JP2003186842A - Communication terminal, communication system and communication control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a communication terminal to control simply and appropriately access to a resource on a network. <P>SOLUTION: A cellular phone 40 restricts access of the cellular phone 40 to sites on the Internet 20 only to the book marks registered by a person in parental authority of the user (minor) of the cellular phone 40. It is restricted only for the person in parental authority authenticated by the user to register the book marks for the cellular phone 40. During registering the book marks by the person in parental authority, the restriction of access set to the cellular phone 40 is cancelled. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication terminal, a communication system and a communication control method, and more particularly to a technique for restricting access of the communication terminal to resources on a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a communication terminal such as a mobile phone or a personal computer having a packet communication function can freely download various contents such as programs, image data and music data from a content server connected to the Internet. You can In addition, the age group of users of communication terminals has expanded with the development of information and communication technology and the price reduction of communication terminals, and in recent years, particularly the number of users of younger groups such as children has rapidly increased.

[0003]

By the way, in the contents that the communication terminal can obtain from the Internet or the like, there are many useful contents, but there are also contents that are extremely inappropriate and harmful to minors. Under such circumstances, for example, parents who have children want to allow their children to use communication terminals, but want to prevent harmful content from being exposed to children. There is.

The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and it is possible to appropriately regulate the access of a communication terminal to a resource on a network with a simple structure, a communication system, and a communication control method. Is intended to provide.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is directed to a case where a registration request of resource definition information which defines resources on a network that the communication terminal can access is input. Authentication means for authenticating whether or not the operator of the communication terminal is a predetermined user, and the resource definition information is registered after the operator is authenticated by the authentication means as the predetermined user. Until then, access control means for releasing the restriction of access of the communication terminal to resources on the network, registration means for registering the resource regulation information according to an operation input, and after registration by the registration means, When an access request for a resource on the network is generated, whether or not to access the resource based on the access request is registered. Provided is a communication terminal having a determination means for determining with reference to the resource regulation information registered by the means, and a communication means for performing communication for accessing the resource when the determination means determines that access is permitted. To do.

Further, the present invention is a communication control method in a communication terminal, wherein the communication is performed when a registration request of resource definition information defining resources on the network that the communication terminal can access is input. An authentication process for authenticating whether or not the operator of the terminal is a predetermined user, and the resource definition information is registered after the operator is authenticated as a predetermined user in the authentication process. Until then, an access control process of releasing restriction of access of the communication terminal to resources on the network, a registration process of registering the resource regulation information according to an operation input, and a network after the registration in the registration process. When an access request to the above resource is generated, the availability of access to the resource based on this access request is described above. A discriminating process for discriminating with reference to the resource definition information registered in the recording process, and a communication process for performing communication for accessing the resource when discriminating that access is permitted in the discriminating process A communication control method is provided.

According to the present invention, the communication terminal can access the resource on the network by the communication terminal.
The regulation is performed according to the resource regulation data registered by a predetermined user. Further, the communication terminal releases the restriction on the access of the communication terminal to the resource on the network during the registration period of the resource restriction data by the predetermined user.

Further, according to the present invention, an acquiring means for acquiring an arbitrary network address from a server in which a plurality of network addresses for specifying resources on a network to which the communication terminal is permitted to access are stored, and the acquiring means. When an access request for a resource on the network is generated, a storage unit that stores the acquired network address is compared with the network address of the resource based on the access request and the network address stored by the storage unit. There is provided a communication terminal having a determination unit that determines whether access is possible and a communication unit that performs communication for accessing the resource when the determination unit determines that the access is permitted.

Further, the present invention is a communication system having a server and a communication terminal, wherein the server has a storage means for storing a plurality of network addresses for specifying resources on a network to which the communication terminal is permitted to access. And a transmitting means for transmitting the network address designated by the communication terminal to the communication terminal from among the network addresses accumulated by the accumulating means, the communication terminal transmitting the network transmitted by the transmitting means. Receiving means for receiving an address, storage means for storing the network address received by the receiving means, and when an access request for a resource on the network occurs, the network address of the resource based on this access request and the storage means Network remembered by Provided is a communication system having a judging means for judging whether or not the access is possible by comparing with a dress, and a communication means for carrying out communication for accessing the resource when the judging means judges that the access is permitted. .

Also, the present invention provides a storage process in which a server stores a network address that specifies a resource on a network to which a communication terminal is permitted to access, and a plurality of communication terminals in which the communication terminal stores in the server in the storage process. An acquisition step of acquiring an arbitrary network address from the network addresses, and a storage step of storing the network address acquired by the communication terminal in the acquisition step,
When an access request is made to a resource on the network, the communication terminal compares the network address of the resource based on the access request with the network address stored in the storing step to determine whether the access is possible. There is provided a communication control method including a determining step and a communication step of performing communication for accessing the resource when the communication terminal determines to permit access in the determining step.

According to the present invention, the server stores a plurality of network addresses of resources permitted to be accessed by the communication terminal, and the communication terminal stores an arbitrary network address from the plurality of network addresses stored in the server. Acquire and memorize. Then, the communication terminal regulates the access of the communication terminal to the resource on the network according to the network address acquired from the server.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to common portions in each drawing. Further, such an embodiment shows one aspect of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified within the scope of the present invention.

[A. First Embodiment] [A-1. Configuration of First Embodiment] <1. Configuration of Communication System> FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a communication system 1 including a mobile phone 40 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the communication system 1 includes content servers 10A and 10A.
B, Internet 20, mobile packet communication network 30
And a mobile phone 40. In FIG. 1, in order to prevent the drawing from becoming complicated, predetermined content servers 10A and 10B forming the communication system 1, a predetermined gateway server 31 and a predetermined base station 32 forming the mobile packet communication network 30, Mobile packet communication network 3
Only the predetermined mobile phone 40 accommodated in 0 is shown.

