Portable information processing device having data evacuation function and method thereof

• US 20020162011A1
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Atsushi, Mukai, Masaki, Sameshima, Osamu, Kamo, Osamu
• Granted Patent: US 7,024,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen

Abstract

A processor means is connected with other individual means, and controls those individual means. Storage means stores data to be processed by the processor means and the resultant data after the process. An important data in the storage means is transmitted to other devices for evacuation by using a wireless communication means, when a situating condition of a portable information-processing device is judged abnormal (e.g., when being stolen) based on an output of a status detector means. The data in the storage means is deleted, when the transmission is completed or the transmission is interrupted. Protection of the data and the confidentiality are thus achieved even if the portable information-processing device is stolen, since the data can be evacuated, and the data is erased after completion of the data evacuation or if the data evacuation becomes not attainable.

Claims

1. A portable information-processing device comprising:

a processor means;

a first storage means;

a first wireless communication means; and

a status detector means for detecting a situating condition of said portable information-processing device, wherein

said processor means makes a determination as to whether a situating condition of said portable information-processing device is normal or abnormal based on information output by said status detector means, and

said first wireless communication means transmits data stored in said first storage means to a pre-assigned device, when said processor means determines the situating condition of said portable information-processing device as being abnormal.

2. The portable information-processing device as set forth in claim 1, said portable information-processing device comprising a base unit device and a terminal device, wherein

said base unit device includes:

said processor means;

said first storage means;

said first wireless communication means; and

said status detector means,

said terminal device includes;

a display means; and

a second wireless communication means,

and further wherein

said status detector means detects a situating condition of said base unit device,

said first wireless communication means further transmits to said second wireless communication means a message representing abnormality, when said processor means determines the situating condition of said base unit device as being abnormal, and

said terminal device displays on said display unit the message representing abnormality received in said second wireless communication means.

3. The portable information-processing device as set forth in claim 2, wherein

said terminal device further includes a second storage means,

said pre-assigned device is said terminal device, and

said terminal device stores the received data of said first storage means into said second storage means.

4. The portable information-processing device as set forth in any one of claims 1, 2, and 3, wherein said status detector means includes at least one of:

a location survey means for geographically finding own location of said portable information-processing device;

an acceleration detector means for detecting acceleration of said portable information-processing device;

a vibration detector means for detecting vibration of said portable information-processing device; and

an inclination detector means for detecting an inclination of said portable information-processing device.

5. The portable information-processing device as set forth in any one of claims 1, 2, and 3, wherein the data stored in said first storage means is deleted, in any of events that said first wireless communication means is unable to start transmission of the data stored in said first storage means to said pre-assigned device, and that the transmission is interrupted.

6. The portable information-processing device as set forth in any one of claims 1, 2, and 3, wherein the data stored in said first storage means is deleted when the transmission of the data stored in said first storage means to said pre-assigned device is completed.

7. The portable information-processing device as set forth in any of claims 2 and claim 3, wherein

said base unit device further includes a first location survey means for geographically finding own location,

said terminal device further includes a second location survey means for geographically finding own location,

said second wireless communication means transmits to said base unit device a locational information of said terminal device detected by said second location survey means, and

said status detector means outputs a transition information for locational relation between said terminal device and said base unit device, according to the locational information of said terminal device received in said first wireless communication means and a locational information of said base unit device detected by said first location survey means.

8. The portable information-processing device as set forth in any of claims 2 and claim 3, wherein

the data stored in said first storage means is added with at least one additional information of priority information and data selection information, and

said first wireless communication means transmit the data stored in said first storage means to said pre-assigned device according to said additional information.

9. The portable information-processing device as set forth in any of claims 2 and claim 3, wherein

said terminal device further includes an input means for accepting a user to make an input manipulation,

said second wireless communication means transmits to said first wireless communication means an operating data input to said input means,

said base unit device transmits via said first wireless communication means to said second wireless communication means a processed data transacted according to said operating data received in said first wireless communication means, and

said terminal device produces and displays on said display means an image data corresponding to said processed data received in said second wireless communication means.

10. The portable information-processing device as set forth in any of claims 2 and claim 3, wherein

said terminal device includes an input means for accepting a user to make an input manipulation,

said second wireless communication means transmits to said first wireless communication means an operating data input to said input means,

said base unit device produces an image data corresponding to a data processed according to the operating data received in said first wireless communication means, and transmits the image data via said first wireless communication means to said second wireless communication means, and

said terminal device displays on said display means the image data received in said second wireless communication means.

11. A method of evacuating data for portable information-processing device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting information for a situating condition of said portable information-processing device;

(b) making a determination as to whether the situating condition is normal or abnormal based on the information of situating condition detected in said step (a); and

(c) transmitting via wireless means to a pre-assigned device a data stored in a storage means of said portable information-processing device, when the determination made in said step (b) is abnormal.

12. The method of evacuating data as set forth in claim 11, wherein said step (a) includes detection of information for a situating condition of a base unit device constituting said portable information-processing device.

13. The method of evacuating data as set forth in claim 11 further comprising the step of transmitting a message representing an abnormality via wireless means from said base unit device to a terminal device of said portable information-processing device, when the determination made in said step (b) is abnormal.

14. The method of evacuating data as set forth in any of claim 11 and claim 12, wherein said pre-assigned device is said terminal device.

15. The method of evacuating data as set forth in any one of claims 11, 12 and 13 further comprising the step of deleting the data stored in said storage means, in any of events that transmission of the data to said pre-assigned device is not initiated, and that the transmission is interrupted.

16. The method of evacuating data as set forth in any one of claims 11, 12 and 13 further comprising the step of deleting the data stored in said storage means when the transmission of the data to said pre-assigned device is completed.