JP2006303747A - Mobile phone and function control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile phone and a function control method capable of preventing illegitimate use of the mobile phone by other people on the occurrence of missing / theft of the mobile phone without the need for troublesome operations. <P>SOLUTION: The mobile phone with a particular function attended with transmission of personal information such as a contactless IC card function, registers area information corresponding to a location for desiring use of the particular function in advance, compares area information particularized on the basis of the information from a base station installed in the vicinity of a present place with the registered area information, and controls a utilizing form of the particular function on the basis of the area information wherein the particular function is brought into a usable state when the mobile phone transits from an area at the outside of the registered area to the registered area and the particular function is brought into an unusable state when the mobile phone transits from the registered area to an area at the outside of the registered area or like operation. Thus, the need for a user to operate lock setting / lock release is eliminated and the maintenance of the security and the improvement of the convenience can be attained. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile phone and a function control method, and more particularly to a mobile phone having a non-contact type IC card function and a control method for the non-contact type IC card function.

  In recent years, mobile phones capable of electronic payment have become widespread. This cellular phone is equipped with a function for performing non-contact data communication with an external terminal such as a reader or reader / writer using electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic coupling (hereinafter referred to as a non-contact type IC card function). By sending user information stored in the IC to an external terminal provided in a store, a ticket gate, etc., it is possible to pay for the price of goods, a train fare, and the like.

  In a mobile phone equipped with such a non-contact IC card function, if the mobile phone is lost or the mobile phone is stolen, the person who picked up the mobile phone or the person who stole it has illegally contacted the IC. Since the use of the card function may cause a great deal of damage, measures to prevent unauthorized use by others are necessary.

  As a method to prevent unauthorized use by others in the event of loss or theft, a personal identification number is registered in advance in the mobile phone, and the personal identification number is entered when using the non-contact IC card function. There is a method for making the contactless IC card function available only when the registered password matches. In addition, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, when a personal identification number is registered in advance and the personal identification number is input when the non-contact type IC card function is used, the input personal identification number and the registered personal identification number coincide with each other In addition, there is a method of canceling the unusable state of the non-contact type IC card function for a predetermined time.

JP 2003-016398 A (page 3-6, FIG. 1)

  As described above, when the mobile terminal is lost or stolen by controlling whether or not the non-contact IC card function can be used based on whether or not the input personal identification number matches the registered personal identification number. In this method, the user himself can use the non-contact type IC card function (lock setting) and the non-contact type IC card function can be used. Since the operation to make it possible (unlocking) must be performed appropriately, there is a problem that the operation is troublesome.

  Such a problem is not limited to the non-contact type IC card function, and similarly occurs to all functions that involve the transmission of personal information such as user information. The same occurs for all portable terminal devices such as personal computers and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistance).

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its main purpose is a mobile phone and function control that can prevent unauthorized use by others at the time of loss or theft without requiring troublesome operations. It is to provide a method.

  In order to achieve the above object, a mobile phone according to the present invention includes a storage means for storing area information specified by a base station installed near a location designated by a user, and a base station installed near the current location. The specified area information is monitored, and when the area information changes, the area information corresponding to the current location is compared with the area information stored in advance, and the usage mode of the specific function is determined based on the comparison result. And at least control means for controlling.

  In the present invention, the control means sets the specific function to be usable when the area information corresponding to the current location matches the area information stored in advance, and sets the specific location to the current location. When the corresponding area information does not match the previously stored area information, the specific function can be set to be unusable.

  The method of the present invention is a method for controlling a specific function in a mobile phone, and includes a first step of storing area information specified by a base station installed near a location designated by a user, A second step of monitoring area information specified by a base station installed in the vicinity of the place, and area information corresponding to the current location when the area information corresponding to the current location changes is stored in advance. And a third step of comparing the area information with each other and a fourth step of controlling the usage pattern of the specific function based on the comparison result.

  In the present invention, in the fourth step, when the area information corresponding to the current location matches the area information stored in advance, the specific function is set to be usable, and the current When the area information corresponding to the place does not match the area information stored in advance, the specific function can be set to be unusable.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the specific function is a non-contact type IC card function that performs data communication with an external terminal in a non-contact manner using electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic coupling.

  As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, based on the comparison result between the area information specified by the base station installed in the vicinity of the current location and the area information registered in advance, the contactless IC card function or the like Since the setting of enabling / disabling of the specific function is automatically performed, it is possible to prevent unauthorized use by others at the time of loss or theft without requiring a troublesome operation.

  According to the mobile phone and the function control method of the present invention, it is possible to prevent unauthorized use by others at the time of loss or theft without requiring troublesome operations such as input of a personal identification number, thereby improving user convenience. be able to.