The content servers 10A and 10B have a function of performing packet communication with the mobile phone 40 via the Internet 20 and the mobile packet communication network 30. Various contents such as programs, image data, and music data that can be provided to the mobile phone 40 are stored in the content servers 10A and 10B.

The mobile packet communication network 30 is a communication network that provides a packet communication service to the mobile phone 40 accommodated in the mobile packet communication network 30, and has a gateway server 31 and a base station 32. . The communication system 1 has a mobile telephone network (not shown) in addition to the mobile packet communication network 30. This mobile telephone network is a communication network that provides a general mobile telephone call service to the mobile phone 40 accommodated in the mobile telephone network.

The gateway server 31 is provided in a mobile packet gateway relay switching center (not shown) that interconnects the mobile packet communication network 30 and the Internet 20. The gateway server 31 uses a communication protocol for the mobile packet communication network 30 and TCP / IP (Transmission Co), which is a standard communication protocol of the Internet 20.
The data transfer between the mobile packet communication network 30 having a different communication protocol and the Internet 20 is relayed. A large number of base stations 32 are installed in the communication service area of the mobile packet communication network 30, and
Wireless communication is carried out with the mobile phone 40 located in the wireless cell covered by.

The mobile phone 40 is a mobile device that performs wireless communication with the base station 32 that covers the wireless cell in which the mobile device 40 is located and receives the packet communication service and the call service. The mobile phone 40 is provided with the content server 10 via the mobile packet communication network 30 and the Internet 20.
It has a function of performing packet communication with A and 10B. The mobile phone 40 also has a parent lock function. This parent lock function is performed by a site on the Internet 20 (for example, the content server 10A,
10B) and the like, the function of restricting access of the mobile phone 40 to the mobile phone 40 is such that when the user of the mobile phone 40 is a minor such as a child, a parental authority such as a parent registers it in the memory of the mobile phone 40 beforehand. This is a function that allows the mobile phone 40 to access only the reserved site.

In the first and second embodiments, a case will be described in which the access of the mobile phone 40 to sites on the Internet 20 is restricted by the parent lock function. However, the access target of the mobile phone 40 by the parent lock function is not limited to the site on the Internet 20. For example, when a content server is provided in the mobile packet communication network 30, this content server can be a target of access restriction of the mobile phone 40. In addition, intranet and other LAN (Local
A server or terminal on the area network) can be a target of access restriction of the mobile phone 40. Further, access can be restricted in units of programs and data stored in these servers and terminals.

As will be apparent from the above description, the "resources on the network" described in the claims are the hardware resources and software resources on the network that the mobile phone 40 can access.

In the following, the user of the mobile phone 40 in this specification is a minor under the protection of a parent. In such a case, in principle, when the mobile phone 40 is subscribed or the contract content is changed, the consent of the parent is required. The above-mentioned parent lock function is applied to the mobile phone 4
The function is switched ON / OFF in response to a request from the parental authority at the time of 0 subscription contract or modification of contract content.

<2. Configuration of Mobile Phone> FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of mobile phone 40 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG.
0 is a wireless communication unit 401, an operation input unit 402, a call processing unit 403, a communication interface 404, a liquid crystal display unit 405, a storage unit 406, a CPU (Central Proc.
essing unit) 410, each of which is a bus 4
It is connected by 11.

The wireless communication section 401 has an antenna 401a and controls wireless communication with the base station 32. Under the control of the CPU 410, the wireless communication unit 401 superimposes, for example, data relating to transmitted voice and data for packet communication on a carrier wave to generate a transmission signal, and the base station 32 transmits this signal via the antenna 401a. Send to. In addition, the wireless communication unit 401 receives a wireless signal transmitted from the base station 32 via the antenna 401a, demodulates this signal, and outputs data related to the received voice addressed to the own device 40, data for packet communication, and the like. obtain.

The operation input unit 402 is provided with a plurality of keys for inputting numbers, characters, operation instructions, etc., and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation of these keys to the CPU 410.
The call processing unit 403 has, for example, a microphone, a speaker, and a voice processing unit, and under the control of the CPU 410,
Performs call processing including call connection / disconnection processing. The communication interface 404 controls wired communication with an electronic device connected via a communication cable. The communication interface 404 is used for infrared communication and Home.
It may be one that controls short-range wireless communication such as RF (Home Radio Frequency) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). Further, the liquid crystal display unit 405 has a liquid crystal display panel and a drive circuit for performing display control of this liquid crystal display panel.

The storage unit 406 is a ROM (Read Only Memo).
ry) 407 and RAM (Random Access Memory) 408
For example, SRAM (Static-RAM) or EEPROM
(Electrically Erasable Programmable-ROM) or the like.

The ROM 407 stores various programs executed by the CPU 410. This R
The OM 407 stores, for example, an operating system for the mobile phone 40, software for a Web (World Wide Web) browser, and the like. In addition, RAM4
08 is used as a work area of the CPU 410,
Programs executed by the CPU 410 and various data are temporarily stored.

In the non-volatile memory 409, the mobile telephone 4
An application program for 0 and various data are stored. The nonvolatile memory 409 includes a bookmark table 409a and a password registration area 409.
b and.

Here, the bookmark is a function of registering / saving a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the Web browser. For example, by using the bookmark function, if the URL of a site frequently accessed by the mobile phone 40 is registered and stored as bookmark information, the work of inputting the URL when accessing the registered site can be simplified. it can. As shown in FIG. 3, the URL of the site registered by the bookmark function is stored in the bookmark table 409a in association with the auxiliary information such as the site name.

