Mobile Terminal

• US 20080268906A1
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohmoto, Akihiro
• Application Number:
  US12/091,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20080268906A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07345 by activating or deactivating at least a part of the circuit on the record carrier, e.g. ON/OFF switches
• 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: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device

Abstract

To provide a mobile terminal capable of switching an unlocked IC card to a lock state with optimum timing for the IC card user while preventing an unlocked IC card from being skimmed.

A mobile terminal 1 according to the invention includes a use limit instruction part 131 for switching an IC card 17 between a lock state to inhibit wireless communications with a card reader/writer 2 and an unlock state to permit wireless communications with a card reader/writer 2 and a voltage detector 18 for detecting the radio wave strength of a radio wave received from the card reader/writer 2 with the IC card 17 in the unlock state, wherein the use limit instruction part 131 switches the IC card 17 to the lock state when the radio wave strength detected by the voltage detector 18 has made a transition from above a threshold to below the threshold.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal including an IC circuit capable of performing wireless communications with an IC card reader, said mobile terminal comprising:

an IC card use controller for switching said IC circuit to a lock state where wireless communication with said IC card reader is inhibited or an unlock state where wireless communication with said IC card reader is permitted; and

a radio wave strength detector for said IC circuit in said unlock state to detect the radio wave strength of a radio wave received from said IC card reader;

wherein said IC card use controller switches said IC circuit to said lock state when the radio wave strength detected by said radio wave strength detector has made a transition from a threshold or above to below the threshold.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operation part for accepting input operation from the user of the mobile terminal; and

a radio authentication part for detecting the distance to an external wireless communication unit and determining whether authentication is allowed or inhibited depending on whether the distance to said wireless communication unit is within an authentication-allowed distance;

wherein said IC card use controller accepts predetermined input operation and switches said IC circuit to said unlock state when said radio authentication part has determined that authentication is allowed.