HEADSET, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING USAGE OF HEADSET, AND TERMINAL

• US 20120159617A1
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: WU, Xin, LIU, Dan, ZHANG, Ye
• Application Number:
  US13/311,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20120159617A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems

Abstract

The present invention provides a headset, a method for controlling usage of the headset and a terminal. The headset includes a memory configured to store an authentication password; and a usage control unit configured to send, after a connection is established between the headset and a terminal, a request of inputting authentication password to the terminal when the headset is in a protected state, receive an authentication password inputted from the terminal, authenticate the received authentication password using the stored authentication password, and control an execution of a predetermined function of the headset based on an authentication result. The present invention protects the headset by limiting the usage right of the headset, so as to reduce the probability of headset loss.

Claims

1. A headset, comprising:

a memory configured to store an authentication password; and

a usage control unit configured to send, after a connection is established between the headset and a terminal, a request of inputting authentication password to the terminal when the headset is in a protected state, receive an authentication password inputted from the terminal, authenticate the received authentication password using the stored authentication password, and control an execution of a predetermined function of the headset based on an authentication result.

2. The headset according to claim 1, wherein the usage control unit comprises:

a triggering unit configured to send, after the connection is established between the headset and the terminal, the request of inputting authentication password to the terminal when the headset is in the protected state; and

a control subunit configured to receive the authentication password inputted from the terminal, perform an authentication by comparing the received authentication password with the stored authentication password, and allow the headset to execute the predetermined function when the authentication succeeds, or forbid the headset to execute the predetermined function when the authentication fails.

3. The headset according to any claim 2, wherein the triggering unit is further configured to output an indication signal to the control subunit when the headset is in an unprotected state, and the control subunit allows the headset to execute the predetermined function according to the indication signal.

4. The headset according to claim 1, wherein the memory further stores headset state information, which is the protected state or the unprotected state, and

wherein the usage control unit further comprising:

a setting unit configured to modify the stored headset state information when the control subunit succeeds in the authentication or the headset state information is the unprotected state.

6. The headset according to claim 1, further comprising:

a recording unit configured to write an identity of the terminal into a terminal identity list stored in the memory, when the authentication succeeds, and

wherein the usage control unit further comprises;

a state determination unit configured to identify, after the connection is established between the headset and the terminal, whether the identity of the terminal currently establishing the connection has been stored in the terminal identity list, and if not, determine a current state of the headset as the protected state.

9. The headset according to claim 1, wherein:

the memory stores a plurality of authentication passwords, each corresponding to a usage right; and

the usage control unit is further configured to determine the authentication as successful when the received authentication password matches one of the plurality of authentication passwords stored, and control the execution of the predetermined function of the headset according to a usage right corresponding to the matched authentication password.

10. The headset according to claim 1, further comprising:

an indication unit configured to send information indicating that the authentication is successful or failed to the terminal.

11. The headset according to claim 1, wherein:

the predetermined function comprising at least one of phone answering, hang-up, volume control, caller identification, audio output, media playing, and data reading and writing.

5. canceled

7. canceled

8. canceled

12. A method for controlling usage of a headset, comprising:

establishing a connection between the headset and a terminal;

after the connection is established, sending a request of inputting authentication password to the terminal when the headset is in a protected state;

receiving an authentication password inputted from the terminal; and

authenticating the received authentication password using an authentication password pre-stored by a memory, and controlling an execution of a predetermined function of the headset based on an authentication result.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of authenticating comprising:

authenticating by comparing the received authentication password with the pre-stored authentication password; and

allowing the headset to execute the predetermined function when the authentication succeeds, or forbidding the headset to execute the predetermined function when the authentication fails.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

directly allowing the headset to execute the predetermined function when the headset is in an unprotected state.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

storing headset state information, which is the protected state or the unprotected state, and

modifying the headset state information stored when the authentication succeeds in the step of authenticating or the headset state information is the unprotected state.

17. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

writing an identity of the terminal into a terminal identity list stored in the memory, when the authentication succeeds, and

after the connection is established between the headset and the terminal, identifying whether the identity of the terminal currently establishing the connection has been stored in the terminal identity list, and if not, determining a current state of the headset as the protected state.

19. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

a plurality of authentication passwords are pre-stored; and

in the step of authenticating, determining the authentication as successful when the received authentication password matches one of the plurality of authentication passwords stored in the memory, and then allowing the headset to execute the predetermined function, and

a plurality of authentication passwords are pre-stored, each corresponding to a usage right; and

in the step of authenticating, determining the authentication as successful when the received authentication password matches one of the plurality of authentication passwords stored, and controlling the execution of the predetermined function of the headset according to a usage right corresponding to the matched authentication password and

wherein the predetermined function comprising at least one of phone answering, hang-up, volume control, caller identification, audio output, media playing, and data reading and writing.

21. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

sending information indicating that the authentication is successful or failed to the terminal.

16. canceled

28. The terminal according to claim 16, wherein:

the setting unit modifies or sets a plurality of authentication passwords, and wherein;

the setting unit is further configured to modify or set usage rights of predetermined function of the headset corresponding to respective authentication passwords.

30. The terminal according to claim 28, wherein:

the predetermined function comprising at least one of phone answering, hang-up, volume control, caller identification, audio output, media playing, and data reading and writing.

18. canceled

20. canceled

22. canceled

23. A terminal, comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive a request of inputting authentication password from a headset after a connection is established between the headset and a terminal;

an input unit configured to input the authentication password; and

a sending unit configured to send the inputted authentication password to the headset.

24. The terminal according to claim 23, wherein:

the receiving unit is further configured to receive from the headset information indicating that an authentication is successful, and

further comprising;

a setting unit configured to modify headset state information stored in a memory of the headset into an unprotected state when the receiving unit receives the information indicating that the authentication is successful.

26. The terminal according to claim 24, wherein:

the setting unit is further configured to modify the headset state information stored in the memory of the headset into a protected state when the headset state information is the unprotected state, and wherein;

the setting unit is further configured to modify or set an authentication password and store the modified or set authentication password in the memory of the headset, when the receiving unit receives the information indicating that the authentication is successful or the headset state information is the unprotected state.

25. canceled

27. canceled

29. canceled