Communication system and communication terminal apparatus

• US 20060002337A1
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshimura, Osamu, Itoh, Katsutoshi, Yasuda, Mitsuyoshi, Yokoshi, Minoru, Natori, Makoto, Itagaki, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,468,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1409 for removal detection of electrical appliances by detecting their physical disconnection from an electrical system, e.g. using a switch incorporated in the plug connector
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0247 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In a case when a mode relating to a function limitation of the communication terminal apparatus or a notification mode relating to that function limitation is set in response to the communication state between the communication terminal apparatus 10 and the wireless key apparatus 50, the communication terminal apparatus and the wireless key apparatus include judgment means for judging or presuming the wireless communication state or the wireless communication distance in the communication circuit, the communication terminal apparatus and the wireless key apparatus are wireless-connected, and in a case when a communication state for carrying out a wireless communication intermittently is set in each communication circuit and there is judgment or presumption of a predetermined state in the judgment means in a state in which the wireless connection is maintained, the mode setting relating to the function limitation or the notification mode setting relating to the function limitation is to be changed. In this way, in a case when a process which carries out a security control of a communication terminal apparatus such as a mobile telephone terminal is carried out in response to a wireless communication state with another communication apparatus, it is possible to carry out a mode setting of the security control or the like by a low power consumption favorably.

Claims

1. A communication system which is constituted by a communication terminal apparatus and a wireless key apparatus which can wireless-communicate with the communication terminal apparatus by a predetermined wireless communication system and in which a mode relating to a “

function limitation of said communication terminal apparatus”

or a notification mode relating to “

the function limitation”

is set in response to a communication state between said communication terminal apparatus and said wireless key apparatus, a communication system wherein

said predetermined wireless communication system is a wireless communication system in which a wireless communication is carrying out intermittently between two wireless-connected apparatuses;

each of said communication terminal apparatus and said wireless key apparatus comprises;

communication circuit for carrying out a wireless communication by said predetermined wireless communication system,

control unit for controlling communication state in said communication circuit, and

judgment means for judging or presuming wireless communication state or wireless communication distance in said communication circuit; and

in a case when there is judgment or presumption of a predetermined state in said judgment means in a state in which said communication terminal apparatus and said wireless key apparatus are wireless-connected, a communication state in which a wireless communication is carried out intermittently is set in each communication circuit and the wireless connection is maintained, said control unit changes “

mode setting relating to said function limitation”

or “

notification mode setting relating to the function limitation”

.

2. A communication system which sets a mode relating to a function limitation or a notification mode relating to the function limitation in response to a wireless communication state by a predetermined wireless communication system with a specific partner, wherein

said wireless predetermined communication system is a wireless communication system which carries out intermittently between two wireless-connected apparatuses and comprises:

communication circuit for carrying out a wireless communication by said predetermined wireless communication system,

control unit for controlling the communication state in said communication circuit, and

judgment means for judging or presuming a wireless communication state or a wireless communication distance in said communication circuit; and

said control means changes setting of a mode relating to said function limitation or a notification mode relating to the function limitation in a case when a communication state carrying out a wireless communication intermittently with said specific partner is set in said communication means and there is judgment or presumption of a predetermined state in said judgment means in a state in which the wireless connection is maintained.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the result judged or presumed in said judgment means is notified to said specific partner by a wireless communication through said communication means and the judged or presumed result transmitted from said specific partner is also received;

and

said control unit changes the setting of the mode relating to said function limitation or the notification mode relating to the function limitation according to a combination of said received result and a judgment state or a presumption state in said judgment means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the signal strength of the received electric field which was received by said communication means is used for the judgment or presumption in said judgment means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the wireless communication state or the wireless communication distance is judged or presumed according to variation difference in the judged value of said strength of the received electric field.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said judgment means judges or presumes according to a detected state of a signal packet which was received by said communication circuit.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the number of packets transmitted from said communication circuit is changed according to the judged or presumed result of said judgment means.

8. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein only in a case when the judged state in said judgment means changes by an amount equal or more than a predetermined degree, the judgment result is notified to said control unit and said control unit carried out said mode setting.