Portable electronic apparatus, program, and communication system

• US 20070124074A1
• Filed: 11/28/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: Casio Hitachi Mobile Communications Company Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Katoh, Makoto, Suzuki, Shousaku
• Granted Patent: US 7,979,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0231 Emergency, distress or locator beacons

Abstract

A portable electronic apparatus is enabled to notify its position depending on whether user authentication by its authenticating function is unsuccessful or not, when an instruction for controlling the power of the apparatus is given. A controlling unit determines by a condition determining function whether or not the user authentication by the authenticating function when the user gives a long pressing operation on a power key is unsuccessful or not. In a case where the authentication result coincides with a predetermined function, the controlling unit continues power supply to each element that constitutes a position notifying function. Even after the power is switched off, the position notifying function, which is kept operating, sends position information.

Claims

1. A portable electronic apparatus having a position notifying function, comprising:

a position detecting unit which detects a position of the portable electronic apparatus;

a sending unit which sends position information indicating the position detected by the position detecting unit;

a power off instructing unit which instructs switching off a power of the portable electronic apparatus;

an authenticating unit which authenticates a user; and

a controlling unit which performs control such that the authenticating unit authenticates the user when the power off instructing unit instructs switching off the power, and the position detecting unit and the sending unit continue operating in a case where a result of authenticating coincides with a predetermined condition.

2. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, comprising

a display section which displays data;

and

a power supply unit which supplies operation power,

wherein in a case where the result of authenticating the user done by the authenticating unit when the power off instructing unit instructs switching off the power coincides with the predetermined condition, the controlling unit controls the power supply unit to stop supplying the operation power to the display section and continue supplying the operation power to the position detecting unit and the sending unit.

3. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein in a case where authentication of the user done by the authenticating unit when switching off the power is instructed is unsuccessful, the controlling unit controls the authenticating unit to again authenticate the user, and controls the position detecting unit and the sending unit to stop operating in a case where the authenticating unit succeeds in authenticating the user.

4. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein:

the portable electronic apparatus comprises a mobile communication terminal which communicates with a base station;

the position detecting unit obtains position information indicating an administration area of which base station the portable electronic apparatus is positioned in;

the sending unit registers the position of the portable electronic apparatus to a telephone exchange of a mobile communication network through the base station which administers the area in which the portable electronic apparatus is positioned; and

in a case where the power off instructing unit instructs switching off the power and the result of authenticating done by the authenticating unit coincides with the predetermined condition, the controlling unit controls the sending unit to continue a registering operation to the telephone exchange even after switching off the power is instructed by the power off instructing unit.

5. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, comprising

a position information sending unit which sends the position information indicating the position detected by the position detecting unit to a pre-registered destination,

wherein the position information sending unit sends the position information indicating the position detected by the position detecting unit to the pre-registered destination, in a case where the power off instructing unit instructs switching off the power and the result of authenticating done by the authenticating unit coincides with the predetermined condition.

6. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the position information sending unit periodically notifies the position information to the pre-registered destination.

7. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the position information sending unit comprises:

a unit which generates an e-mail including information for specifying a current position detected by the position detecting unit in a message, and destined to a predetermined address; and

a communication unit which sends the generated e-mail.

8. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the authenticating unit comprises:

a living organism information reading unit which reads living organism information of the user; and

a unit which authenticates the user based on the living organism information read by the living organism information reading unit.

9. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein:

the power off instructing unit comprises an operation section operated by the user; and

the living organism information reading unit is arranged at the operation section.

10. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a keyboard,

wherein the authenticating unit authenticates the user based on a plurality of keys which are operated, among keys provided on the keyboard.

11. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the result of authenticating coincides with the predetermined condition when the authenticating unit fails in authenticating the user.

12. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the controlling unit controls the sending unit to send information for specifying the position detected by the position detecting unit and information indicating that the power is switched off by someone other than the user.

13. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the authenticating unit comprises a unit which notifies the result of authenticating by an alert.

14. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a continual alerting unit which notifies that authentication ends in failure, continually by an alert, when the authenticating unit fails in authentication; and

an alert stopping unit which stops the alert by the continual alerting unit,

wherein in a case where the alert is not stopped by the alert stopping unit in a predetermined period after the continual alerting unit starts continual alerting, a notification is given to a pre-registered destination.

15. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the portable electronic apparatus comprises a mobile communication terminal apparatus which exchanges an audio signal and a data signal with another apparatus through a base station.

16. A program for allowing a computer to realize:

a function for determining whether or not an authentication result coincides with a predetermined condition; and

a function for, when the authentication result coincides with the predetermined condition, performing control of letting a position detecting unit and a sending unit continue operating and controlling a power supply unit to stop supplying operation power to a display section but to continue supplying operation power to the position detecting unit and the sending unit.

17. A communication system comprising a mobile communication network having a plurality of base stations and a telephone exchange, and a portable electronic apparatus which communicates with another apparatus through the mobile communication network,

wherein the portable electronic apparatus comprises:

a base station determining unit which determines with which base station the portable electronic apparatus establishes communication;

a sending unit which sends information for specifying the portable electronic apparatus to the base station determined by the base station determining unit;

a power off instructing unit which instructs switching off a power of the portable electronic apparatus;

an authenticating unit which authenticates a user; and

a controlling unit which controls the base station determining unit and the sending unit to continue operating when a result of authenticating the user performed by the authenticating unit when the power off instructing unit instructs switching off the power coincides with a predetermined condition,

wherein the base station comprises a unit which provides and registers to the telephone exchange, identification information of a portable electronic apparatus which establishes communication with the base station, and

wherein in a case where authentication done when switching off the power is instructed ends in failure, the portable electronic apparatus continues an operation of registering its position to the telephone exchange even after the power is switched off.