Cellular phone

• US 6,788,928 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2002
• Issued: 09/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Shimizu, Hiroshi, Ogino, Atsushi, Kohinata, Nobuaki, Saito, Masahiko, Obata, Shinichi, Maeoka, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): APPIAH, CHARLES NANA
• Application Number:
  US10/277,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20030129964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/414.1, 455/550.1, 382/124, 382/125, 382/126, 382/116, 382/115, 235/380, 235/376, 235/382, 235/382.5, 380/247, 380/229, 380/258, 340/501, 340/5.31, 340/5.52, 340/5.82, 340/5.8, 340/5.83
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion

Abstract

A cellular phone which is easy to use featuring a sufficient degree of safety preventing unauthorized use by conducting a minimum degree of required authentication operation which is not perceived by the user. As the user holds the cellular phone 1 by hand, the control unit 12 issues an instruction to temperature obtaining units 15 to start detecting the temperature. The temperature obtaining units measure the temperature at regular intervals, and successively transfer the obtained temperature data to a temperature comparator unit 16. The temperature comparator unit judges whether the temperature data obtained by the temperature obtaining units are lying within a predetermined condition, and issues an instruction to biodata obtaining units 19 to obtain fingerprint data of the user depending upon the result of judgement. The biodata obtaining units obtain the fingerprint data of the user and transfer the obtained fingerprint data to a biodata authentication unit 20. The biodata authentication unit compares the obtained fingerprint data with the fingerprint data of the owner stored in a biodata storage unit 21, and judges whether the user is the proper user.

Claims

1. A cellular phone comprising:

an antenna for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves;

a speaker for producing a voice of a distant person and for letting the user know a call;

a microphone for picking up a voice;

operation keys for inputting telephone numbers and for turning the power source circuit on and off;

a display unit for displaying a telephone number and the content of an electronic mail;

a memory for storing a classified telephone directory and a plurality of application programs;

a display control unit for controlling the display unit;

an operation control unit for executing the plurality of application programs and for controlling the functions of the cellular phone depending upon an instruction from the operation keys and upon an authenticated state;

a communication module for transmitting and receiving data (packet);

a use detection module for judging a state touched by the user by measuring a temperature of a surface of the cellular phone;

a personal authentication module for executing an authentication operation for authenticating that the user of the cellular phone is the owner;

wherein the personal authentication module is started to execute the authentication operation when it is detected, as a triggering condition, by the use detection module that the temperature is within a predetermined temperature range,

wherein the use detection module includes temperature obtaining units for measuring the temperature, a threshold value storage unit for storing temperature data that specify a predetermined temperature range, a temperature comparator unit which is a module for comparing the temperature data measured by the temperature obtaining units with the temperature data stored in the threshold value storage unit and judges the state of touch between the cellular phone and the user, and a timer unit which is a module that starts the counting when the temperature data measured by the temperature obtaining units lie outside the predetermined temperature range, that ends the counting when it is determined that the temperature data are lying again within the temperature range, and issues a time-out instruction when the counting end instruction is not received within the passage of a predetermine period of time after the start of the counting to determine that the user is not touching the cellular phone; and

the personal authentication module includes biodata obtaining units for obtaining the fingerprint data of the user according to an instruction of the temperature comparator unit in the use detection module, a biodata storage unit for storing the fingerprint data of the owner of the cellular phone, a biodata authentication unit which is a module that compares the fingerprint data obtained by the biodata obtaining units with the fingerprint data stored in the biodata storage unit and determines that the user is the owner, and an authentication management unit for holding the presently authenticated state of the cellular phone.

2. A cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein the authentication management unit in the personal authentication module includes an authentication mode which requires the authentication operation when the cellular phone is to be used and a non-authentication mode which does not require the authentication operation, and manages the authentication state of the cellular phone in three states of “

authentication completed”

state indicating that the user has been authenticated to be the owner, the “

authentication unfinished”

state indicating that the user has not been authenticated to be the owner, which are for the authentication mode, and the “

authentication unnecessary”

state which is for the non-authentication mode, thereby to change the usable functions depending upon the states.

3. A cellular phone according to claim 2, wherein the owner of the cellular phone is allowed to freely set the temperature data for specifying the temperature range stored in the threshold value storage unit of the use detection module, and a predetermined period of time counted by the timer unit of the use detection module.

4. A cellular phone according to claim 3, wherein the temperature obtaining units in the use detection module are provided in a plural number on the side surface portions of the cellular phone at where the operation keys are provided and on the back surface portion thereof.

5. A cellular phone comprising:

an antenna for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves;

a speaker for producing a voice of a distant person and for letting a user know a call;

a microphone for picking up a voice;

operation keys for inputting telephone numbers and for turning a power source circuit on and off;

a display unit for displaying a telephone number and contents of an electronic mail;

a memory for storing a classified telephone directory and a plurality of application program;

a display control unit for controlling the display unit;

an operation control unit for executing the plurality of application programs and for controlling functions of the cellular phone depending upon an instruction from the operation keys and upon a authenticated state and for executing the plurality of application programs;

a communication module for transmitting and receiving data (packet);

a use detection module for judging a state touched by the user by measuring a temperature of a surface of the cellular phone; and

a personal authentication module for executing an authentication operation for authenticating that the user of the cellular phone is the owner;

wherein the personal authentication module is started to execute an authentication operation when it is detected, as a triggering condition, by the use detection module that a predetermined temperature differential is exceeded, and wherein the use detection module includes temperature obtaining units (A) for chiefly obtaining the body temperature of the user, temperature obtaining units (B) for chiefly obtaining the external air temperature, a temperature comparator unit for judging the state of touch between the cellular phone and the user by utilizing a temperature differential that is obtained by correcting the effect of the external air temperature by subtracting the temperature data measured by the temperature obtaining units (B) from the temperature data measured by the temperature obtaining units (A), and a timer unit which is a module that starts the counting when the temperature differential is smaller than a predetermined temperature differential, that ends the counting when it is detected that the temperature differential is greater again than the predetermined temperature differential, and issues a time-out instruction when the counting end instruction is not received within the passage of a predetermine period of time after the start of the counting to determine that the user is not touching the cellular phone.

6. A cellular phone according to comprising:

an antenna for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves;

a speaker for producing a voice of a distant person and for letting a user know a call;

a microphone for picking up a voice;

operation keys for inputting telephone numbers and for turning a power source circuit on and off;

a display unit for displaying a telephone number and contents of an electronic mail;

a memory for storing a classified telephone directory and a plurality of application program;

a display control unit for controlling the display unit;

an operation control unit for executing the plurality of application programs and for controlling functions of the cellular phone depending upon an instruction from the operation keys and upon a authenticated state and for executing the plurality of application programs;

a communication module for transmitting and receiving data (packet);

a use detection module for judging a state touched by the user by measuring a temperature of a surface of the cellular phone; and

a personal authentication module for executing an authentication operation for authenticating that the user of the cellular phone is the owner;

wherein the personal authentication module is started to execute an authentication operation when it is detected, as a triggering condition, by the use detection module that a predetermined temperature differential is exceeded, and

wherein the temperature obtaining units (A) in the use detection module are provided in a plural number on the side surface portions at the upper part of the cellular phone and on the back surface portion thereof, and the temperature obtaining portions (B) are provided in a plural number on the side surface portions at the lower part of the cellular phone at where the operation keys are provided and on the back surface portion thereof.