In the present embodiment, in principle, the access of the mobile phone 40 to the sites on the Internet 20 is restricted so that the mobile phone 40 can access only the sites whose URLs are registered in the bookmark table 409a. Further, the users who can use the bookmark function are limited to only the parental authority of the user of the mobile phone 40. Here, in order to allow only the parental authority to use the bookmark function, the mobile phone 40 according to the present embodiment registers the password set by the parental authority in the password registration area 409b, and performs user authentication when using the bookmark function. It is configured to do.

The CPU 410 executes the various programs stored in the storage unit 406 to generate the bus 41.
1 controls each part of the device connected via 1. CPU
As a process peculiar to this embodiment, first, during the period in which the parent has registered the URL using the bookmark function, 410 removes the restriction on the access of the mobile phone 40 to the site on the Internet 20. To do.

During the other periods, the CPU 41
0 monitors access to the Internet 20 and checks whether the URL of the access destination matches any URL registered in the bookmark table 409a to determine whether or not the access is permitted. And CP
U410 is identified by the URL of the access destination only when the URL of the access destination matches one of the URLs in the bookmark table 409a and it is determined that the access is to the site permitted by the parental authority. Communication device (eg, content server 10A, 10
B)) to start communication. The above is the configuration of the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment.

[A-2. Operation of First Embodiment] Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When the user of the mobile phone 40 is a minor, when making a subscription contract or changing the contract content of the mobile phone 40 at a service shop,
As a general rule, parental consent is required. When the parental authority informs the clerk of the service store that the parental lock function is to be activated at the time of these contracts, the telephone number of the mobile phone 40 and the instruction to activate the parental lock function are instructed. The service contract information including the function setting information is transmitted from the terminal installed in the service store to the management server (not shown) in the mobile packet communication network 30.

When the management server receives the service contract information, it sends a switching command for instructing the mobile phone 40 having the telephone number included in the service contract information to turn on the parent lock function to the mobile packet. It is transmitted via the communication network 30. The mobile phone 40
When the wireless signal including the switching command is received from the base station 32, the parent lock function of the own device 40 is switched to ON according to the switching command.

The control for switching on the parent lock function of the mobile phone 40 is not limited to the mode in which the switching command is transmitted to the mobile phone 40 via the mobile packet communication network 30. For example, a clerk of a service shop may operate the mobile phone 40 to switch the parent lock function of the mobile phone 40 to ON. In addition, the terminal installed in the service shop and the mobile phone 40 communicate with each other via the communication interface 404 of the mobile phone 40, and a switching command is transmitted to the mobile phone 40 by this communication. Good. The mobile phone 40 whose parent lock function is switched off can access any site on the Internet 20, and no access is restricted.

In the portable telephone 40 whose parent lock function is turned on as described above, the bookmark processing and access control processing described below are C
It is executed by the PU 410.

<1. Bookmark Process> First, the bookmark process executed by the CPU 410 in the mobile phone 40 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The bookmark process is executed by the CPU 410 when an operation command instructing the use of the bookmark function is input during the activation of the web browser.

As described above, the user who can use the bookmark function in the mobile phone 40 according to this embodiment is limited to the parent. For example, if the child who is the user of the mobile phone 40 wants to access the mobile phone 40 to a site that is not permitted by the parent who is the parent, the child asks the parent to allow the access. You need to request the registration of the URL of the site you want. In response to this request, the parent browses the contents of the site and, when permitting access to the mobile phone 40, registers the URL of the site using the bookmark function.

As shown in the figure, first, the CPU 41
0 indicates whether or not this is the first time to use the bookmark function,
That is, it is determined whether or not the registration process of the URL of the site to which the access is permitted is executed for the first time (step S
1). As a result, when the CPU 410 determines that the bookmark function is used for the first time, from the next time onward, the user who can use this bookmark function is limited to the parent only, so the registration of the authentication password of the parent is performed. Execute the process. That is, the CPU 410 displays the authentication password setting screen (step S2), and stores the authentication password input by the parent in the password registration area 409b of the non-volatile memory 409 (step S3).

On the other hand, the CPU 410 causes the above step S1.
When it is determined that the bookmark function is not used for the first time, user authentication is performed using the authentication password already registered in the password registration area 409b, and the user requesting to use the bookmark function is the parental authority. It is determined whether or not there is. That is, the CPU 410
Displays a password input screen as shown in FIG. 5 (step S4) and prompts the user to input the password. Next, the CPU 410 collates the password input by the user with the authentication password registered in the password registration area 409b (step S).
5). As a result, when the collation results do not match (step S6: No), CPU 410 displays a message to the effect that the passwords are different on the liquid crystal screen (step S6).
7), the bookmark process ends. In addition, the CPU 41
0 indicates that the collation results match (step S6: Ye
s), and shifts to step S8.

Next, the CPU 410 controls access to the mobile phone 40, that is,
Bookmark is registered, bookmark table 409
The access to the mobile phone 40, which is restricted only to the site whose URL is registered in a, is canceled until the bookmark registration process is completed (step S8).
This allows the mobile phone 40 to access any site on the Internet 20 until the bookmark registration is completed.

Here, the reason for releasing the access restriction is
In response to a request from the user (minor) of the mobile phone 40, the parental authority accesses the site to which access is not permitted by the mobile phone 40, browses the contents of the site, and accesses the mobile phone 40. This is so that it can be determined whether or not to permit. As a result, the parental authority can browse the contents of the site, which is the subject of determination of access permission, with the mobile phone 40, as shown in FIG. 6, for example. The screen display example shown in the figure is
The site for which access permission is determined is "○○○
○ It shows the case of the homepage of “University”.

When the parental authority browses the contents of the site and determines that the parental authority permits the mobile telephone 40 to access this site, the parental authority operates when the mobile telephone 40 is still connected to the site. Input section 4
Operate 02 to display the menu screen shown in Fig. 7,
Select "Add to Bookmark" from the operation menu.

