System and method for restricting use of camera of a mobile terminal

• US 20050007456A1
• Filed: 07/09/2004
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jun-Ho, Lee, Jong-Hyup
• Granted Patent: US 7,821,542 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.990
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00925 Inhibiting an operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for restricting, within a specific area, the photographing function of a camera mounted in a mobile terminal. A control signal is transmitted to a mobile terminal within a photograph-prohibited area and the mobile terminal disables the camera. Upon leaving the photograph-prohibited area, the camera is enabled.

Claims

1. A method for restricting use of a camera mounted in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

sending a control signal to a mobile terminal that is within a photograph-prohibited area, the control signal indicating that camera use is prohibited;

receiving the control signal in the mobile terminal;

disabling the camera of the mobile terminal; and

enabling the camera of the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is no longer within a photograph-prohibited area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending a control signal to the mobile terminal comprises periodically transmitting a flag.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein flag is transmitted via local area wireless communication.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the local area wireless communication comprises at least one of bluetooth, IrDA (Infrared Data Association) and RF.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the flag comprises photographing prohibition information.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the disabling the camera comprises the mobile terminal restricting a photographing function of the camera upon receiving the flag.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein enabling the camera of the mobile terminal comprises:

operating a timer upon receiving the flag; and

one of resetting the timer and enabling the camera, wherein the timer is reset if a subsequent flag is received prior to expiration of the timer and the camera is enabled if no subsequent flag is received prior to expiration of the timer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein sending a control signal to the mobile terminal comprises:

monitoring the position of at least one mobile terminal within a management sector, the management sector comprising at least one photograph-prohibited area;

detecting that a mobile terminal has entered the at least one photograph-prohibited area; and

transmitting a first flag to the mobile terminal in the at least one photograph-prohibited area through a certain channel.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the certain channel comprises a paging channel.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first flag comprises photographing prohibition information.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein disabling the camera comprises the mobile terminal restricting a photographing function of the camera upon receiving the first flag.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein enabling the camera of the mobile terminal comprises:

monitoring a mobile terminal to which a first flag was transmitted;

detecting that the mobile terminal to which the first flag was transmitted is outside the at least one photograph-prohibited area;

transmitting a second flag to the mobile terminal;

receiving the second flag in the mobile terminal; and

the mobile terminal enabling a photographing function of the camera upon receiving the second flag.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second flag comprises photographing prohibition release information.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein monitoring the position of at least one mobile terminal within a management sector comprises receiving position information from a GPS satellite and storing the position information in a memory.

15. A system for restricting use of a camera mounted in a mobile terminal, the system comprising:

a plurality of mobile terminals, each mobile terminal comprising a camera mounted therein and at least one of the plurality of mobile terminals located within a photograph-prohibited area; and

at least one transmitting unit adapted to transmit a flag to the at least one mobile terminal in the photograph-prohibited area.

16. The system of claim 15, the at least one transmitting unit comprising a plurality of control signal transmitters located in the photograph-prohibited area and wherein each control signal transmitter is adapted to periodically transmit a flag via a local area wireless communication such that the at least one mobile terminal within the photograph-prohibited area receives the flag.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the local area wireless communication comprises at least one of IrDA (Infrared Data Association), bluetooth and RF.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the flag comprises photographing prohibition information.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one mobile terminal within the photograph-prohibited area is adapted to restrict a photographing function of the camera mounted therein upon receiving the flag.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one mobile terminal within the photograph-prohibited area is adapted to operate a timer upon receiving the flag and one of reset the timer and enable the camera mounted therein, wherein the timer is reset if a subsequent flag is received prior to expiration of the timer and the camera is enabled if no subsequent flag is received prior to expiration of the timer.