  The reason is that the area information specified by the base station installed near the current location is compared with the area information registered in advance by the user, and the area information corresponding to the current location and the pre-registered area information are compared. If the area information corresponding to the current location does not match the pre-registered area information, the specific function such as the non-contact IC card function is automatically unlocked Is automatically locked.

  As shown in the prior art, in order to prevent unauthorized use by others in the case of loss or theft in a portable terminal equipped with a non-contact IC card function, it has been conventionally locked by user operation such as entering a password. / Unlocking has been performed. However, this method requires a user operation every time the non-contact type IC card function is used, and there is a problem that the operation is particularly troublesome for a user who frequently uses the non-contact type IC card function.

  On the other hand, in the case of a user who uses the non-contact type IC card function in a specific place (for example, a station used for commuting), there is no problem even if the area where the non-contact type IC card function is used is limited. Even if the mobile phone is lost or the mobile phone is stolen, it is possible to sufficiently prevent damage caused by unauthorized use if the contactless IC card function can be used only in a specific area.

  Therefore, in the present invention, a mobile phone having a specific function that accompanies transmission of personal information such as a contactless IC card function is specified in advance by a base station installed in the vicinity of a place where the use of the specific function is desired. If area information is registered and specified by a base station installed near the current location, the area information registered in advance is compared, and a specific function can be used when transitioning from an unregistered area to a registered area By changing the status to a non-registered area from a registered area, users can no longer use a specific function, eliminating the need for the user to perform lock setting / unlocking, maintaining security and improving convenience I am trying.

  In order to describe the above-described embodiment of the present invention in more detail, a portable terminal and a function control method according to a first example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an area for setting whether or not a specific function can be used, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a mobile phone according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an area registration procedure in the mobile phone of this embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of a specific function using the mobile phone of this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone of this embodiment includes an antenna 201, a wireless unit 202, a control unit 203, a sound processing unit 206, a receiver 207, a microphone 208, an LCD display unit 209, a backlight unit 210, and an operation unit 211. The non-contact type IC unit 212, the antenna 213, and the like. The control unit 203 includes a CPU 204, a memory 205, a peripheral block control circuit, and the like.

  The mobile phone communicates with the base station via the wireless unit 202 and the antenna 201 under the control of the control unit 203. Radio section 202 selects a signal frequency desired to be received by antenna 201, performs frequency conversion, amplifies, demodulates, and outputs received data to control section 203. The control unit 203 processes the received data and outputs an audio signal to the audio processing unit 206. The audio processing unit 206 converts the audio signal into an analog signal and outputs audio from the receiver 207. The audio input from the microphone 208 is converted into a digital signal by the audio processing unit 206, and the control unit 203 converts the signal into transmission data, which is modulated by the radio unit 202 and has a specified frequency. Amplified as a carrier wave and transmitted from the antenna 201. The control unit 203 periodically communicates with the base station via the radio unit 202 and the antenna 201, and specifies the location of the mobile phone using information transmitted from the base station.

  In addition, the control unit 203 monitors the operation unit 211, determines a user operation, and performs processing based on the operation. The LCD display unit 209 performs various displays under the control of the control unit 203, and the backlight unit 210 lights up with the set luminance value under the control of the control unit 203. The control unit 203 controls turning on / off of the backlight unit 210 in accordance with display ON / OFF of the LCD display unit 209 or the like.

  Further, the non-contact type IC unit 212 performs data communication with an external terminal 214 such as a reader or a reader / writer via an antenna 213 using electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic coupling. The state of FIG. 2 shows a state where the lock of the non-contact type IC card function is released. In addition, when the non-contact type IC card function is set to lock, the control unit 203 controls the non-contact type IC unit 212 and blocks communication with the external terminal 214.

  The configuration in FIG. 2 is an exemplification, and means for realizing a specific function such as a non-contact IC card function accompanied by transmission of personal information such as user information (non-contact IC) as a basic component of a mobile phone. Part 212 etc.). In FIG. 2, the LCD display unit 209 and the backlight unit 210 are provided as display means. However, instead of these, an organic EL display unit may be provided, and in addition to the configuration of FIG. Means for realizing other functions such as a reproduction function may be provided.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an area configuration of a mobile phone communication network composed of a plurality of base station areas 101. A central area B (shaded area in the figure) is a non-contact type IC. This area is used to unlock specific functions such as card functions. In the configuration of FIG. 1, when the mobile phone moves from area A to area B, it moves from unregistered area A to registered area B, so that a specific function is changed to a usable state (unlocked). To do. Further, when moving from area B to area C, it moves from registration area B to non-registration area C, so that a specific function cannot be used (lock setting).