When the operation command for instructing registration to the bookmark is input to the CPU 410 (step S9: Yes).
s), UR of the site currently displayed on the screen
L is acquired and this URL is registered as a bookmark. That is, the CPU 410 registers the URL of the site displayed on the screen in the bookmark table 409a (step S10). The parent can also directly input the URL of the site to be registered as a bookmark by operating the operation input unit 402. Further, as the update processing of the bookmark table 409a, for example, the URL registered in the bookmark table 409a is deleted according to the operation input, that is, the access of the mobile phone 40 to the site to which access has been permitted until now is prohibited. It is also possible to change to permission.

When the registration of the bookmark is completed, the CPU 410 displays the screen shown in FIG. 8 to notify the parent of the completion of the registration of the bookmark. In addition, the parental authority, at the stage where the screen display shown in FIG. 8 is performed,
The screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the liquid crystal screen of the mobile phone 40 by operating the operation input unit 402 to display the menu screen shown in FIG. 6 again and selecting “View bookmark” from the operation menu. You can display it and check the bookmark you registered earlier. The screen display example shown in FIG. 9 shows the case where the homepage (HP) of “XXXXX University” shown in FIG. 6 is registered as a bookmark, and the already registered “□□□ company” is displayed. And “△
It can be seen that in addition to the homepage of "Company", the homepage of "○○○○ University" is additionally registered in the bookmark.

After this, when an operation command for ending the bookmark registration process is input (step S11: Yes), the CPU 410 restores the access restriction released in step S8. That is, the CPU 4
10 restricts access to the mobile phone 40 only to sites whose URLs are registered in the bookmark table 409a (step S12), and ends the bookmark process.

<2. Access Control Process> Next, the access control process executed by the CPU 410 in the mobile phone 40 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This access control process is performed by the mobile phone 40.
In, the CPU 410 executes the process when an access request to the Internet 20 occurs.

As shown in the figure, first, the CPU 41
0 specifies the URL of the access destination based on the access request (step S21). Next, the CPU 410 refers to the bookmark table 409a (step S2
2) It is determined whether or not the URL of the access destination specified in step S21 matches any URL registered in the bookmark table 409a (step S23).

As a result, the CPU 410 determines that the URL of the access destination is U in any one of the bookmark tables 409a.
If it is determined that it matches RL (step S23: Y
es), it is determined that the access destination site is a site permitted by the parent, and this access is permitted (step S24). Then, the CPU 410 starts communication with the communication device (for example, the content servers 10A and 10B) specified by the URL of the access destination (step S25). As a result, the mobile phone 40 can acquire various contents such as programs, image data, and music data from the access destination site.

The user of the mobile phone 40 operates the operation input unit 402 to display the screen shown in FIG. 9, and selects one of the registered bookmarks to access the site. Of course, the URL of this site is the bookmark table 409.
Since it is registered in a, this access is permitted. Here, for example, the bookmark table 40
When the URL registered in 9a indicates the top page of the site, the mobile phone 40 can access each page under the top page indicated by this URL. However, the mobile phone 40 cannot access another site linked to this site unless the URL of the other site is registered in the bookmark table 409a.

On the other hand, the CPU 410 causes the above step S2.
When it is determined that the URL of the access destination does not match any of the URLs of the bookmark table 409a in step 3 (step S23: No), it is determined that the site of the access destination is not a site permitted by the parental authority, and this access is performed. Do not permit (step S26). in this case,
The CPU 410 has a message indicating that this access is to a site that is not permitted by the parental authority, or a message prompting the parental authority to register the bookmark if the user wants to access this site. Are displayed on the liquid crystal screen (step S2
7). Then, the CPU 410 ends the access control process without executing the communication process or the like associated with this access.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
The mobile phone 40 can restrict the access of the mobile phone 40 to the site on the Internet 20 according to the bookmark table 409a registered by the parental authority of the user (minor) of the mobile phone 40.
Further, the mobile phone 40 releases the restriction of access based on the bookmark table 409a while the parent has registered the URL of the site in the bookmark table 409a. As a result, the parent can browse the content of the site for which the URL is newly registered, using the mobile phone 40. Thus, according to the present embodiment,
When the user of the mobile phone 40 is a minor, the parent can determine the sites that the mobile phone 40 can access.

[B. Second Embodiment] In the above-described first embodiment, the case where the parental authority himself / herself registers the URL of the site to which the mobile phone 40 is permitted to access has been described.
However, in this case, the user of the mobile phone 40 is
If you want to access a site that is not allowed, you have to ask the parent to register the bookmark, which is inconvenient. The invention of the present embodiment has been made in view of the circumstances described above. In addition, in this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those in the first embodiment. The description of the parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

[B-1. Configuration of Second Embodiment] <1. Structure of Communication System> FIG. 11 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a communication system 2 including a mobile phone 41 according to an embodiment. As shown in the figure, the communication system 2 is different from the communication system 1 (see FIG. 1) described in the first embodiment in that a bookmark providing server 50 operated by a third party is further provided. .

Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the user of the mobile phone 41 is a minor such as a child under the protection of a parent. In addition, in principle, the consent of the parental authority is required at the time of the subscription contract of the mobile phone 41 or when the contract content is changed, and the parent lock function is turned on / off in response to a request from the parental authority at the time of the above contract.
F shall be switched.

The third-party organization operating the bookmark providing server 50 examines the contents of various sites on the Internet 20 that the mobile phone 41 can access, and selects a site that is not harmful to the minors. Then
The bookmark providing server 50 stores the URLs of these sites and information showing the outlines of the sites in a database. The database stored in the bookmark providing server 50 is updated daily by a third party, and the bookmark providing server 50 uses the URL of the site registered in the database via the Internet 20 and the mobile packet communication network 30. The data is transmitted to the mobile phone 41 whose parent lock function is switched on.

