JP2003333656A - Mobile terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile terminal device which has internally preserved information surely prevented from being leaked and allows the information to be restored when being lost. <P>SOLUTION: When a lock indication given from an external terminal is received by a radio communication module 18, a CPU 21 locks operation of the mobile terminal device and transfers information stored in a RAM 23 or the like to a prescribed transfer destination. Thus leakage of information preserved in the mobile terminal device is surely prevented and the information can be restored when the mobile terminal device is lost. When the lock indication cannot be sent from the external device because of, for example, unconnection of the radio communication module 18, an operator is authenticated by a password or the like, and operation is locked to protect the information when a person other than the owner performs operation input. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a PDA (Personal).
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal device such as a digital assistant), and more particularly to a mobile terminal device having a wireless communication function and capable of wireless communication with another terminal device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a portable information terminal device such as a PDA or a mobile phone device can store various kinds of information, and the information includes personal information and confidential information which should not be shown to others. Is also included. However, while this type of terminal device has the convenience that it can be freely used anywhere while being carried by the user, it also has many opportunities for loss or theft, and there is the danger that information stored in the device can be stolen by someone other than the owner. There is a nature. Therefore, a password setting function is usually provided so that internal information cannot be viewed without inputting the password. Further, some mobile phone devices and the like have a function of remotely enabling an operation lock by externally calling the device and sending a preset personal identification number.

[0003]

As described above, conventionally, the password has been set to prevent others from arbitrarily viewing information in the terminal. However,
The password is not always set, and if the user loses the password without setting the password, the information will be seen by others. Also, even if it has a function to remotely lock the operation like a mobile phone device,
When the terminal device is out of range, for example, when it is in a state where wireless communication cannot be performed, the operation lock cannot be performed, and thus information leakage cannot be prevented.

A lot of information such as PDA of recent years can be stored, and in particular, highly confidential information such as customer information may be stored. Therefore, it is essential to prevent this type of information leakage. Furthermore, it is necessary to not only prevent the information from being leaked to others, but also to regain it.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and when the device is lost or the like, it is possible to reliably prevent the leakage of the information stored inside and to recover the information. An object is to provide a mobile terminal device.

[0006]

A portable terminal device according to claim 1 of the present invention is a portable terminal device equipped with a wireless communication device, wherein a storage means for storing various information and a lock instruction given from an external terminal are provided. In response to this, an operation lock means for locking a specific operation including an information read operation to the storage means, and the operation stored by the operation lock means, the information stored in the storage means is transferred to a predetermined transfer destination. And a transfer means.

According to this structure, the apparatus is in the operation-locked state by the lock instruction given from the external terminal, and further, the information in the apparatus is transferred to a predetermined transfer destination due to the operation lock. . Thereby, when the device is lost, it is possible to reliably prevent the leakage of the information stored inside and to recover the information.

A portable terminal device according to claim 2 of the present invention is
In a mobile terminal device equipped with a wireless communication device, a storage unit that stores various kinds of information, an authentication unit that authenticates an operator, and if the operator cannot be authenticated by this authentication unit, information stored in the storage unit is stored. It comprises an operation lock means for locking a specific operation including a read operation, and a transfer means for transferring the information stored in the storage means to a predetermined transfer destination when the operation lock means locks the operation. It

With such a configuration, it is verified whether the operator is the original owner or not, and when it is determined that the operator is not the owner, the operation of the apparatus is locked, and further, the operation is performed. With the lock, the information in the device is transferred to a predetermined transfer destination. Thereby, when the device is lost, it is possible to reliably prevent the leakage of the information stored inside and to recover the information.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the portable terminal device according to the second aspect, the authentication means, when an operation input is made in a state where the wireless communication device is not connected, the operator at that time. Is characterized by being authenticated by a password.

According to such a configuration, even if the wireless communication device is not connected and the operation lock cannot be performed remotely from the outside, the operation lock can be performed on the operation input of the person other than the owner by the password authentication. can do.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the portable terminal device according to the second aspect, the authentication means, when an operation input is made in a state where the wireless communication device is in a communication-disabled state, identifies the operator at that time. It is characterized by authenticating with a password.

With such a configuration, even when the wireless communication device is in the communication disabled state and the operation cannot be remotely locked from the outside, the password authentication is used to operate the operation input by a person other than the owner. Can be locked.

