JP2012138710A - Mobile communication terminal and terminal control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately provide a function of the own terminal provided in a case where a mobile communication terminal performs mobile communication in conformity with a particular contract content.SOLUTION: A mobile communication terminal 10 performing mobile communication includes an acquisition part 13 acquiring contract information indicating whether charging on user's mobile communication is a pre-paid plan or a post-paid plan, a change part 15 changing a function of the own terminal based on the contract information acquired by the acquisition part 13, a transmission part 12 transmitting a transmission request of the contract information to a contract information management server managing contract information, a loading part 11 loading a portable storage medium in which information specifying a common carrier of the mobile communication is stored and which is necessary for being loaded when performing mobile communication, and a storage part 14 storing the contract information acquired by the acquisition part 13 in a portable storage medium loaded by the loading part 11.

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal and a terminal control method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for changing contract contents related to mobile communication contracted by a user is known. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for changing a postpaid system to a prepaid system in a communication service using a mobile communication terminal.

JP 2005-102173 A

  By the way, in the function which a mobile communication terminal provides, there exists a thing specialized in the contract content regarding the mobile communication which the user contracts. For example, when the mobile communication billing is based on the prepaid method as the contract content, the mobile communication terminal has a function of displaying the remaining charge amount in the prepaid method. Such a function can be provided when the mobile communication terminal is used in the contract contents, but cannot be normally provided when the contract contents are changed. Functions that cannot be normally provided lead to a decrease in user convenience.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and a mobile communication terminal capable of appropriately providing the function of the own terminal provided when the mobile communication terminal performs mobile communication in a specific contract content, and An object is to provide a terminal control method.

  In order to achieve the above object, a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is a mobile communication terminal that performs mobile communication, and indicates whether a user is charged for mobile communication using a prepaid system or a postpaid system. An acquisition means for acquiring contract information, and a changing means for changing the function of the terminal itself based on the contract information acquired by the acquisition means.

  In the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention, the function of the own terminal is changed based on contract information indicating whether the user is charged for the mobile communication using the prepaid system or the postpaid system. Therefore, according to the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately provide the function of the own terminal provided when the mobile communication terminal is performing mobile communication with specific contract contents.

  It is desirable that the changing means notifies the user according to the chargeable amount when the contract information indicates a prepaid method. According to this configuration, the user of the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention receives a notification corresponding to the available billing amount when the mobile communication terminal is performing mobile communication in the prepaid contract content. it can. The user who has received the notification can take an appropriate action according to the content of the notification, and the convenience of the user can be improved.

  The changing means desirably notifies the user that the contract information has been changed when the contract information is different from the contract information previously acquired by the acquiring means. According to this configuration, the user of the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention can receive a notification that the content of the mobile communication contract has been changed from the content of the previous contract. The user who has received the notification can take an appropriate action according to the content of the notification, and the convenience of the user can be improved.

  The information processing apparatus further includes a transmission unit that transmits a contract information transmission request to the contract information management server that manages the contract information, and the acquisition unit transmits the contract information from the contract information management server based on the transmission request transmitted by the transmission unit. It is desirable to obtain contract information. According to this configuration, the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention can acquire contract information from the contract information management server at an arbitrary timing. Therefore, it is possible to provide the function of the own terminal provided in a timely manner when the mobile communication terminal performs mobile communication with specific contract contents.

  A portable storage medium for storing information for identifying a carrier for mobile communication, which is acquired by a mounting means for mounting a portable storage medium that needs to be mounted when mobile communication is performed, and an acquisition means. It is desirable to further comprise storage means for storing the contract information in a portable storage medium attached by the attachment means. According to this configuration, even when mobile communication is performed by attaching a portable storage medium storing information for identifying a mobile communication carrier to a different mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication is stored in the portable storage medium. Contract information can be used. Therefore, for example, the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention can acquire contract information without performing mobile communication, and provides the mobile communication terminal provided when the mobile communication terminal is performing mobile communication with specific contract contents. Terminal functions can be provided in a timely manner.

  By the way, the present invention can be described as an invention of a mobile communication terminal as described above, and can also be described as an invention of a terminal control method as follows. This is substantially the same invention only in different categories, and has the same operations and effects.

  That is, the terminal control method according to the present invention includes an acquisition step in which a mobile communication terminal that performs mobile communication acquires contract information indicating whether a user is charged for mobile communication using a prepaid system or a postpaid system. The mobile communication terminal includes a changing step of changing the function of the own terminal based on the contract information acquired in the acquiring step.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the function of the own terminal provided when a mobile communication terminal is performing mobile communication in specific contract content can be provided appropriately.

