Portable apparatus, storage medium storing program of controlling IC card function lock, and method of controlling IC card function lock

• US 20070119952A1
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Morimoto, Yoichi, Kamio, Munehisa
• Granted Patent: US 7,628,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device

Abstract

A portable apparatus includes an IC card function capable of performing a predetermined operation via wireless communications. The apparatus further includes; a lock switching operation section which switches the IC card function between a locked state in which the IC card function is ineffective and an unlocked state in which the IC card function is effective according to user operation; a timer which measures time from a point in time when the IC card function is unlocked by user operation through the lock switching operation section; and an auto-locking processing section which automatically changes the IC card function to the locked state when the time measured by the timer reaches a predetermined threshold time.

Claims

1. A portable apparatus which has an IC card function capable of performing a predetermined operation via wireless communications, the portable apparatus comprising:

a lock switching operation section which switches the IC card function between a locked state in which the IC card function is ineffective and an unlocked state in which the IC card function is effective according to user operation;

a timer which measures time from a point in time when the IC card function is unlocked by user operation through the lock switching operation section; and

an auto-locking processing section which automatically changes the IC card function to the locked state when the time measured by the timer reaches a predetermined threshold time.

2. The portable apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a threshold setting section which sets the predetermined threshold time according to user operation.

3. The portable apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a power switch which turns on and off a power of the portable apparatus,

wherein the auto-locking processing section changes the IC card function to the locked state when the power is turned off, after the IC card function is unlocked by user operation through the lock switching operation section and before the time measured by the timer reaches the predetermined threshold time.

4. The portable apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a clock section which keeps the current time; and

a schedule management section which changes the IC card function from the locked state to the unlocked state and from the unlocked state to the locked state according to a schedule.

5. The portable apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the schedule management section stops a function of the auto-locking processing section upon changing the IC card function from the locked state to the unlocked state, and restores the function of the auto-locking processing section upon changing the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state.

6. The portable apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in such a case that the IC card function is already in the unlocked state at a first time of shifting the IC card function from the locked state to the unlocked state, the schedule management section maintains the locked state or the unlocked state of the IC card function established immediately before a second time of shifting the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state even when the second time arrives.

7. The portable apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in such a case that the lock switching operation section is operated once or more after a time of shifting the IC card function from the locked state to the unlocked state and before a time of shifting the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state, the schedule management section maintains the locked state or the unlocked state of the IC card function established immediately before the time of shifting the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state even when the time of shifting the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state arrives.

8. The portable apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a power switch which turns on and off a power of the portable apparatus,

wherein in such a case that the power is turned off after a time of shifting the IC card function from the locked state to the unlocked state and before a time of shifting the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state, the schedule management section shifts the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state when the power is turned on or when the time of shifting the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state arrives, whichever is later.

9. A storage medium which stores a program of controlling IC card function lock, the program being executed in a portable apparatus having an IC card function capable of performing a predetermined operation via wireless communications and causes the portable apparatus to operate as an apparatus comprising:

a lock switching operation section which switches the IC card function between a locked state in which the IC card function is ineffective and an unlocked state in which the IC card function is effective according to user operation;

a timer which measures time from a point in time when the IC card function is unlocked by user operation through the lock switching operation section; and

an auto-locking processing section which automatically changes the IC card function to the locked state when the time measured by the timer reaches a predetermined threshold time.

10. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the portable apparatus further comprises a threshold setting section which sets the predetermined threshold time according to user operation.

11. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the portable apparatus further comprises a power switch which turns on and off a power of the portable apparatus,

wherein the auto-locking processing section changes the IC card function to the locked state when the power is turned off, after the IC card function is unlocked by user operation through the lock switching operation section and before the time measured by the timer reaches the predetermined threshold time.

12. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the portable apparatus further comprises:

a clock section which keeps the current time; and

a schedule management section which changes the IC card function from the locked state to the unlocked state and from the unlocked state to the locked state according to a schedule.

13. A method of controlling locking and unlocking of an IC card function incorporated in a portable apparatus and capable of performing a predetermined operation via wireless communications, the portable apparatus comprising a lock switching operation section which switches the IC card function between a locked state in which the IC card function is ineffective and an unlocked state in which the IC card function is effective according to user operation, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring time from a point in time when the IC card function is unlocked by user operation through the lock switching operation section; and

auto-locking the IC card function by automatically changing the IC card function to the locked state when the time measured by the timer reaches a predetermined threshold time.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising a step of setting a threshold which sets the predetermined threshold time according to user operation.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the portable apparatus further comprises a power switch which turns on and off a power of the portable apparatus, and

wherein the step of auto-locking changes the IC card function to the locked state when the power is turned off after the IC card function is unlocked by user operation through the lock switching operation section and before the time measured by the timer reaches the predetermined threshold time.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the portable apparatus further comprises a clock section which keeps the current time, and

wherein the method further comprises a step of managing a schedule which changes the IC card function from the locked state to the unlocked state and from the unlocked state to the locked state according to a schedule.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the step of managing the schedule stops processing in the step of auto-locking upon changing the IC card function from the locked state to the unlocked state, and restarts the processing in the step of auto-locking upon changing the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein in such a case that the IC card function is already in the unlocked state at a first time of shifting the IC card function from the locked state to the unlocked state, the step of managing the schedule maintains the locked state or the unlocked state of the IC card function established immediately before a second time of shifting the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state even when the second time arrives.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein in such a case that the lock switching operation section is operated once or more after a time of shifting the IC card function from the locked state to the unlocked state and before a time of shifting the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state, the step of managing the schedule maintains the locked state or the unlocked state of the IC card function established immediately before the time of shifting the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state even when the time of shifting the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state arrives.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the portable apparatus further comprises a power switch which turns on and off a power of the portable apparatus,

wherein in such a case that the power is turned off after a time of shifting the IC card function from the locked state to the unlocked state and before a time of shifting the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state, the step of managing the schedule shifts the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state when the power is turned on or when the time of shifting the IC card function from the unlocked state to the locked state arrives, whichever is later.