A portable terminal device according to claim 5 of the present invention is
In a mobile terminal device to which a wireless communication device having identification information can be attached, a storage unit that stores various information, a determination unit that determines the identification information of the wireless communication device, and the identification information that is determined by this determination unit are stored in advance. When the identification information is different from the registered identification information, the operation lock means locks a specific operation including the information read operation to the storage means, and the operation lock means stores the operation lock means in the storage means. And a transfer means for transferring information to a predetermined transfer destination.

With such a configuration, when it is determined from the identification information attached to the wireless communication device that another wireless communication device is attached, the operation of this device is in the operation locked state, and The information in the device is transferred to a predetermined transfer destination due to the operation lock. This allows
When another person wears another wireless communication device and tries to use this device, the operation lock can surely prevent the leakage of the information stored therein and can retrieve the information.

Further, in claim 6, the above-mentioned claims 1, 2 and
The portable terminal device according to any one of 5) to 5) is provided with a transfer setting unit that sets information to be transferred when the operation is locked, a transfer destination thereof, and a transfer format, thereby making it possible to arbitrarily change settings related to transfer.

Further, in claim 7, the above-mentioned claims 1, 2 and
In the portable terminal device according to any one of 5), by providing a transfer control unit that repeats the retransfer when the transfer of the information by the transfer unit is not completed, the information can be surely transferred.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a mobile terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a schematic configuration is shown in the case where a PDA is assumed as the mobile terminal device.

The PDA 11 is used as a small and lightweight portable information terminal, and has a PIM (Personal Information Manager) function for managing personal information, an electronic mail function and a wireless communication function. This P
The LCD (Liquid Cry)
stal display) 12, a key operation unit 14 including various button groups, a speaker 15, and the like. Note that L
A transparent touch panel 13 is placed on the screen of the CD 12, and has a structure in which an input operation can be performed on the screen using a stylus pen (not shown).

Further, a slot 16 is provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body.
A memory card 17 used as an expansion memory or a card-shaped wireless communication module 18 (wireless communication device) is detachably attached to the slot 16. This wireless communication module 18
Has a wireless communication function such as PHS (Personal Handy Phone), and performs wireless communication with an external terminal according to a predetermined communication protocol.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the PDA 11.

The PDA 11 includes a CPU 21, which controls the operation of the entire apparatus, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, and a timer 2.
4, an I / O controller 25 and the like are provided. C
PU21 reads the program memorize | stored in ROM22 etc., and performs a predetermined process according to the procedure described by the program. The ROM 22 has an OS in advance.
Information such as various programs including (Operating System) is stored in advance. The RAM 23 is a memory for holding various kinds of information, and these pieces of information are backed up by a battery. This RAM
The information stored in 23 will be described later with reference to FIG. The timer 24 measures the CPU 2 after measuring a predetermined time.
An interrupt signal is generated for 1.

The I / O controller 25 controls data input / output between the CPU 21 and various peripheral devices. The I / O controller 25 includes the LCD 12, the backlight 12a, and the touch panel 1 as peripheral devices.
3, the key operation unit 14, the speaker 15, and the memory card 17, the wireless communication module 18, and the like are connected.

The LCD 12 is a device for displaying data. The LCD 12 is provided with a backlight 12a that illuminates from the back side, and has a structure in which data on the screen can be visually recognized even in a dark place. The touch panel 13 is placed on the screen of the LCD 12, detects the coordinate position of the portion touched by the stylus pen,
Input the data indicating the coordinate position. Key operation part 14
Is composed of various button groups, and is used, for example, when a screen scroll operation, a function selection operation, a data input operation, and the like are performed. The speaker 15 outputs an audio signal including voice, and is installed at a predetermined location of the PDA body as shown in FIG.

The memory card 17 serves as an expansion memory, for example, for providing application software and RA.
It is used when holding various data such as files separately from M23. The wireless communication module 18 is a communication device that performs wireless data communication with an external terminal,
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the PDA 11 is detachable.

In addition, the device has a battery 27 of a predetermined capacity.
Is built in, and the device is driven by using the battery 27 as a drive source when carrying. An AD converter 26 converts the terminal voltage of the battery 27 into a digital value. Reference numeral 28 denotes a power supply control circuit, which supplies electric power from the battery 27 to the entire device, and the RAM 2
Control such as supplying backup power to the unit 3 is performed. In the figure, 31 is an address bus, 32 is a data bus, 3
Reference numeral 3 is a signal line for causing the CPU 21 to generate an interrupt from the I / O controller 25. Further, 34 is a control signal line of the wireless communication module 18, and 35 to 44 are control signal lines of other peripheral devices.