It is a figure which shows the concept of the communication system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the mobile communication terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a table which shows the example of the contract information memorize | stored by a memory | storage part. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display of the mobile communication terminal changed by the change part. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the mobile communication terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process (terminal control method) performed with the mobile communication terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is another flowchart which shows the process (terminal control method) performed with the mobile communication terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a mobile communication terminal and a terminal control method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a communication system 1 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 1 includes a mobile communication terminal 10, a contract information management server 20, and a network 30. The mobile communication terminal 10 is a device capable of performing mobile communication by a cell system, and specifically corresponds to a mobile phone or the like. The contract information management server 20 is a server that manages user information of the user of the mobile communication terminal 10, and specifically corresponds to an HLR (Home Location Register) or the like. The network 30 is a network that relays between the mobile communication terminal 10 and the contract information management server 20, and corresponds to a circuit switching network, a packet switching network, or the like. The network 30 may include a VLR (Visitor Location Register) that temporarily stores user information of the HLR. Further, the function according to the present invention of the contract information management server 20 may be realized by the VLR instead of the HLR. In that case, information necessary for realizing the function according to the present invention is acquired from the HLR or the like.

  Here, the user information managed in the contract information management server 20 includes contract information indicating whether the mobile communication charge of the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 is a prepaid system or a postpaid system. The contract information may include a rate plan. Specific examples of the contract information include information indicating whether it is a prepaid method or a postpaid method and information indicating a charge plan, “prepaid method / plan A”, “prepaid method / plan B”. , “Postpaid method / pay-for-use billing plan”, “Postpaid method / flat-rate billing plan”, and the like. This contract information is applied to packet communication of the mobile communication terminal 10, for example. Further, the contract information is input by a telecommunications carrier that provides mobile communication based on a user application, for example.

  Here, the prepaid method is a method in which a predetermined amount of charge is prepaid for a carrier providing mobile communication, and mobile communication can be performed for the amount of time or packet communication amount for the prepaid charge. is there. Also, in the prepaid method, the remaining charge obtained by subtracting the charge for the actual mobile communication from the prepaid charge, that is, the charge that allows mobile communication, or the charge The time during which mobile communication is possible or the amount of packet communication is called charging. On the other hand, the postpaid method is a method in which after performing mobile communication, a fee for performing mobile communication is paid in advance to a communication provider providing mobile communication.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile communication terminal 10 includes an attachment unit 11, a transmission unit 12, an acquisition unit 13, a storage unit 14, and a change unit 15. The mobile communication terminal 10 may also have a function as a mobile phone, for example, in addition to the above-described components.

  The mounting unit 11 is a portable storage medium that stores information for specifying a mobile communication carrier with which the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 is contracted, and needs to be mounted when performing mobile communication. A mounting means for mounting a portable storage medium. Specifically, the mounting unit 11 includes a physical connection terminal that can be connected to the portable storage medium in order to read information from the portable storage medium or write information to the portable storage medium. .

  Here, the portable storage medium specifically corresponds to a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card, which is a subscriber authentication module. The portable storage medium may store information for identifying a user of the mobile communication terminal 10 who is a contractor of mobile communication, a user telephone number, and the like. By mounting the portable storage medium on a mobile communication terminal different from the mobile communication terminal 10, mobile communication can be performed by a plurality of mobile communication terminals based on the same user telephone number and the same user contract.

  The transmission unit 12 is a transmission unit that transmits a contract information transmission request to the contract information management server 20 that manages contract information. Specifically, the transmission unit 12 sends a USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) code for inquiring the contract information management server 20 about the contract information of the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 to the network 30 which is a circuit switching network. To send via. When the USSD code is transmitted via the network 30, the USSD code may be transmitted via the VLR included in the network 30. Note that the transmission request transmitted by the transmission unit 12 is not limited to the USSD code. For example, the transmission request transmitted by the transmission unit 12 may be an inquiry by a packet via a packet switching network and an inquiry by a voice special number. Further, as a specific example of the opportunity for the transmission unit 12 to transmit the transmission request, when the mobile communication terminal 10 is turned on by the user of the mobile communication terminal 10, when the SIM card is mounted by the mounting unit 11 described later, And when the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 performs an outgoing / incoming operation of the mobile communication terminal 10 (for example, an outgoing / incoming operation of packet communication).