21. The system of claim 15, the at least one transmitting unit comprising a network located in a management sector comprising at least one photograph-prohibited area and wherein the network is adapted to determine that a mobile terminal is within the at least one photograph-prohibited area and transmit a first flag through a certain channel to the mobile terminal within the at least one photograph-prohibited area.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the certain channel comprises a paging channel.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the first flag comprises photographing prohibition information.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the mobile terminal within the photograph-prohibited area is adapted to restrict a photographing function of the camera mounted therein upon receiving the first flag.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the network is further adapted to monitor the position of all mobile terminals within the management sector.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the network is further adapted to receive position information of all mobile terminals within the management sector from a GPS satellite.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the network is further adapted to detect that a mobile terminal to which the first flag was transmitted is outside the at least one photograph-prohibited area and transmit a second flag to the mobile terminal outside the at least one photograph-prohibited area

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the second flag comprises photographing prohibition release information.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the mobile terminal outside the at least one photograph-prohibited area is adapted to enable a photographing function of the camera mounted therein upon receiving the second flag.

30. The method of claim 15, wherein the camera is one of an internally mounted and externally mounted digital camera.

31. A mobile terminal for restricting use of a camera mounted therein, the mobile communication terminal comprising:

an RF module adapted to receive a control signal from a network when the mobile terminal is within a photograph-prohibited area, the control signal indicating that camera use is prohibited;

a camera; and

a processing unit adapted to disable the camera upon receipt of a control signal from a network when the mobile terminal is in a photograph-prohibited area and to enable the camera when the mobile terminal is no longer in a photograph-prohibited area.

32. The mobile terminal of claim 31, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to restrict a photographing function of the camera upon receiving a flag from the network.

33. The mobile terminal of claim 32, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to operate a timer upon receiving the flag and one of reset the timer and enable the photographing function of the camera, wherein the timer is reset if a subsequent flag is received prior to expiration of the timer and the photographing function is enabled if no subsequent flag is received prior to expiration of the timer.

34. The mobile terminal of claim 33, further comprising a storage unit adapted to store a preset timeout time of the timer.

35. The mobile terminal of claim 31, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to receive a first flag from the network through a certain channel when the mobile terminal is in a photograph-prohibited area.

36. The mobile terminal of claim 35, wherein the certain channel comprises a paging channel.

37. The mobile terminal of claim 35, wherein the first flag comprises photographing prohibition information.

38. The mobile terminal of claim 35, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to restrict a photographing function of the camera upon receiving the first flag.

39. The mobile terminal of claim 35, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to receive a second flag from the network when the mobile terminal is no longer in a photograph-prohibited area and enable a photographing function of the camera upon receiving the second flag.

40. The mobile terminal of claim 39, wherein the second flag comprises photographing prohibition release information.

41. A network for restricting use of a camera mounted in a mobile terminal, the network comprising:

a receiver adapted to receive RF communications from a plurality of mobile terminals;

a transmitter adapted send a control signal to at least one mobile terminal located in a photograph-prohibited area, the control signal indicating that camera use is prohibited;

a storage unit adapted to store information related to the at least one mobile terminal located in a photograph-prohibited area; and

a controller adapted to generate a control signal indicating that camera use is prohibited.

42. The network of claim 41, wherein the controller is further adapted to periodically transmit the control signal via local area wireless communication such that any mobile terminal within a photograph-prohibited area receives the flag.

43. The network of claim 42, wherein the local area wireless communication comprises at least one of IrDA (Infrared Data Association), bluetooth and RF.

44. The network of claim 42, wherein the control signal comprises photographing prohibition information.

45. The network of claim 41, wherein the controller is further adapted to monitor at least one mobile terminal within a management sector, the management sector comprising at least one photograph-prohibited area, detect that the at least one mobile terminal has entered the at least one photograph-prohibited area and transmit a first flag to the at least one mobile terminal through a certain channel.

46. The network of claim 45, wherein he certain channel comprises a paging channel.

47. The network of claim 45, wherein the first flag comprises photographing prohibition information.

48. The network of claim 45, wherein the controller is further adapted to detect that a mobile terminal to which the first flag was transmitted is outside the at least one photograph-prohibited area and transmit a second flag to the mobile terminal.

49. The network of claim 45, wherein the second flag comprises photographing prohibition release information.