The third-party organization operating the bookmark providing server 50 may be a telecommunications carrier who operates the mobile packet communication network 30 and provides a packet communication service to the mobile phone 41. , It may be an independent institution different from the telecommunications carrier.

The mobile phone 41 differs from the mobile phone 40 of the above-described first embodiment in that the URL of the site used for registering the bookmark for restricting access to the Internet 20 is acquired from the bookmark providing server 50. The hardware configuration of the mobile phone 41 is
The hardware configuration of the mobile phone 40 described in the first embodiment (see FIG. 2) is substantially the same, except that the password registration area 409b in which the authentication password of the parent is registered is stored in the non-volatile memory 409a. This is an unnecessary point.

<2. Configuration of Bookmark Providing Server> FIG. 12 shows the bookmark providing server 50 shown in FIG.
It is a block diagram which illustrates the hardware constitutions of. As shown in the figure, the bookmark providing server 50
M501, RAM502, HD (Hard Disc) 50
3, a communication interface 504, and a CPU 505, and these units are connected by a bus 506.

The ROM 501 stores a program that controls the basic control of each unit of the bookmark providing server 50. The RAM 502 is used as a work area of the CPU 505, and temporarily stores programs executed by the CPU 505 and various data.

The HD 503 stores the operating system of the bookmark providing server 50 and the like. In addition, this HD 503 has a bookmark DB (Da
ta Base) 503a is stored. As shown in FIG. 13, in this bookmark DB 503a, the URL of a site that has been examined by a third-party institution and found not harmful to minors is the site name or comment information indicating the outline of the site. It is stored in association with.

Returning to FIG. 12, the communication interface 504.
Controls communication performed between the bookmark providing server 50 and another communication device via the Internet 20. Further, the CPU 505 has a ROM 501 and an HD 50.
By executing various programs stored in the storage device 3 or the like, each part of the device connected via the bus 506 is controlled. The CPU 505 generates permitted site list data that introduces a plurality of sites permitted to access the mobile phone 41 based on the site name and comment information stored in the bookmark DB 503a of the HD 503, and the permitted site list data is generated. The internet 20
And a mobile phone 41 via the mobile packet communication network 30.
Send to. In addition, the CPU 505 reads the URL of the site designated by the mobile phone 41 from the above-mentioned permitted site list data from the bookmark DB 503a, and issues a bookmark registration instruction to instruct to register the URL of this site and the URL as a bookmark. And are transmitted to the mobile phone 41. The above is the configuration of the communication system 2 according to the present embodiment.

[B-2. Operation of Second Embodiment] Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. First, in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, since the user of the mobile phone 41 is a minor, when the subscription contract or the contract content of the mobile phone 41 is changed, in principle, the parental authority is required. Consent of the person is required. When the parental authority informs the clerk of the service store at the time of these contracts that the parental lock function is to be activated, the telephone number of this mobile phone 41 and an instruction to enable the parental lock function are instructed. The service contract information including the function setting information is transmitted from the terminal of the service store to the management server (not shown) in the mobile packet communication network 30.

Upon receiving the service contract information, the management server instructs the mobile phone 41 having the telephone number included in the service contract information to switch the parent lock function to ON and the bookmark. The URL of the providing server 50 and a bookmark registration command for instructing to register the URL as a bookmark are transmitted via the mobile packet communication network 30.

When the mobile phone 41 receives a wireless signal including a switching command, the URL of the bookmark providing server 50, a bookmark registration command, etc. from the base station 32, first, the parental lock function of its own device 41 is turned on according to the switching command. Switch. In addition, the mobile phone 41 registers the URL of the bookmark providing server 50 as a bookmark. That is, the mobile phone 41 stores the URL of the bookmark providing server 50 in the bookmark table 409.
Register with a. As a result, the parent lock function operates in the mobile phone 41, and access to sites on the Internet 20 excluding the bookmark providing server 50 is prohibited.

As described in the first embodiment, the control for switching on the parent lock function of the mobile phone 41 is performed by, for example, a clerk of a service shop using the mobile phone 4 as described above.
A mode in which 1 is operated to switch the parent lock function of the mobile phone 41 to ON may be used. In addition, the mobile phone 4 is connected between the terminal of the service store and the mobile phone 41.
The communication command may be transmitted via the first communication interface 404, and the switching command may be transmitted to the mobile phone 41 by this communication.

The UR of the bookmark providing server 50
The control of registering L as a bookmark of the mobile phone 41 may also be performed, for example, by a clerk of a service shop operating the mobile phone 41 to register it in the mobile phone 41. In addition, the terminal of the service shop and the mobile phone 41 communicate with each other via the communication interface 404 of the mobile phone 41, and the URL of the bookmark providing server 50 is registered as the bookmark of the mobile phone 41 by this communication. May be Furthermore, the URL of the bookmark providing server 50 may already be stored in the memory of the mobile phone 41 at the time of product shipment, and may be registered as a bookmark when the parent lock function is switched to ON.

<1. Acquisition and Registration of Bookmark Information> FIG. 14 is a sequence chart exemplifying the operation of the mobile phone 41 acquiring the URL of the site from the bookmark providing server 50 and registering it as a bookmark.

As shown in the figure, first, the user of the mobile phone 41 operates the operation input unit 402 to instruct the activation of the Web browser. In response to this operation input, the CPU 410 of the mobile phone 41 reads out and activates the software of the web browser stored in the ROM 407 (step S101). Next, the user of the mobile phone 41 operates the operation input unit 402 to display the menu screen shown in FIG. 7, and selects “view bookmark” from the operation menu. Then, the user selects the bookmark providing server 50 from the sites registered as bookmarks.