  Here, when the contract information management server 20 receives the USSD code transmitted from the transmission unit 12, for example, a contract indicating “prepaid method / plan A” which is contract information with which the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 has contracted. Information is extracted from the database of the terminal itself. Then, the contract information management server 20 transmits the contract information indicating the extracted “prepaid method / plan A” to the mobile communication terminal 10 via the network 30. When contract information indicating “prepaid method / plan A” is transmitted via the network 30, the contract information may be transmitted via the VLR included in the network 30. The notification from the contract information management server 20 may be a USSD code or a message such as SMS.

  The acquisition unit 13 is an acquisition unit that acquires contract information indicating whether the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 is charged for mobile communication using a prepaid system or a postpaid system. Specifically, the acquisition unit 13 acquires (receives) contract information transmitted via the network 30. For example, the acquisition unit 13 has been transmitted from the contract information management server 20 via the network 30 as a response to the USSD code for inquiring the contract information of the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 transmitted by the transmission unit 12. Contract information indicating the prepaid method / plan A "is acquired. The acquisition unit 13 outputs the acquired contract information to the storage unit 14 and the change unit 15. Note that the contract information acquired by the acquisition unit 13 is not limited to the contract information transmitted via the network 30. For example, the acquisition unit 13 may acquire contract information stored in a portable storage medium that is mounted on the mounting unit 11.

  The storage unit 14 is a storage unit that stores the contract information acquired by the acquisition unit 13 in a portable storage medium attached by the attachment unit 11. Specifically, the storage unit 14 stores the contract information indicating “prepaid method / plan A” input from the acquisition unit 13 in the SIM card mounted by the mounting unit 11. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the storage unit 14 stores information in which the telephone number of the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 is associated with the contract information indicating “prepaid method / plan A” acquired by the acquisition unit 13. Store in SIM card. In some cases, no new contract information is stored in the storage unit 14 even after a predetermined period has passed since the storage unit 14 stored the contract information in the portable storage medium. In that case, the mobile communication terminal 10 may acquire the latest contract information from the contract information management server 20 by the transmission unit 12 and the acquisition unit 13 and store the acquired contract information in the storage unit 14.

  The changing unit 15 is a changing unit that changes (sets) the function of the terminal itself based on the contract information acquired by the acquiring unit 13. The changing unit 15 stores contract information and usable function information in advance in association with each other, and changes the information based on the information. Specifically, the changing unit 15 determines from the contract information indicating the “prepaid method / plan A” input from the acquisition unit 13 that the mobile communication charge of the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 is the prepaid method. To do. Subsequently, the changing unit 15 selects only the options that can execute the function related to the prepaid method on the menu screen displayed on the screen of the mobile communication terminal 10 on which the options that can execute various functions related to charging are displayed. Change to display. That is, the changing unit 15 changes the user interface of the mobile communication terminal 10 according to the contract information.

  FIG. 4A is a billing menu screen related to billing displayed on the screen of mobile communication terminal 10 when billing for mobile communication by the user of mobile communication terminal 10 is a postpaid system. As shown in FIG. 4A, the billing menu screen displays options for executing functions related to the postpaid system such as “confirmation of last month communication charge” and “change in pay-per-use / flat-rate”. FIG. 4B shows the changed charging menu screen in which the display of the charging menu screen is changed by the changing unit 15 based on the contract information indicating “prepaid method / plan A” input from the acquiring unit 13. As shown in FIG. 4B, the billing menu screen displays options that can execute functions related to the prepaid method such as “display remaining charge” and “control setting when charge is insufficient”. In other words, the changing unit 15 deletes the option that can execute the function related to the postpaid method from the billing menu screen and adds the option that can execute the function related to the prepaid method. The changing unit 15 changes the function to be displayed based on the contract information acquired by the acquiring unit 13 on the menu screen displaying general functions of the mobile communication terminal 10 as well as the billing menu screen. May be.

  In addition, the setting of the function of the own terminal changed by the changing unit 15 is continued even after the change. For example, after the charging menu screen is changed to the menu screen shown in FIG. 4B by the changing unit 15, the menu screen shown in FIG. 4B is displayed until the charging menu screen is newly changed by the changing unit 15. In addition, the changing unit 15 determines whether the billing is not only a prepaid method or a postpaid method, but is another user's contract plan included in the contract information, for example, a pay-as-you-go billing plan among the charge plans, The function may be changed depending on whether the plan is a flat rate billing plan.

  When the contract information indicates the prepaid method, the changing unit 15 may notify the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 according to the available charge amount. Specifically, for example, when the contract information input from the acquisition unit 13 indicates the prepaid method, the changing unit 15 displays “the remaining 560 yen communication is possible on the screen of the mobile communication terminal 10. "" Is displayed.