FIG. 3 shows the RAM 23 provided in the PDA 11.
It is a figure which shows the structure of.

The RAM 23 is provided with storage areas 23a to 23d for storing information, and the storage area 23a.
In addition to personal information such as address book information and schedule information, for example, files created using various application software are stored. A preset password is stored in the storage area 23b. The storage area 23c stores the type of information (file name, etc.) designated as the transfer target and the transfer destination (mail address, etc.) of the information. Storage area 23d
A module ID for identifying the model of the wireless communication module 18 is stored in.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the information transfer method of the PDA 11.

When the information held in the PDA 11 is transferred, for example, there is a method of transferring a file by FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or a method of transferring it as an attached file of a mail. The PDA 11 is equipped with software that realizes these, and the user can arbitrarily set which format to transfer.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the PDA 11 is in the operation-locked state due to a lock instruction given from an external terminal, the PDA 11 first wirelessly connects to the base station 51 and then connects to the server via the network 52. The information is transferred to 53 in the form of being attached to FTP or e-mail. The user uses another terminal device 54 to access the server 53 and retrieves the information.

The information transfer destination is not limited to the server 53, and may be the terminal device 54 owned by the user. In this case, the transfer destination of the information (server / user terminal, etc.) and which information in the various information in the PDA 11 to be transferred are determined by the transfer format (FTP).
/ E-mail, etc.) can be arbitrarily set by the user, and the designated setting information is held in the storage area 23c of the RAM 23 shown in FIG.

In such a configuration, the PDA 11 may store important information such as personal information of the user (information relating to the address book, schedule book, etc.) as well as information regarding the customer. Therefore, P
If the DA 11 is lost, in order to prevent the leakage of such information, first, the operation of the PDA 11 should be locked to prevent others from reading the information, and the information should be retrieved immediately. preferable.

The processing operation of the PDA 11 in this embodiment will be described below assuming such a situation.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the operation lock process in the PDA 11 according to an external instruction. 6 is a flowchart showing the information transfer processing when the PDA 11 is in the operation lock state, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the detailed operation of the information transfer processing of FIG.

The user uses another terminal device 5 as shown in FIG.
When the operation lock instruction is transmitted from 4 to the PDA 11, the instruction signal at that time is wirelessly given to the wireless communication module 18 of the PDA 11. As a result, the wireless communication module 18 sends an interrupt signal to the CPU 21 in the PDA 11 via the I / O controller 25 and the interrupt signal line 33.

As shown in FIG. 5, the CPU in the PDA 11
When detecting the interrupt signal from the wireless communication module 18 (step A11), the device 21 identifies the interrupt factor (step A12). If the interrupt factor is an operation lock instruction (Yes in step A13),
The CPU 21 puts the PDA 11 in the operation lock state (step A14). The operation lock referred to here is the PDA 11
Means to limit the operation of, and at least RAM23
Which prohibits the operation of reading information from
A password must be entered to unlock it.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6, when the PDA 11 is in the operation lock state (Yes in step B11),
The CPU 21 determines whether the information in the PDA 11 has been transferred (step B12). If the information in the PDA 11 is not transferred (No in step B12), the CPU
21 checks whether or not the wireless communication module 18 is installed, and the wireless communication module 18 is installed, and
When wireless communication is possible (step B13: Y
es), the information in the PDA 11 is transferred to a predetermined transfer destination (step B14).

The information transfer processing at this time is shown in FIG.

That is, when the PDA 11 is in the operation locked state, the CPU 21 causes the storage area 2 of the RAM 23 to operate.
The information designated as the transfer target is read from 3a (step B21). After confirming the transfer destination, the CPU 21
Transfers the information read from the storage area 23a to the transfer destination according to a predetermined procedure (step B2).
3).

Here, if the information cannot be transferred midway due to the influence of the communication status (step B)
No. 24), CP until all information can be transferred
U21 repeats the retransfer process at a predetermined time interval (step B23). In this case, if, for example, as shown in FIG. 8A, it becomes impossible to transfer the information designated as the transfer target in a continuous transfer in a predetermined packet unit, as shown in FIG. Then, the information shall be retransmitted from the beginning of the interrupted packet.

Although the information is transferred to the transfer destination designated in advance in FIG. 7, the transfer destination may be arbitrarily designated from the external terminal. This can be realized, for example, by including the information designating the transfer destination in the lock instruction given to the PDA 11 and sending it. Similarly, the type of information to be transferred can be specified from the external terminal.