In response to this operation input, C of the mobile phone 41
The PU 410 reads the URL of the bookmark providing server 50 from the bookmark table 409a. And
The CPU 410 transmits an access request to the bookmark providing server 50 via the wireless communication unit 401 (step S102). The wireless signal including the access request is received by the base station 32 that covers the wireless area in which the mobile phone 41 is located, and the bookmark providing server 50 via the gateway server 31 and the Internet 20.
An access request is sent to.

CPU 50 of bookmark providing server 50
Upon receiving the access request from the mobile phone 41 via the communication interface 504, the mobile phone 5 first performs terminal authentication of the mobile phone 41 that is the access request source (step S103), and sends an access response including the authentication result and the like. Reply to the telephone 41 (step S104). In addition,
As a result of the terminal authentication, when it is confirmed that the mobile phone 41 is the mobile phone 41 subscribed to the service provided by the bookmark providing server 50, the above step S1.
The access response transmitted at 04 includes service menu screen data and the like.

When the CPU 410 of the mobile phone 41 receives the access response from the bookmark providing server 50,
The menu screen data included in this access response is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 405 using the function of the Web browser. The user selects the service menu according to the display of the menu screen. Here, when the user selects the "bookmark registration" menu for newly adding a site accessible by the mobile phone 41, the CPU 410 of the mobile phone 41 causes the "bookmark registration" to be performed.
The menu selection information indicating that the menu has been selected is transmitted to the bookmark providing server 50 (step S10).
5).

CPU 50 of bookmark providing server 50
When receiving the menu selection information from the mobile phone 41, the process 5 starts processing relating to the service menu designated by the menu selection information. Here, as described above, since the "bookmark registration" menu is specified, the CPU 505 firstly makes the bookmark DB 503.
A plurality of comment information showing the site name and the outline of the site is read from a (step S106). Then CP
Based on the read site name and comment information, the U 505 generates permitted site list data that introduces a plurality of sites permitted to access the mobile phone 41, and transmits the permitted site list data to the mobile phone 41 (step S107).

Upon receiving the search response from the bookmark providing server 50, the CPU 410 of the mobile phone 41 displays the permitted site list data included in the search response on the liquid crystal screen (step S108). When displaying this list, in addition to the site name, comment information showing an overview of this site is displayed. Therefore, even when the mobile phone 41 is prohibited from accessing these sites, the user can select the site to access by browsing the contents of the comment information. Then, when a site to be newly accessed is selected from the permitted site list data by the operation input of the user (step S109), the CPU 41 of the mobile phone 41 is selected.
0 transmits a download request including the site selection information to the bookmark providing server 50 (step S11).
0).

CPU 50 of bookmark providing server 50
Upon receiving the download request from the mobile phone 41, the 5 reads the URL of the corresponding site from the bookmark DB 503a according to the site selection information included in the download request (step S111). Then, the CPU 505 transmits the URL of the read site and a bookmark registration command instructing to register the URL as a bookmark to the mobile phone 41 (step S112).

Upon receiving the URL of the site and the bookmark registration command from the bookmark providing server 50, the CPU 410 of the mobile phone 41 registers the URL of the site in the bookmark according to the bookmark registration command. That is, the CPU 410 stores the URL of the site received from the bookmark providing server 50 in the bookmark table 409.
It is registered in a (step S113).

Thereafter, the CPU 410 determines whether or not the end of the "bookmark registration" menu is instructed (step S114), and if the bookmark is to be subsequently registered (step S114: No), the process proceeds to step S105. Return. Further, when the termination of the "bookmark registration" menu is instructed (step S114: Yes), the CPU 410 transmits a termination notification to the bookmark providing server 50 (step S115). In addition, in the present embodiment, the user of the mobile phone 41 can delete the URL registered in the bookmark table 409a according to the operation input.

As described above, in the present embodiment, registration, deletion, change, etc. of a bookmark for restricting access of the mobile phone 41 to the Internet 20 are performed by the mobile phone 41.
The point that the user (minor) can use the bookmark providing server 50 without asking the parental authority and that the access restriction of the mobile phone 41 is not released at the time of registering the bookmark. Different from the embodiment.

Next, the access control processing executed by the CPU 410 in the mobile phone 41 according to the present embodiment is the same as the access control processing (see FIG. 10) described in the first embodiment, so the flow chart is omitted. However, the outline is as follows.

That is, the CPU 410 of the mobile phone 41
Monitors access to the Internet 20, checks whether the URL of the access destination matches any URL registered in the bookmark table 409a, and determines whether or not this access is permitted. As a result, C
The PU 410 determines that the URL of the access destination matches one of the URLs in the bookmark table 409a, and that this access is to a site that is recognized by a third party as not harmful to minors. In this case, communication is started with the communication device specified by the URL of the access destination. This enables the mobile phone 41
Is a program, image data,
It is possible to acquire various contents such as music data.

On the other hand, the CPU 410 determines that the access destination UR
If L does not match any URL in the bookmark table 409a, a message indicating that the access cannot be permitted is displayed on the liquid crystal screen, and the access control process is terminated without executing the communication process associated with this access. .

As described above, according to this embodiment,
In the bookmark providing server 50, the contents are examined by a third party organization, and a plurality of network addresses of sites to which the mobile phone 41 is permitted to access are stored. The mobile phone 41 acquires an arbitrary network address from a plurality of network addresses stored in the bookmark providing server 50 and acquires the bookmark table 409.
Register with a. Then, the mobile phone 41 regulates access to the site on the Internet 20 by the mobile phone 41 according to the bookmark table 409a.

In the first embodiment described above, the parental authority had to register the bookmark for restricting the access of the mobile phone 40 to the Internet 20, but according to the present embodiment, the mobile phone 41. The user (minor) can obtain an arbitrary URL from the URLs stored in the bookmark providing server 50 and register it as a bookmark without requesting the parent to register the bookmark. It is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the first embodiment described above.

[C. Modification] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following may be considered as modifications.

