Method and apparatus for controlling functionality using codes

• US 10,091,233 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2016
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Park, Su-Wan
• Primary Examiner(s): Moorthy, Aravind K
• Application Number:
  US15/167,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20170201546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1, 726 5, 726 6, 726 27, 726 28, 713168, 713182, 713184, 455410, 455411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a method and apparatus for controlling functionality of a mobile device. The operation of the element function of the mobile device is blocked by a blocking code, and the operation of the blocked element function is unblocked by an unblocking code. The blocking code is a code used to block the operation of the element function of the mobile device in an area in which a user is located, and the unblocking code is a code that is uniquely generated to correspond to the blocking code and that is used to unblock the operation of the blocked element function. By means of the blocking code and the unblocking code, the blocking and unblocking of the operation of an element function that is required in an area in which the user of the mobile device is located may be easily performed.

Claims

1. A method for controlling functionality of a mobile device, the method being performed by the mobile device, comprising:

transmitting a blocking request including the blocking code to a server;

blocking an operation of at least one element function of the mobile device using a blocking code; and

unblocking the operation of the at least one blocked element function using an unblocking code received from a remote server,

wherein unblocking code is a combination of user information and the blocking code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unblocking code is generated to be unique to the mobile device or a user of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising installing an application on the mobile device,

wherein the blocking code is input by a user of the mobile device through the application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein blocking the operation comprises:

receiving a response indicating whether to block the operation of the at least one element function from the server; and

blocking the operation of the at least one element function when the response indicates that verification of the blocking code has succeeded.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein unblocking the operation comprises:

transmitting an unblocking request for the blocking to a server;

receiving a response indicating whether to perform unblocking from the server; and

unblocking the operation using an unblocking code included in the response when the response indicates that the unblocking is permitted.

6. A mobile device, comprising:

a user interface (UI) input device for receiving a blocking code from a user;

a communication unit for receiving an unblocking code from a server; and

a processing unit for blocking an operation of at least one element function of the mobile device using the blocking code, and unblocking the operation of the at least one blocked element function using the unblocking code,

wherein the blocking operation includes;

receiving a blocking request including the blocking code from the mobile device, the blocking code including user information about a user of the mobile device;

verifying the blocking code by analyzing the user information and the blocking code; and

transmitting a response generated based on a result of the verification to the mobile device, the response indicating whether to block the operation of the at least one element function corresponding to the blocking code, and

wherein the unblocking code comprises a combination of the user information and the blocking code.

7. A method for controlling functionality of a mobile device, the method being performed by a server, comprising:

blocking an operation of at least one element function of the mobile device using a blocking code transmitted from the mobile device by;

receiving a blocking request including the blocking code from the mobile device, the blocking code including user information about a user of the mobile device;

verifying the blocking code by analyzing the user information and the blocking code; and

transmitting a response generated based on a result of the verification to the mobile device, the response indicating whether to block the operation of the at least one element function corresponding to the blocking code,

generating an unblocking code using a combination of the user information and the blocking code; and

unblocking the operation of the blocked element function using the unblocking code.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the blocking code is a code used by the mobile device to block the operation of the at least one element function in an area in which a user is located.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the area is a building.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the blocking code is configured such that different blocking codes are used for multiple areas.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the server generates the unblocking code to be unique to the mobile device or a user of the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the user information includes a user identifier.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein verifying the blocking code comprises determining whether the blocking code matches a purpose of a visit of the user, recorded on the server using the user identifier.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the user information includes information about a position of the mobile device, and

verifying the blocking code comprises determining whether the blocking code matches the position.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein unblocking the operation comprises:

receiving an unblocking request for the blocking from the mobile device;

determining whether to permit the unblocking; and

transmitting a response indicating whether to perform the unblocking based on a result of the determination to the mobile device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the request includes information about a position of the mobile device, and

determining whether to permit the unblocking comprises determining whether the position is in an area appropriate for the unblocking.

17. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing an alarm to the mobile device when the blocking code is not transmitted from the mobile device.