  As a result, when it is clear that a specific function such as a non-contact type IC card function is used in a specific place, the specific function is used in the unregistered area even if the user does not operate the lock setting / unlocking. Since it can be disabled, security can be improved.

  FIG. 1 is an example, and the size and shape of each area are arbitrary. Further, in FIG. 1, each area is described so as not to overlap, but each area may partially overlap, or an area that is not covered by the base station may exist. In the above description, the area is divided based on the arrangement of the base stations. However, for example, when the mobile phone has a GPS (Global Positioning System) function, it is within a predetermined range centered on the registered location (for example, It is also possible to set a radius within 100 m as an area where a specific function can be used, and set other areas as areas where a specific function cannot be used.

  Next, a method for controlling the non-contact type IC card function using the mobile phone of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure for registering area information of a place where the user uses the non-contact type IC card function.

  First, when a predetermined menu is activated at a place where it is desired to use the non-contact type IC card function, a predetermined registration screen for registering the use area of the non-contact type IC card function is displayed on the LCD display unit 209. When the registration of the use area is instructed using 211 (S301), a predetermined input screen for inputting the personal identification number is displayed on the LCD display unit 209. When the password is input using the operation unit 211 (S302), the control unit 203 compares the input password and the password stored in advance in the memory 205 to authenticate the password (S303). When the input password and the password stored in advance match, the control unit 203 communicates with the base station installed near the current location via the radio unit 202 and the antenna 201, and the base station Information related to the area that can be communicated by the base station (hereinafter referred to as area information) is registered as area information corresponding to the place where the non-contact type IC card function is used and stored in the memory 205. Store (S304).

  The configuration of the area information is not particularly limited, and may be latitude and longitude, or may be the name and address of a municipality. Also, the method for specifying the area information is not particularly limited. When the area information is included in the information transmitted from the base station, the area information may be extracted from the transmitted information. When the identification information is transmitted, a table defining the correspondence between the base station and the area information is stored in the memory 205, and the area information may be specified with reference to the table.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for performing lock setting / unlocking of the non-contact type IC card function according to the area information.

  The control unit 203 monitors the area information specified by the base station installed in the vicinity of the current location (S401), and when the area information corresponding to the current location changes, the control unit 203 performs non-contact type in S304. It is determined whether or not area information that uses the IC card function has been registered (S402). If the area information has been registered, the control unit 203 compares the area information corresponding to the current location with the area information registered in S304. (S403). If the area information corresponding to the current location matches the area information registered in S304, it is determined that the current location is an area where the use of the non-contact type IC card function is permitted. The lock state of the contact type IC card function is confirmed. If the lock state is set, the lock is released (S405). If the area information corresponding to the current location does not match the area information registered in S304, it is determined that the current location is an area where use of the non-contact IC card function is not permitted, and in S406. The lock state of the current non-contact type IC card function is checked, and if it is unlocked, the lock is set (S407).

  As described above, the area information corresponding to the place where the specific function such as the non-contact type IC card function is used is registered in the memory 205, and the area information corresponding to the current place is registered using the control unit 203. Compared with area information, if both match, the current location is determined to be an area where a specific function can be used, and if both do not match, the current location is determined to be an area where a specific function cannot be used. Since automatic lock setting / unlocking is performed based on the determination result, unauthorized use by others at the time of loss or theft can be prevented without performing troublesome operations, and user convenience can be improved. it can.

  Next, a portable terminal equipped with a contactless IC card function according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is an example of a table showing areas registered using the mobile phone of this embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a function control procedure using the mobile phone of this embodiment. 7 and 9 are diagrams showing other examples of tables indicating registered areas, and FIGS. 8 and 10 are diagrams schematically showing the areas.

  In the first embodiment described above, there is one area where a specific function such as a non-contact IC card function can be used, but there may be a plurality of areas where the function can be used. In this embodiment, therefore, a case where N pieces of area information are registered in S304 will be described.

  FIG. 5 shows an example in which N pieces of area information are stored in the memory 205, and FIG. 6 shows a procedure for locking / unlocking the non-contact type IC card function based on the N pieces of area information. It is a flowchart figure.

  First, as in the first embodiment, the area information specified by the base station installed near the current location is monitored (S601), and if the area information corresponding to the current location changes, the control unit 203 In S304, it is determined whether the area information using the non-contact type IC has been registered (S602). If registered, after setting i to 1 (S603), the control unit 203 sets the current location. The corresponding area information is compared with the i-th area information among the N pieces of area information registered in S304 (S604). If the area information corresponding to the current location does not match the area information registered in S304, 1 is added to i (S607), and it is determined whether i is N + 1 or more (S608). If there are, the processes of S604, S607, and S608 are repeated, and comparison is made until the registered N pieces of area information match the area information corresponding to the current location.