  The changing unit 15 notifies the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 that the contract information has been changed when the contract information is different from the contract information previously acquired by the acquiring unit 13. Also good. Specifically, for example, the changing unit 15 is contract information in which the contract information previously acquired by the acquiring unit 13 indicates the postpaid method, and the contract information acquired this time by the acquiring unit 13 indicates the prepaid method. Is displayed on the screen of the mobile communication terminal 10 such as “Charge plan has been changed from postpaid method to prepaid method”.

  In the above description, the display function has been described as a specific example of the function of the terminal that is changed by the changing unit 15. However, the display function is not limited to the display function. For example, the changing unit 15 may change an application that can be used in the terminal itself based on the contract information acquired by the acquiring unit 13.

  FIG. 5 shows a hardware configuration of the mobile communication terminal 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the mobile communication terminal 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102 and a ROM 103 (Read Only Memory) that are main storage devices, an operation unit 104, a wireless communication unit 105, The display 106 and the antenna 107 are configured by hardware. By operating these components, each function of the mobile communication terminal 10 described above is exhibited.

  Subsequently, processing (terminal control method) executed by the mobile communication terminal 10 according to the present embodiment will be described using the flowcharts shown in FIGS. First, the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 will be described. The flowchart shown in FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a flow of processing for inquiring contract information from the mobile communication terminal 10 to the contract information management server 20 and changing the function of the mobile communication terminal 10 based on the contract information acquired as a result of the inquiry. is there.

  First, the mobile communication terminal 10 is turned on by the user of the mobile communication terminal 10, the SIM card is attached by the attachment unit 11, or the mobile communication terminal 10 is operated by the user of the mobile communication terminal 10. Is performed (S01). In response to the operation of S01, the transmission unit 12 transmits a USSD code for inquiring about the price plan to the network 30 (S02). The USSD code transmitted to the network 30 is transmitted to the contract information management server 20 (S03).

  Subsequently, the contract information management server 20 transmits, as a response to the received USSD code, contract information indicating “plan A”, which is a billing plan with which the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 is contracted, to the network 30 (S04). ). The contract information indicating “plan A” transmitted to the network 30 is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 10 and the contract information indicating “plan A” is acquired by the acquisition unit 13 (S05, acquisition step). The contract information indicating the acquired “plan A” is output to the changing unit 15 by the acquiring unit 13.

  Subsequently, the change unit 15 displays a user interface corresponding to “Plan A” on the screen of the mobile communication terminal 10 based on the contract information indicating “Plan A” input from the acquisition unit 13 ( S06, change step). Note that the contract information indicating “plan A” acquired in S05 may be stored in the SIM card by the storage unit 14 after S05.

  Next, the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 will be described. The flowchart shown in FIG. 7 describes the flow of processing in which contract information is notified from the contract information management server 20 to the mobile communication terminal 10 and the function of the mobile communication terminal 10 is changed based on the notified contract information. FIG.

  First, in the contract information management server 20, a change in the plan of the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 is detected, or a location registration of the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 is detected, or an outgoing / incoming call of the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 An operation is detected (S11). Triggered by the detection of S11, the contract information management server 20 determines whether or not to notify the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 of the plan that the user has contracted (S12). For example, the above determination is made based on whether or not a certain time has passed since the previous notification. In S12, the determination may not be performed, it may be determined to notify the plan uniformly, or it may be determined not to notify the plan uniformly.

  In S12, when the contract information management server 20 determines not to notify the plan, the process is terminated. If it is determined in S12 that the contract information management server 20 notifies the plan, the contract information management server 20 transmits contract information indicating “plan A” to the network 30 (S13). The contract information indicating “Plan A” transmitted to the network 30 is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 10 and the contract information indicating “Plan A” is acquired by the acquisition unit 13 (S14, acquisition step). The contract information indicating the acquired “plan A” is output to the changing unit 15 by the acquiring unit 13.

  When the contract information indicating “plan A” is acquired by the acquisition unit 13, the mobile communication terminal 10 transmits a response to the acquisition to the network 30 (S15). The response transmitted to the network 30 is transmitted to the contract information management server 20 (S16).

  Subsequently, based on the contract information indicating “Plan A” input from the acquisition unit 13 by the changing unit 15, the screen is changed to “Plan A” indicating that the plan has been changed on the screen of the mobile communication terminal 10. A character string such as “It was” is displayed (S17). Then, the change unit 15 displays a user interface corresponding to “Plan A” on the screen of the mobile communication terminal 10 based on the contract information indicating “Plan A” input from the acquisition unit 13 (S18). , Change step). The contract information indicating “Plan A” acquired in S14 may be stored in the SIM card by the storage unit 14 after S14. Moreover, you may perform the transmission of the response in S15 and S16 after S17. The above is the process (terminal control method) executed by the mobile communication terminal 10 according to the present embodiment.

