Method and apparatus for limiting call origination accompanied by executing application

• US 6,928,151 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2002
• Issued: 08/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Kazuhiro, Kamiya, Dai, Wakabayashi, Tatsuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bing Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/240,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20030142804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.01, 379/93.02, 379/142.04, 379/142.05, 379/188, 379/189, 379/196, 379/197, 379/200, 455/410, 455/411
• US Class Current: 379/188
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/677 Preventing the dialling or sending of predetermined telephone numbers or selected types of telephone numbers, e.g. long distance numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/053 remote terminal provisioning, e.g. of applets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

When an application originates a call to a certain communication node, an application manager refers to history of outgoing/incoming call data and/or telephone directory data to determine whether the call origination processing should be granted. If the telephone number of the communication node for which call organization is to be performed is included in the history of outgoing/incoming calls and/or the telephone directory data, then the call origination processing may be granted because the number may be considered a number with which communication was made in the past or may be recognized as a valid number to communicate with.

Claims

1. A wireless communication terminal comprising:

multiple communication functionalities comprising a voice communication functionality and a network browsing functionality;

a network communication control that activates the network browsing functionality to access an external application source to thereby receive an application therefrom, wherein the application comprises at least one application unit executable on the wireless communication terminal;

an application platform that provides an execution environment for the received application in which the application platform executes each of the at least one application unit in the received application at a time, wherein before executing an application unit in the received application, the application platform determines if execution of the application unit will ensue an activation of the voice communication functionality to initiate a call to a telephone number and, if so determined, will suspend execution of the application unit until the telephone number is verified; and

telephone number manager that verifies the telephone number and allows the application platform to proceed to execute the application unit if the telephone number is verified, whereas otherwise disallowing the application platform to execute the object.

2. A communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the application is a JAVA Applet.

3. A communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the application platform is a JAVA virtual machine.

4. A communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising at least one telephone number database, wherein the telephone number manager, in verifying the telephone number, searches one or more of the at least one telephone number database for the telephone number.

5. A communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein the at least one telephone number database comprises any of:

a first database that stores telephone numbers to which calls were originated from the wireless communication terminal;

a second database that stores telephone numbers from which calls were received by the wireless communication terminal; and

a telephone directory stored in the wireless communication terminal.

6. A communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein the telephone number is verified when the telephone number is found in any of the one or more databases searched among the at least one telephone number database.

7. A communication terminal according to claim 6, wherein the telephone number is verified when the telephone number is found in a particular database selected from the at least one telephone number database.

8. A communication terminal according to claim 6, wherein the telephone member is verified when the telephone number is found commonly in more than one of the at least one telephone number database.

9. A communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the telephone number manager selectively performs a different verification method for a different application.

10. A communication terminal according to claim 9, wherein the verification method varies according to attributes of the application.

11. A communication terminal according to claim 10, wherein one of the attributes is an application source from which the application is received.

12. A communication terminal according to claim 11, wherein the verification method varies, depending upon how trustworthy application source is.

13. A communication terminal according to claim 12, further comprising a plurality of telephone number databases, wherein the telephone number manager, in verifying the telephone number, searches for the telephone number one or more databases selected from the plurality of telephone number databases, depending on how trustworthy the application source is.

14. A communication terminal according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of telephone number databases comprises any of:

a first database that stores telephone numbers to which calls were originated from the communication terminal;

a second database that stores telephone numbers from which calls were received by the communication terminal; and

a telephone directory stored in the communication terminal.

15. A communication terminal according to claim 14, wherein a telephone number, which came with an application whose source is trustworthy, is verified when the telephone number is found in any one of the first and second databases and the telephone directory.

16. A communication terminal according to claim 14, wherein a telephone number, which came with an application whose source is doubted in its trustworthiness, is verified when the telephone number is found in the telephone directory.

17. A communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein execution of the received application is terminated when the telephone number is not verified.