  If the area information corresponding to the current location matches the area information registered in S304, it is determined that the current location is an area where the use of the non-contact type IC card function is permitted. The lock state of the contact IC card function is confirmed. If the lock state is set, the lock is released (S606). Further, if the area information corresponding to the current location and all of the N pieces of area information registered in S304 do not match, it is determined that the current location is an area where use of the non-contact IC card function is not permitted. In step S609, the current lock state of the non-contact type IC card function is checked. If the lock state is released, the lock is set (S610).

  As described above, the area information of a plurality of places using a specific function such as a non-contact type IC card function is registered in the memory 205, and the area information of the current place using the control unit 203 is registered. If the area information of the current location matches one of the registered area information, it is determined that the current location is an area where a specific function can be used. If all the registered area information does not match, it is determined that the current location is an area where a specific function cannot be used, and the automatic lock setting / unlocking is performed based on the determination result. Similarly to the example, it is possible to prevent unauthorized use by others at the time of loss or theft without performing troublesome operations, and the convenience of the user can be improved.

  In the above embodiment, a specific function such as a non-contact type IC card function can be used in a specific area, and a specific function cannot be used outside the specific area. Since it may be possible to use a specific function, a predetermined input screen for inputting a password is displayed on the LCD display unit 209 when the function is to be operated outside a specific area. The function can also be made available when the assigned password matches the previously registered password.

  In the above-described embodiment, use / non-use of a specific function such as a non-contact IC card function is controlled based on the area, but the usable state can be controlled by dividing it into a plurality of levels. For example, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the use area is classified into an area where all of the specific functions can be used and an area where a part of the specific functions can be used. Allow certain functions to be used without restrictions in the available areas, and allow only some of the specific functions to be used in areas where some of the specific functions are available (for example, fare payment only) And making payments in stores impossible, or making payments less than a predetermined amount).

  In the above embodiment, the use / non-use of one function is controlled. However, when there are a plurality of specific functions, the use / non-use of a plurality of functions can be controlled. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the use area is classified into an area where function A can be used and an area where function B can be used, and area information is registered for each function. It is also possible to control the availability / non-usability of each function.

  The present invention is not limited to a mobile phone, and can be similarly applied to any device that is used while being carried and has a function that needs to be controlled by lock setting / unlocking.

It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the area which prescribes | regulates the availability of the specific function of the mobile telephone based on 1st Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile telephone based on 1st Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the registration procedure of the area in the mobile telephone based on 1st Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the function control procedure using the mobile telephone which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the area information registered into the mobile telephone which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the function control procedure using the mobile telephone which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the area information registered into the mobile telephone based on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the area which prescribes | regulates the specific function usable state of the mobile telephone which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the area information registered into the mobile telephone based on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the area which prescribes | regulates the availability of the several function of the mobile telephone based on 2nd Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 area 201 antenna 202 wireless unit 203 control unit 204 CPU
205 Memory 206 Audio Processing Unit 207 Speaker 208 Microphone 209 LCD Display Unit 210 Backlight Unit 211 Operation Unit 212 Non-contact IC Unit 213 Antenna 214 External Terminal

Claims (6)

Storage means for storing area information specified by a base station installed in the vicinity of a location designated by a user;
The area information specified by the base station installed near the current location is monitored, and when the area information changes, the area information corresponding to the current location is compared with the area information stored in advance and compared. A mobile phone comprising at least control means for controlling a usage pattern of a specific function based on a result. The control means includes
If the area information corresponding to the current location matches the area information stored in advance, the specific function is set to be usable,
2. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the specific function is disabled when the area information corresponding to the current location does not match the area information stored in advance.   3. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the specific function is a non-contact type IC card function that performs data communication with an external terminal in a non-contact manner using electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic coupling. A method for controlling a specific function in a mobile phone,
A first step of storing area information specified by a base station installed in the vicinity of a location designated by a user;
A second step of monitoring area information identified by a base station installed near the current location;
A third step of comparing area information corresponding to the current location with previously stored area information when the area information corresponding to the current location has changed;
A function control method for a mobile phone, comprising: at least a fourth step of controlling a usage pattern of the specific function based on a comparison result. In the fourth step,
If the area information corresponding to the current location matches the area information stored in advance, the specific function is set to be usable,
5. The function control method for a mobile phone according to claim 4, wherein when the area information corresponding to the current location does not match the area information stored in advance, the specific function is disabled. .   6. The function of the mobile phone according to claim 4, wherein the specific function is a non-contact type IC card function that performs data communication with an external terminal in a non-contact manner using electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic coupling. Control method.

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