TAMPER PREVENTION SYSTEM

• US 20090243872A1
• Filed: 03/23/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Takahashi, Hiromasa
• Granted Patent: US 8,085,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/687
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/85 interconnection devices, e.g. bus-connected or in-line devices

Abstract

A tamper prevention system includes a mounting unit, a portable terminal device, a first data input unit, an authentication data storing unit, an authentication unit, a detecting unit, and a setting unit. The portable terminal device is detachably mounted to the mounting unit. The portable terminal device includes an operation input unit, and a performing unit. The operation input unit enables a user to input operation data. The performing unit performs operation in accordance with the operation data when the performing unit is set to a first mode, and fails to perform operation in accordance with the operation data when the performing unit is set to a second mode. The first data input unit enables the user to input first data. The authentication data storing unit stores authentication data. The authentication unit authenticates the user when the first data matches the authentication data. The detecting unit detects whether or not the portable terminal device is removed from the mounting unit. The setting unit sets the performing unit to the first mode when the authenticating unit has authenticated a user, and that sets the performing unit to the second mode when the authenticating unit has failed to authenticate the user and the detecting unit has detected that the portable terminal device is removed from the mounting unit.

Claims

1. A tamper prevention system comprising:

a mounting unit;

a portable terminal device that is detachably mounted to the mounting unit, the portable terminal device including;

an operation input unit that enables a user to input operation data; and

a performing unit that performs operation in accordance with the operation data when the performing unit is set to a first mode, and that fails to perform operation in accordance with the operation data when the performing unit is set to a second mode;

a first data input unit that enables the user to input first data;

an authentication data storing unit that stores authentication data;

an authentication unit that authenticates the user when the first data matches the authentication data;

a detecting unit that detects whether or not the portable terminal device is removed from the mounting unit; and

a setting unit that sets the performing unit to the first mode when the authenticating unit has authenticated a user, and that sets the performing unit to the second mode when the authenticating unit has failed to authenticate the user and the detecting unit has detected that the portable terminal device is removed from the mounting unit.

2. The tamper prevention system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the setting unit to set the performing unit to the second mode immediately after the detecting unit has detected that the portable terminal device is removed from the mounting unit while the authentication unit has failed to authenticate the user.

3. The tamper prevention system according to claim 1, wherein the operation input unit is used as the first data input unit.

4. The tamper prevention system according to claim 1, wherein the authentication data storing unit, the authentication unit, the detecting unit, and the setting unit are provided in the portable terminal device;

wherein the first data input unit is provided in the mounting unit;

wherein the mounting unit further comprises a transmission unit that transmits the first data to the portable terminal device;

wherein the portable terminal device further comprises a reception unit that receives the first data from the transmission unit.

5. The tamper prevention system according to claim 1, wherein the performing unit includes:

a display unit;

a display control unit that displays display image on the display unit based on the operation data when the setting unit sets the performing unit the first mode, and that fails to display the display image on the display unit based on the operation data when the setting unit sets the performing unit to the second mode.

6. The tamper prevention system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a display data storing unit that stores the display data;

a determination data assigning unit that assigns determination data indicating whether the display data is confidential data; and

a determining unit that determines whether the display data is confidential data based on the determination data; and

wherein the display control unit fails to display the display image on the display unit based on the operation data and the display data when the setting unit sets the performing unit to the second mode and the determining unit determines that the display data is confidential data.

7. The tamper prevention system according to claim 1, wherein the performing unit includes:

a nonvolatile display unit that overwrites display image when voltage is supplied, and maintains the display image even if the supply of voltage is interrupted; and

a voltage supply unit that supplies voltage to the nonvolatile display unit based on the operation data, and

wherein the voltage supply unit that supplies the voltage to the nonvolatile display unit based on the operation data when the setting unit sets the performing unit to the first mode, and that interrupts the supply of voltage to the nonvolatile display unit based on the operation data when the setting unit sets the performing unit to the second mode.

8. The tamper prevention system according to claim 7, wherein the display data storing unit stores message data representing that the setting unit sets the performing unit to the second mode,

wherein the voltage supply unit supplies the voltage to overwrite display image based on the message data and interrupts the supply of the voltage while the message data is displayed on the nonvolatile display unit, when the setting unit sets the performing unit to the second mode.

9. The tamper prevention system according to claim 1, further comprising a first timer that measures a first time that has elapsed since the authentication unit has authenticated the user;

wherein the authentication unit authenticates whether the first data matches the authentication data again after the first time has reached a prescribed first time, when the detecting unit has failed to detect that the portable terminal device is removed from the mounting unit before the first time reaches the prescribed first time.