  According to the present embodiment, the mobile communication terminal 10 has the function of its own terminal based on the contract information indicating whether the mobile communication charge of the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 is a prepaid method or a postpaid method. Be changed. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately provide the function of the own terminal provided when the mobile communication terminal 10 performs mobile communication with specific contract contents.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, when the contract information indicates a prepaid method, the changing unit 15 may notify the user according to the available charge amount. According to this configuration, the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 can receive a notification corresponding to the available billing amount when the mobile communication terminal 10 performs mobile communication in the prepaid contract content. The user who has received the notification can take an appropriate action according to the content of the notification, and the convenience of the user can be improved.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, the change unit 15 determines that the contract information acquired last time by the acquisition unit 13 and the contract information acquired this time are different from each other for the user of the mobile communication terminal 10. You may notify that the contract information was changed. According to this configuration, the user of the mobile communication terminal 10 can receive notification that the content of the mobile communication contract has been changed from the content of the previous contract. The user who has received the notification can take an appropriate action according to the content of the notification, and the convenience of the user can be improved.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, the transmission unit 12 may transmit a contract information transmission request to the contract information management server 20 that manages the contract information. Further, the acquisition unit 13 may acquire the contract information transmitted from the contract information management server 20 based on the transmission request transmitted by the transmission unit 12. According to this configuration, the mobile communication terminal 10 can acquire contract information from the contract information management server 20 at an arbitrary timing. Therefore, it is possible to provide the function of the own terminal provided in a timely manner when the mobile communication terminal 10 performs mobile communication with specific contract contents.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, the SIM card may be mounted by the mounting unit 11 and the contract information acquired by the acquiring unit 13 by the storage unit 14 may be stored in the SIM card. According to this configuration, even when the SIM card is attached to a different mobile communication terminal and mobile communication is performed, the contract information stored in the SIM card can be used. Therefore, the mobile communication terminal 10 can acquire the contract information without performing mobile communication, for example, and the mobile communication terminal 10 provides the self-terminal that is provided when the mobile communication terminal 10 performs mobile communication with specific contract contents. Functions can be provided in a timely manner.

  The above-described embodiment mainly uses a communication system based on GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). However, the present invention is not limited to such a communication system, and can be appropriately applied to a communication system capable of communicating packet data. For example, it can also be applied to a new communication system such as LTE (Long Term Evolution). It is. At that time, the one corresponding to the contract information management server 20 is an HSS (Subscriber Information Management Server: Home Subscriber System). The contract information management server 20 may be a PCRF (Policy and Charging Rule Function).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Communication system, 10 ... Mobile communication terminal, 11 ... Mounting part, 12 ... Transmission part, 13 ... Acquisition part, 14 ... Memory | storage part, 15 ... Change part, 20 ... Contract information management server, 30 ... Network, 101 ... CPU , 102 ... RAM, 103 ... ROM, 104 ... operation unit, 105 ... wireless communication unit, 106 ... display, 107 ... antenna.

Claims (6)

A mobile communication terminal for performing mobile communication,
Obtaining means for obtaining contract information indicating whether the user is charged for the mobile communication using a prepaid system or a postpaid system;
Based on the contract information acquired by the acquisition means, changing means for changing the function of the own terminal;
A mobile communication terminal comprising:   2. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein, when the contract information indicates a prepaid method, the changing unit notifies the user according to a charge amount that can be used. .   The changing means notifies the user that the contract information has been changed when the contract information is different from the contract information previously acquired by the acquiring means. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The contract information management server managing the contract information further includes a transmission means for transmitting the contract information transmission request,
The said acquisition means acquires the said contract information transmitted from the said contract information management server based on the transmission request transmitted by the said transmission means, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Mobile communication terminal. A portable storage medium for storing information for identifying a communication carrier of the mobile communication, and mounting means for mounting the portable storage medium that needs to be mounted when the mobile communication is performed;
Storage means for storing the contract information acquired by the acquisition means in the portable storage medium attached by the attachment means;
The mobile communication terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: An acquisition step in which a mobile communication terminal that performs mobile communication acquires contract information indicating whether charging of the mobile communication of a user is a prepaid method or a postpaid method;
The mobile communication terminal changes a function of its own terminal based on the contract information acquired in the acquisition step;
A terminal control method including:

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