<Modification 1> In the first embodiment described above,
The form in which the parental authentication password is registered when the bookmark function is used for the first time has been described. However,
At the time of the subscription contract or when the contract content is changed, the authentication password of the parental authority is transmitted to the clerk of the service store by contract document or orally, and this authentication password is transmitted from the terminal of the service store to the mobile phone 40 via the mobile packet communication network 30. The password may be transmitted to the user and registered in the password registration area 409b. In addition, the clerk of the service shop can use the mobile phone 40
May be operated to register the parental authentication password. Alternatively, the terminal of the service shop and the mobile phone 40 communicate with each other via the communication interface 404 of the mobile phone 40, and the authentication password of the parental authority is transmitted to the mobile phone 40 by this communication. May be.

Further, the user authentication for authenticating the parental authority is not limited to the password form, and for example, biometric authentication for identifying the person by physical characteristics such as a fingerprint, a retina pattern, and a voice. You may use.

<Modification 2> In the first and second embodiments described above, the user may switch the parent lock function ON / OFF by operating the mobile phones 40 and 41. However, in this case, for example, in order to prevent a child from arbitrarily switching off the parent lock function, the user authentication is performed and the function is switched when a request for switching the parent lock function is input. It is necessary to authenticate that the user in question is a parent.

<Modification 3> In the above-described first and second embodiments, the case where the URL is used as the network address has been described, but an IP address, a domain address or the like may be used. Alternatively, an electronic mail address or a telephone number may be used.

<Modification 4> In the above-described second embodiment, there are a plurality of third-party institutions that support the parental lock function of the mobile phone 41, and among these plurality of third-party institutions, the parent has a contract at the time of contract. From the bookmark providing server 50 of the selected third-party institution, the mobile phone 41 is connected to the site U
Of course, the configuration may be such that the RL is acquired.

<Fifth Modification> In the above-described first and second embodiments, a case has been described in which the bookmark function of the Web browser is used to register and save the URL of the site to which the mobile phones 40 and 41 are permitted to access. . However, it goes without saying that the present invention can be realized without using the bookmark function. For example, mobile phone 4
The URL of the site to which access to 0 or 41 is permitted may be simply stored in the non-volatile memory 409 as data to be referred when restricting access to the mobile phones 40 and 41.

<Modification 6> In the first and second embodiments described above, the mobile phone 4 used by the child is requested by the parent.
The case of restricting access of 0 and 41 has been described.
However, the present invention is also applicable, for example, when the user of a business-use mobile phone provided by a company is an employee and the access of the business-use mobile phone used by the employee is restricted according to the employer's request. Is.

<Modification 7> In the second embodiment described above, the bookmark providing server 50 is the Internet 20.
It is configured to be connected to. However, the bookmark providing server 50 may be directly connected to the gateway server 31 of the mobile packet communication network 30 via a dedicated line. Further, the gateway server 31 may have the function of the bookmark providing server 50. Furthermore, the bookmark providing server 50
May be installed in the mobile packet communication network 30. Similarly, in the first and second embodiments described above, the content servers 10A and 10B are the gateway servers 31 of the mobile packet communication network 30 via the leased line.
May be directly connected to. Alternatively, the gateway server 31 may have the functions of the content servers 10A and 10B. Furthermore, the content servers 10A and 10B are connected to the mobile packet communication network 30.
It may be configured to be installed inside.

<Modification 8> The communication terminal to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to a mobile phone, and for example, PH
S (Personal Handyphone System: registered trademark) terminals and P
Of course, it can be applied to a DA (Personal Digital Assistant), a car navigation device, a personal computer, and the like. The present invention is also applicable to a communication system 3 that does not use a mobile packet communication network as shown in FIG. In the case of the communication system 3 shown in the figure, the personal computers 80a to 80c provided in the LAN 60 correspond to communication terminals.

[0092]

As described above, according to the present invention, the access of the communication terminal to the resources on the network can be appropriately restricted with a simple structure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the mobile phone according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram exemplifying a data configuration of a bookmark table stored in a nonvolatile memory in the mobile phone according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a CP of the mobile phone according to the embodiment.
7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of bookmark processing executed by U.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a screen display example displayed on a mobile phone when authenticating a parental authority according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display displayed on a mobile phone when a parent has browsed the contents of the site according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a screen display example displayed on a mobile phone when a parent has registered a site URL by using the bookmark function according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display displayed on the mobile phone according to the completion of bookmark registration according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a screen display example displayed on a mobile phone when confirming a registered bookmark according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows a mobile phone according to the same embodiment, in which C
6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an access control process executed by a PU.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a communication system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a bookmark providing server according to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram exemplifying a data configuration of a bookmark DB stored in an HD in the bookmark providing server according to the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a sequence chart illustrating an operation of the mobile phone according to the embodiment until the URL of the site is acquired from the bookmark providing server and registered as a bookmark.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a communication system according to Modification 8 of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 2, 3 ... Communication system, 10A, 10B ... Content server, 20 ... Internet, 30 ... Mobile packet communication network, 31 ... Gateway server, 32 ...
... base station, 40, 41 ... mobile phone, 50 ... bookmark providing server 50, 60 ... LAN, 70 ... gateway server, 80a, 80b, 80c ... personal computer, 401 ... wireless communication unit, 401a ... …
Antenna, 402 ... Operation input unit, 403 ... Call processing unit, 404 ... Communication interface, 405 ... Liquid crystal display unit, 406 ... Storage unit, 407 ... ROM, 408 ...
... RAM, 409 ... non-volatile memory, 409a ... bookmark table, 409b ... password registration area, 410 ... CPU, 411 ... bus, 501 ... R
OM, 502 ... RAM, 503 ... HD, 503a ...
… Bookmark DB, 504… Communication interface,
505 ... CPU, 506 ... bus.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 5B075 KK07 KK43                 5B085 AA08 AE02 AE06                 5K101 KK02 LL12 NN21 PP04 RR27

