP of the multiple APs, the location provider to convey the location data to the trusted location application, and the trusted location application comprising a correlation component to correlate the current location with an item of the items offered within the venue. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , comprising a display and the trusted location application comprising a presentation component to visually present a map of the venue and the current location on the map. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , the location provider to receive a first key from the location network, and the encryption component to encrypt the location information using the first key. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , comprising the trusted location application, the trusted location application to receive the location information from the location manager and to decrypt the location information using a second key related to the first key. 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus to determine a location comprising:
 an antenna;   an interface coupled to the antenna to receive wireless signals from a location network of a venue;   a processor component; and   a location provider for execution by the processor component comprising:
 a location baseband coupled to the interface to determine a current location in the venue based on the wireless signals; 
 a verification component to verify a trusted location application associated with the venue based on credentials received from the location network and the trusted location application; and 
 an encryption component to encrypt location information indicating the current location and convey the location information to the trusted location application through a location manager interposed between the location provider and the trusted location application based on verification of the trusted location application. 
   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , the interface to receive the wireless signals from one or more access points (APs) of the location network, the one or more APs disposed about the venue. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , the verification component to receive credentials from an AP of the one or more APs and verify the trusted location application based at least on the credentials received from the trusted location application and the AP. 
     
     
         16 . A computing-implemented method for determining a location comprising:
 determining at a mobile device a current location of the mobile device in a venue based on wireless signals received from a location network of the venue;   receiving at the mobile device first credentials from the location network;   verifying a trusted location application of the mobile device using the first credentials and second credentials of the trusted location application; and   encrypting location information indicating the current location and conveying the location information to the trusted location application through a location manager of the mobile device based on verification of the trusted location application.   
     
     
         17 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 16 , comprising receiving the wireless signals from one or more access points (APs) of the location network, the one or more APs disposed about the venue. 
     
     
         18 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , comprising receiving a location almanac from an AP of the one or more APs, the location almanac indicating locations of the one or more APs within the venue and at least one characteristic of the one or more APs. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 18 , the at least one characteristic comprising a signal strength of a wireless signal of the wireless signals transmitted by the one or more APs. 
     
     
         20 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 16 , the location manager to distribute the location information to multiple location applications, the multiple location applications comprising the trusted location application and an untrusted location application. 
     
     
         21 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 20 , comprising signaling the location manager with a request to convey the location information to no other location application except the trusted location application. 
     
     
         22 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 16 , comprising:
 receiving the second credentials from the trusted location application; and   decrypting the location information at the trusted location application.   
     
     
         23 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 22 , the location network comprising multiple APs disposed about the venue, the method comprising:
 receiving a location data indicating items offered within the venue and locations of the items within the venue from an AP of the multiple APs;   conveying the location data to the trusted location application; and   correlating at the trusted location application the current location with an item of the items offered within the venue.   
     
     
         24 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 23 , comprising presenting an indication of a promotion associated with an item of the items offered within the venue. 
     
     
         25 . At least one machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method of any of  claims 16 - 24 .