10. The tamper prevention system according to claim 9, further comprising a second timer that measures a second time that has elapsed since the detecting unit first detects that the portable terminal device has mounted to the mounting unit after the portable terminal device had removed from the mounting unit;

wherein the setting unit sets the performing unit to the first mode when the detecting unit detects that the portable terminal device is removed from the mounting unit before the second time reaches a prescribed second time, and

wherein the authentication unit authenticates whether the first data matches the authentication data when the second time reaches the prescribed second time.

11. The tamper prevention system according to claim 10, further comprising a display data storing unit that stores message data representing that the setting unit sets the performing unit to the first mode before the second time reaches the prescribed second time,

wherein the setting unit sets the performing unit to the first mode until the second time reaches the prescribed second time, and sets the performing unit to the second mode when the setting unit sets the performing unit to the second mode after the second time has reached a prescribed second time, and

wherein the performing unit includes:

an nonvolatile display unit that overwrites display image based on the operation data when voltage is supplied, and maintains the display image when the supply of the voltage is interrupted; and

a voltage supply unit that supplies the voltage to overwrite the display image on the nonvolatile display unit based on the operation data when the setting unit sets the performing unit to the first mode, and that supplies the voltage to overwrite the display image based on the message data and interrupts the supply of voltage while the message data is displayed on the nonvolatile display unit when the setting unit sets the performing unit to the second mode.

12. The tamper prevention system according to claim 1, wherein the performing unit comprises:

an output data storing unit that stores output data;

an output unit that outputs the output data based on the operation data when the setting unit sets the performing unit to the first mode, and that fails to output the output data based on the operation data when the setting unit sets the performing unit to the second mode;

wherein the tamper prevention system further comprises an encrypting unit that encrypts at least a part of the output data and generates encrypted data when the setting unit sets the performing unit to the second mode, and

wherein the output unit outputs the encrypted data when the setting unit sets the performing unit to the second mode.

13. The tamper prevention system according to claim 1, wherein the first data input unit comprises:

a second data input unit that is provided in the mounting unit and enables the user to input second data; and

a third data input unit that is provided in the portable terminal device and enables the user to input third data, and

wherein the authentication unit authenticates the user when the first data matches the authentication data, the first data being a combination of the second data and the third data.

14. The tamper prevention system according to claim 13, wherein the authentication data storing unit, the authentication unit, the detecting unit, and the setting unit are provided in the portable terminal device;

wherein the mounting unit further comprises a transmission unit that transmits the second data to the portable terminal device;

wherein the portable terminal device further comprises a reception unit that receives the second data from the transmission unit.

15. The tamper prevention system according to claim 14, wherein the operation input unit is used as the third input unit.

19. A mounting unit in which a portable terminal device according to claim 14 is detachably mounted, the mounting unit comprising:

a second data input unit that enables the user to input the second input data; and

a transmission unit that transmits the second data to the portable terminal device.

16. A portable terminal device that is detachably mounted to a mounting unit, the portable terminal device including:

an operation input unit that enables a user to input operation data;

a performing unit that performs operation in accordance with the operation data when the performing unit is set to a first mode, and that fails to perform operation in accordance with the operation data when the performing unit is set to a second mode;

a first data input unit that enables the user to input first data;

an authentication data storing unit that stores authentication data;

an authentication unit that authenticates the user when the first data matches the authentication data;

a detecting unit that detects whether or not the portable terminal device is removed from the mounting unit; and

a setting unit that sets the performing unit to the first mode when the authenticating unit has authenticated a user, and that sets the performing unit to the second mode when the authenticating unit has failed to authenticate the user and the detecting unit has detected that the portable terminal device is removed from the mounting unit.

17. A tamper prevention method executed by a portable terminal device, the portable terminal device being detachably mounted to a mounting unit and having a performing unit, the performing unit performing operation in accordance with the operation data when the performing unit is set to a first mode, and the performing unit failing to perform operation in accordance with the operation data when the performing unit is set to the second mode, the method comprising:

inputting first data by a user of the portable terminal device;

authenticating the user when the first data matches authentication data;

detecting whether or not a portable terminal device is removed from a mounting unit; and

setting the performing unit to the first mode when the user is authenticated, and setting the performing unit to the second mode when removal of the portable terminal device from the mounting unit is not detected and the user is not authenticated.

18. A computer readable recording medium storing a set of program instructions executable on a portable terminal device, the portable terminal device being detachably mounted to a mounting unit and having a performing unit, the performing unit performing operation in accordance with the operation data when the performing unit is set to a first mode, and the performing unit failing to perform operation in accordance with the operation data when the performing unit is set to the second mode, the program comprising instructions for:

inputting first data by a user of portable terminal device, portable terminal device being detachably mounted to a mounting unit;

authenticating the user when the first data matches authentication data;

detecting whether or not a portable terminal device is removed from a mounting unit; and

setting a performing unit to the first mode when the user is authenticated, and setting the performing unit to the second mode when removal of the portable terminal device from the mounting unit is not detected and the user is not authenticated.