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. When an operator of the communication terminal is a predetermined user when a registration request for resource definition information that defines resources on the network that the communication terminal can access is input. An authenticating means for authenticating whether the communication terminal accesses the resource on the network until the resource defining information is registered after the operator is authenticated by the authenticating means as a predetermined user. Access control means for releasing the restriction of No., registration means for registering the resource regulation information according to an operation input, and when an access request for a resource on the network occurs after the registration by the registration means, the access request Whether to access the resource based on the above is determined by referring to the resource regulation information registered by the registration means. And a determining unit that determines that the access is permitted,
A communication terminal, comprising: a communication unit that performs communication for accessing the resource. 2. The user of the communication terminal is a minor and the predetermined user authenticated by the authentication means is a parental authority of the user. The described communication terminal. 3. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the resource definition information is a network address that identifies a resource on a network to which the communication terminal is permitted to access. 4. The communication terminal is equipped with a browser having a bookmark function, the registration means is the bookmark function, and a network address registered as a bookmark by the bookmark function is used as the resource definition data. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein: 5. Receiving means for receiving a switching command for enabling or disabling an access regulation function for regulating access of the communication terminal to a resource on a network according to the resource regulation information registered by the registration means, and the receiving means. The communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a switching unit that switches the access restriction function between valid and invalid in accordance with a switching command received by the communication terminal. 6. An access regulation function for regulating access of the communication terminal to a resource on a network according to the resource regulation information registered by the registration means,
The communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a switching unit that switches between valid and invalid according to an operation input. 7. The authenticating means authenticates whether or not the operator of the communication terminal is a predetermined user, when the switching means switches the access control function to valid or invalid according to an operation input. The communication terminal according to claim 6, wherein 8. An acquisition unit that acquires an arbitrary network address from a server that stores a plurality of network addresses that specify resources on the network to which the communication terminal is permitted to access, and the network acquired by the acquisition unit. When an access request for a resource on the network is made, a network means for storing the address and a network address of the resource based on the access request are compared with the network address stored by the storage means to determine whether or not the access is possible. A discriminating means for discriminating, and when the discriminating means judges that access is permitted,
A communication terminal, comprising: a communication unit that performs communication for accessing the resource. 9. The user of the communication terminal is a minor, and the network address stored in the server is obtained by excluding the network address of a resource containing contents harmful to the minor. The communication terminal according to claim 8, wherein 10. The communication terminal includes a browser having a bookmark function, the storage unit is the bookmark function, and the bookmark function registers the network address acquired by the acquisition unit as a bookmark. The communication terminal according to claim 8, wherein 11. Receiving means for receiving a switching command for enabling or disabling an access restriction function for restricting access of the communication terminal to a resource on a network according to a network address stored by the storage means, and the receiving means. The communication terminal according to claim 8, further comprising a switching unit that switches the access restriction function between valid and invalid according to the received switching command. 12. An access control function for controlling access of the communication terminal to a resource on a network according to a network address stored by the storage means, is further provided with switching means for switching between valid and invalid according to an operation input. The communication terminal according to claim 8, which is characterized in that. 13. An authentication means for authenticating whether or not the operator of the communication terminal is a predetermined user when the switching means switches the access control function to valid or invalid according to an operation input. The communication terminal according to claim 8, comprising: 14. The user of the communication terminal is a minor, and the predetermined user authenticated by the authentication means is a parental authority of the user. The described communication terminal. 15. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the communication terminal is a mobile phone having a packet communication function. 16. A communication system having a server and a communication terminal, wherein the server stores a plurality of network addresses that specify resources on a network to which the communication terminal is permitted to access, and the storage means. From the network addresses stored by the communication terminal, the transmission means transmitting the network address specified by the communication terminal to the communication terminal, the communication terminal receiving the network address transmitted by the transmission means. Receiving means, storage means for storing the network address received by the receiving means, and when an access request for a resource on the network occurs, the network address of the resource based on this access request and the storage means for storing the network address Network address and Discriminating means for discriminating whether the access compared, when the determination means has determined to permit the access,
A communication system comprising: a communication unit that performs communication for accessing the resource. 17. The user of the communication terminal is a minor, and the network address stored in the storage means is excluded from the network address of a resource containing a harmful content to the minor. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the communication system is one. 18. The storage unit stores a plurality of network addresses for identifying resources on a network to which the communication terminal is permitted to access, and comment information indicating the contents of the resources identified by the network addresses. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the communication system comprises: 19. A communication control method in a communication terminal, wherein an operator of the communication terminal inputs a registration request of resource definition information defining resources on a network that the communication terminal can access. An authentication process for authenticating whether or not the user is a predetermined user, and a period from when the operator is authenticated as a predetermined user in the authentication process until the resource definition information is registered. An access control process for releasing restriction of access of the communication terminal to a resource on the network, a registration process for registering the resource regulation information according to an operation input, and a resource for the network after registration in the registration process. When an access request occurs, whether or not to access the resource based on this access request is determined in the registration process. And a communication step of performing communication for accessing the resource when it is determined that access is permitted in the determination step. Communication control method. 20. A storage process in which a server stores a network address that specifies a resource on a network to which a communication terminal is permitted to access, and the communication terminal stores a plurality of network addresses stored in the server in the storage process. An acquisition process of acquiring an arbitrary network address from the storage device, a storage process of storing the network address acquired by the communication terminal in the acquisition process, and the communication terminal, when an access request to a resource on the network occurs, A determining step of comparing the network address of the resource based on the access request with the network address stored in the storing step to determine whether or not the access is possible; and when the communication terminal permits the access in the determining step. Access the resource if determined Communication control method characterized in that it comprises a communication step of performing communication fit.