There are also methods for transferring information, such as file transfer by FTP and transfer by attaching to e-mail. As in the above, the transfer format (FTP / e-mail) is specified in the lock instruction. By including the information and sending it, it is possible to specify it from the external terminal as in the above.

In this way, by locking the operation of the PDA 11 from a remote place, it is possible to prevent others from seeing the information in the PDA 11 when the PDA 11 is lost. Further, by automatically transferring the information in accordance with the operation lock, it is possible to avoid losing important information such as information about the customer. The information may be left in the PDA 11 after the information transfer, or
The user can arbitrarily set whether to delete.
However, if the information remains in the PDA 11, the operation locked state may be released by some method, so it is preferable to erase the information from the inside of the device at the same time as the information transfer.

By the way, there is no guarantee that the PDA 11 can receive the instruction sent by the user. For example P
This is the case where the wireless communication module 18 is not attached to the DA 11 or the DA 11 is in an area where wireless radio waves do not reach (a communication-disabled area called out-of-range). In such a case, even if the user sends a lock instruction to the PDA 11, since the instruction does not reach the PDA 11, the operation cannot be locked and the information may be seen by others. Therefore, when the wireless communication module 18 is not attached or communication is impossible, user authentication is performed using a password, and when the owner cannot be confirmed, the operation lock is automatically performed to save information. Leakage shall be prevented. The processing at this time is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

9 and 10 are flowcharts showing the automatic operation lock process of the PDA 11. FIG. 9 shows the process when checking the mounting of the wireless communication module 18, and FIG. 10 shows the process when checking the communication state. .

As shown in FIG. 9, for example, when an operation is performed on the PDA 11, the C in the PDA 11 is changed.
The PU 21 detects whether or not the wireless communication module 18 is attached (step C11). If the wireless communication module 18 is not attached (step C12
No), the CPU 21 requests the operator to input the password by displaying a message such as "Enter password" on the LCD 12 in order to prevent operation by others (step C13). PD
If the original owner of A11 knows the password, if the correct password is entered, that is, RA
When the same password as the password registered in the memory area 23c of M23 is entered (Yes in step C14)
s), the CPU 21 determines that the owner is the original owner, and validates the operation performed at that time. On the other hand, if the correct password is not input and the number of times exceeds the predetermined number (for example, 3 times) (Y in step C15).
es), the CPU 21 determines that the owner is other than the original owner, invalidates the operation performed at that time, and locks the subsequent operation (step C16).

As described above, even when the wireless communication module 18 is removed and the lock instruction cannot be sent to the PDA 11 from the outside, the operation lock can be automatically performed. Information can be protected. In this state, the wireless communication module 1
When 8 is attached and enters the area where communication is possible, the information in the PDA 11 is transferred to a predetermined transfer destination, as described with reference to FIG. 6, so that important information can be quickly retrieved.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, for example, a PDA
When any operation is performed on 11, PDA1
The CPU 21 in 1 detects the current communication state based on the radio wave reception intensity information obtained from the wireless communication module 18 (step D11). Then, when the radio wave reception level is equal to or lower than the predetermined value and the communication is not possible (out of service area) (Yes in step D12), the CPU 21 performs, for example, "Enter password" to prevent operation by another person. This message is displayed on the LCD 12 to request the operator to enter the password (step D13). Since the original owner of the PDA 11 knows the password, if the correct password is input, that is, if the same password registered in the storage area 23c of the RAM 23 is input (step D14: Yes), the CPU 21 determines that the owner is the original owner, and validates the operation performed at that time. On the other hand, the correct password was not entered, and moreover,
When the number of times exceeds a predetermined number (for example, three times) (Yes in step D15), the CPU 21 determines that the person other than the original owner, invalidates the operation performed at that time, and Lock the subsequent operations (step D1)
6).

As described above, the PDA 11 is outside the wireless communication range of the wireless communication module 18, and the PD
Even in the situation where the lock instruction cannot be sent to A11, the operation lock can be automatically performed, so that the information in PDA 11 can be protected. Further, if the user enters the area where communication is possible in this state, as described in FIG. 6, the information in the PDA 11 is transferred to a predetermined transfer destination, so that important information and the like can be promptly retrieved.

Another method is to check the ID of the wireless communication module 18. The processing at this time is shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the automatic operation lock processing of the PDA 11, and the wireless communication module 18
The process when checking the ID is shown.

