INFORMATION TERMINAL AND INFORMATION LEAKAGE PREVENTION METHOD

• US 20120317651A1
• Filed: 04/19/2012
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: SAITO, Shunsuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,978,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment

Abstract

An information terminal includes: a nonvolatile storage unit which stores a flag that indicates whether or not the information terminal is in a state in which information leakage should be prevented; a start control unit which starts the information terminal and manages a power source of the information terminal; a device group which operate upon starting of the information terminal; and a device operation control unit which controls operation of at least one of the device group. The device operation control unit controls the at least one device so as to suppress operation that appeals to at least one of the five senses of human being when the flag indicates the state in which information leakage should be prevented.

Claims

1. An information terminal comprising:

a nonvolatile storage unit configured to store a flag that indicates whether or not said information terminal is in a state in which information leakage should be prevented;

a start control unit configured to start said information terminal and manage a power source of said information terminal;

a plurality of devices which operate upon starting of said information terminal; and

a device operation control unit configured to control operation of at least one of said devices,

wherein said device operation control unit is configured to control said at least one device so as to suppress operation that appeals to at least one of five senses of human being when the flag stored in said nonvolatile storage unit indicates the state in which information leakage should be prevented.

2. The information terminal according to claim 1,

wherein said start control unit is configured to start or restart said information terminal when the flag is set to indicate the state in which information leakage should be prevented, and

said device operation control unit is configured to control said at least one device so as to suppress the operation that appeals to at least one of the five senses of human being after the restarting.

3. The information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising

a communication unit configured to receive information via a wired or wireless connection,

wherein said device operation control unit is configured to set the flag to indicate the state in which information leakage should be prevented when said communication unit receives information showing that said information terminal is in the state in which information leakage should be prevented.

4. The information terminal according to claim 3, further comprising:

a data storage unit configured to store data; and

a data recording unit configured to record and delete data on said data storage unit,

wherein said data recording unit is configured to delete the data on said data storage unit when the flag stored in said nonvolatile storage unit indicates the state in which information leakage should be prevented.

5. The information terminal according to claim 4,

wherein said start control unit is configured to turn off the power source of said information terminal after the deletion of the data on said data storage unit is completed.

6. The information terminal according to claim 3,

wherein said information terminal has a start wait state in which said information terminal waits for a starting, and

in the start wait state, said communication unit is in a state in which said communication unit is able to receive the information showing that said information terminal is in the state in which information leakage should be prevented.

7. The information terminal according to claim 1,

wherein said at least one device is configured to perform at least one operation from among displaying, lighting of a backlight, lighting of an LED, rotating a blast fan, emitting sound from a speaker, operating an external input and output device that is connected to an external input and output port or an external input and output slot, and receiving a user input operation, as the operation that appeals to at least one of the five senses of human being.

8. The information terminal according to claim 7,

wherein said device operation control unit is configured to cause said at least one device to stop or dim the displaying, the lighting of the backlight, and the lighting of the LED, as control for suppressing the operation that appeals to at least one of the five senses of human being.

9. The information terminal according to claim 7,

wherein said device operation control unit is configured to cause said at least one device to stop or slow down rotating the blast fan, as the control for suppressing the operation that appeals to at least one of the five senses of human being.

10. The information terminal according to claim 7,

wherein said device operation control unit is configured to cause said at least one device to stop emitting or reduce volume of the sound from the speaker, as the control for suppressing the operation that appeals to at least one of the five senses of human being.

11. The information terminal according to claim 7,

wherein said device operation control unit is configured to cause said at least one device to stop operating the external input and output device that is connected to the external input and output port or the external input and output slot, as the control for suppressing the operation that appeals to at least one of the five senses of human being.

12. The information terminal according to claim 7,

wherein said device operation control unit is configured to cause said at least one device to stop receiving the user input operation, as the control for suppressing the operation that appeals to at least one of the five senses of human being.

13. An information leakage prevention method for preventing information leakage from an information terminal, said method comprising:

starting the information terminal and managing a power source of the information terminal; and

controlling, upon starting of the information terminal, operation of at least one of a plurality of devices of the information terminal,

wherein, in said controlling, the at least one device is controlled so as to suppress operation that appeals to at least one of the five senses of human being when a flag stored in a nonvolatile storage unit indicates a state in which information leakage should be prevented.

14. The information leakage prevention method according to claim 13, further comprising

deleting data on a data storage unit of the information terminal when the flag stored in the nonvolatile storage unit indicates the state in which information leakage should be prevented.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for use in a computer, said recording medium having a computer program recorded thereon for causing the computer to execute prevention of information leakage from an information terminal,

wherein said program includes steps in the information leakage prevention method according to claim 13.