Mobile Terminal Receiving Data from Rfid Tag and Mobile Terminal Control Policy Identification Method

• US 20080009313A1
• Filed: 06/08/2005
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishii, Tomoki
• Application Number:
  US11/628,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20080009313A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions

Abstract

The present invention provides a mobile terminal that can follow a control policy decided for an applicable area, as well as a mobile terminal control policy specification system. The present invention provides mobile terminals 3a, b, which receive data from RFID tags 5a, b. Specifically, the mobile terminals 3a, b each comprise a storage unit 33, a determination unit 34, and a control unit 36. The storage unit 33 associates and stores control policies that control the mobile terminals 3a, b, with policy identifiers that identify the control policies. The determination unit 34 determines whether any one of the policy identifiers stored by the storage unit 33 is included in the received data. If the determination unit 34 determines that any one of the stored policy identifiers is included in the received data, then the control unit 36 will control the mobile terminal based on the control policy associated with the received policy identifier.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal that receives data from an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tag, comprising:

a storing unit that associates and stores control policies which control said mobile terminal with policy identifiers which identify said control policies;

a determining unit that determines whether any one of the policy identifiers stored by said storing unit is included in said received data; and

a controlling unit that will, if said determining unit has determined that any one of said stored policy identifiers is included in said received data, control said mobile terminal based on the control policy associated with the received policy identifier.

2. A mobile terminal as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a sending unit that sends a request to said RFID tag to send said policy identifier at an arbitrary timing generated by a prescribed event at the mobile terminal.

3. A mobile terminal as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

a communicating unit that communicates with other terminals,

wherein,

said sending unit interrupts communication in said communicating unit and sends a request to said RFID tag to send said policy identifier.

4. A mobile terminal as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

a communicating unit that communicates with other terminals;

wherein,

said sending unit detects the end of communication in said communicating unit and sends a request to said RFID tag to send said policy identifier.

5. A mobile terminal as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

a first detecting unit that detects an instruction from a user of the mobile terminal;

wherein,

if said first detecting unit has detected an instruction from said user, then said sending unit will send a request to said RFID tag to send said policy identifier.

6. A mobile terminal as recited in claim 2, wherein

said storing unit further stores an arbitrary application, and further comprises a second detecting unit that detects the startup of said stored application;

wherein,

if said second detecting unit has detected the startup of said stored application, then said sending unit will send a request to said RFID tag to send said policy identifier.

7. A mobile terminal as recited in claim 1, wherein

said storing unit discriminates the current policy identifier that identifies the current control policy of the mobile terminal;

and

said determining unit determines whether any one of the policy identifiers stored by said storing unit is included in the newly received data every time data is received;

further comprising;

a comparing unit that will, if said determining unit has determined that any one of said stored policy identifiers is included in said newly received data, compare said newly received policy identifier and said current policy identifier;

wherein,

if said newly received policy identifier and said current policy identifier are different, then said storing unit will store said newly received policy identifier as the current policy identifier.

8. A control policy specifying method for a mobile terminal that receives data from an RFID tag, comprising the steps of:

associating and storing control policies which control said mobile terminal with policy identifiers which identify said control policy;

determining whether any one of said stored policy identifiers is included in said received data; and

if it is determined that any one of said stored policy identifiers is included in said received data, then controlling the mobile terminal based on the control policy associated with the received policy identifier.

9. A control policy specification system that comprises a plurality of RFID tags and a mobile terminal that receives data from said plurality of RFID tags, wherein

said mobile terminal comprises:

a storing unit that associates and stores control policies which control said mobile terminal with policy identifiers which identify said control policy;

a determining unit that determines whether any one of the policy identifiers stored by said storing unit is included in said received data; and

a controlling unit that will, if said determining unit has determined that any one of said stored policy identifiers is included in said received data, control the mobile terminal based on the control policy associated with the received policy identifier; and

each of said plurality of RFID tags comprises;

a generating unit that generates a slot for each of said RFID tags based on unique information that identifies each RFID tag; and

a sending unit that uses said slot generated by said generating unit to sequentially and time divisionally send said policy identifier.

10. A control policy specification system as recited in claim 9, wherein

said mobile terminal further comprises a sending unit that sends a request to each of said plurality of RFID tags to send said policy identifier;

and

if said policy identifier has been received from at least one RFID tag among said plurality of RFID tags, then said determining unit will stop said sending unit from sending a request to send said policy identifier.

11. A control policy specification program executed by a computer installed on a mobile terminal that receives data from an RFID tag, wherein

said control policy specification program causes said computer to function as:

a storing unit that associates and stores control policies which control said mobile terminal with policy identifiers which identify said control policies;

a determining unit that determines whether any one of the policy identifiers stored by said storing unit is included in said received data; and

a controlling unit that will, if said determining unit has determined that any one of said stored policy identifiers is included in said received data, control the mobile terminal based on the control policy associated with the received policy identifier.