That is, the wireless communication module 18 includes
Each device has an ID unique to the device. Therefore,
When the wireless communication module 18 is attached (Yes in step E11), the CPU 21 in the PDA 11 obtains the ID of the wireless communication module 18 (step E12) so that the ID is previously stored in the storage area 23 of the RAM 23.
It is determined whether the ID matches the ID registered in d (step E13). As a result, when the IDs of the both do not match (“NG” in step E13), the CPU 21 determines that another person has attached another wireless communication module to the PDA 11, and immediately locks the operation (step E1).
4).

Thus, for example, the wireless communication module 1
In the case where 8 is lost without being attached, when another person attaches another wireless communication module and tries to operate PDA 11, the operation at that time can be automatically locked. To others, PDA1
It is possible to prevent the information in 1 from being viewed. Also,
As the PDA 11 shifts to the operation lock state, as shown in FIG.
As described above, since the information in the PDA 11 is transferred to the predetermined transfer destination, it is possible to quickly recover important information and the like.

In the above embodiment, the PDA is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the PDA and can be applied to other information terminal devices having a wireless communication function.
It is also applicable to mobile phone devices.

Further, the methods described in the above-described embodiments are, as a program that can be executed by a computer, for example, a magnetic disk (flexible disk, hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM,
It is also possible to write it on a recording medium such as a DVD) or a semiconductor memory and apply it to various devices, or to transmit the program itself via a transmission medium such as a network and apply it to various devices. A computer that realizes the present apparatus reads the program recorded in the recording medium or the program provided via the transmission medium, and the operation is controlled by the program to execute the above-described processing.

[0058]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a lock instruction is sent from an external terminal to lock the operation of the apparatus and the information in the apparatus is transferred to a predetermined transfer destination. When the device is lost, it is possible to surely prevent the leakage of the information stored inside and to recover the information.

Further, even in the situation where the lock instruction cannot be sent from the external terminal such as when the wireless communication device is not connected, the operator other than the owner can be authenticated by authenticating with the password. Information can be protected by locking the operation when an operation is input.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a PDA as an example of a mobile terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the PDA.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a RAM provided in the PDA.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an information transfer method of the PDA.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation lock process by an external instruction in the PDA.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an information transfer process when the PDA is in operation lock.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a detailed operation of the information transfer processing.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method of retransmitting information in the PDA.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an automatic operation lock process when checking the mounting of the wireless communication module in the PDA.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an automatic operation lock process for checking the communication status of the PDA.

FIG. 11: I of the wireless communication module in the PDA
The flowchart which shows the automatic operation lock process at the time of checking D.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... PDA 12 ... LCD 13 ... Touch panel 14 ... Key operation unit 15 ... Speaker 16 ... slot 17 ... Memory card 18 ... Wireless communication module 21 ... CPU 22 ... ROM 23 ... RAM

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A portable terminal device equipped with a wireless communication device, which stores a variety of information and receives a lock instruction from an external terminal to perform a specific operation including an operation of reading information from the memory means. A mobile terminal device comprising: an operation lock means for locking; and a transfer means for transferring the information stored in the storage means to a predetermined transfer destination when the operation lock means locks the operation. 2. A portable terminal device equipped with a wireless communication device, wherein storage means for storing various information, authentication means for authenticating an operator, and if the operator cannot be authenticated by the authentication means, An operation lock means for locking a specific operation including a read operation of information to the storage means, and a transfer means for transferring the information stored in the storage means to a predetermined transfer destination in accordance with the operation lock by the operation lock means. A mobile terminal device comprising: 3. The portable device according to claim 2, wherein the authentication means authenticates the operator at that time with a password when an operation input is made in a state where the wireless communication device is not connected. Terminal device. 4. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein the authentication means authenticates the operator at that time with a password when an operation input is made in a state where the wireless communication device cannot communicate. apparatus. 5. A portable terminal device to which a wireless communication device having identification information can be mounted, storage means for storing various kinds of information, determination means for determining identification information of the wireless communication device, and this determination means. When the identification information is different from the previously registered identification information, an operation lock means for locking a specific operation including an information read operation for the storage means, and the operation lock means for locking the operation by the operation lock means. A portable terminal device, comprising: a transfer unit that transfers the information stored in the unit to a predetermined transfer destination. 6. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising transfer setting means for setting information to be transferred when the operation is locked, a transfer destination thereof, and a transfer format. 7. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising a transfer control unit that repeats retransfer when the transfer of information by the transfer unit is not completed. .