18. A communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein if the telephone number manager fails to verify the telephone number, a user of the communication terminal will be asked if it is permissible to allow the call to proceed to the telephone number.

19. A communication terminal according to claim 18, further comprising a display, wherein the user is asked through a visual message displayed on the display.

20. A communication terminal according to claim 18, wherein terminates execution of the application is terminated when permission is not obtained from the user.

21. A method for disallowing an unverified call at wireless communication terminal, comprising the steps of:

(a) accessing an application source to receive an application therefrom, wherein the application comprises at least one application unit executable on the wireless communication terminal;

(b) providing an execution environment for the received application in which each of the at least one application unit in the received application is executed at a time;

(c) before executing an application unit in the received application, determining if execution of the application unit will ensue an outgoing call to a telephone number;

(d) if so determined, suspending execution of the application unit and verifying the telephone number; and

(e) proceeding to execute the application unit if the telephone number is verified, whereas otherwise disallowing the call.

22. A method according to claim 21, further comprising providing at least one telephone number database, wherein verifying the telephone number comprises searching one or more of the at least one telephone number database for the telephone number.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein the at least one telephone number database comprises any of:

a first database that stores telephone numbers to which calls were originated from the communication terminal;

a second database that stores telephone numbers from which calls were received by the communication terminal; and

a telephone directory stored in the communication terminal.

24. A method according to claim 22, wherein the telephone number is verified when the telephone number is found in any of the one or more databases searched among the at least one telephone number database.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein the telephone number is verified when the telephone number is found in a particular database selected from the at least one telephone number database.

26. A method according to claim 24, wherein the telephone member is verified when the telephone number is found commonly in more than one of the at least one telephone number database.

27. A method according to claim 21, wherein verifying the telephone number comprises selectively performing a different verification method for a different application.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein the verification method verifies according to attributes of the application.

29. A method according to claim 28, wherein one of the attributes is an application source from which the application is received.

30. A method according to claim 29, wherein the verification method varies, depending upon how trustworthy the application source is.

31. A method according to claim 30, further comprising providing a plurality of telephone number databases, wherein verifying the telephone number comprises searching one or more of the plurality of telephone number databases for the telephone numbers.

32. A method according to claim 31, wherein the plurality of telephone number databases comprises any of:

a first database that stores telephone numbers to which calls were originated from the communication terminal;

a second database that stores telephone numbers from which calls were received by the communication terminal; and

a telephone directory stored in the communication terminal.

33. A method according to claim 32, wherein a telephone number, which came with an application whose source is trustworthy, is verified when the telephone number is found in any one of the first and second databases and the telephone directory.

34. A method according to claim 32, wherein a telephone number, which came with an application whose source is doubted in its security, is verified when the telephone number is found in the telephone directory.

35. A method according to claim 21, wherein disallowing the call comprises terminating execution of the application.

36. A method according to claim 21, wherein verifying the telephone number comprises asking a user if it is permissible for the call to proceed to the telephone number.

37. A method according to claim 36, wherein disallowing the call comprise terminating execution of the application when permission is not obtained from the user.

38. A wireless communication terminal comprising:

multiple communication functionalities comprising a voice communication functionality and a network browsing functionality;

a plurality of telephone number databases to which different security levels are attributed;

a network communication control that activates the network browsing functionality to access an external application source to thereby receive an application executable on the wireless communication terminal;

an application platform that executes the received application, wherein the received application is programmed to initiate, while running on the communication terminal, call to telephone number; and

telephone number manager that verifies the telephone number by searching one or more databases selected from the plurality of telephone number databases based on attributes of the received application, and allows the call to proceed to the telephone number if the telephone number is verified, whereas otherwise disallowing the call.

39. A communication terminal according to claim 38, wherein the plurality of telephone number databases comprises any of:

a first database that stores telephone numbers to which calls were originated from the communication terminal;

a second database that stores telephone numbers from which calls were received by the communication terminal; and

a telephone directory stored in the communication terminal.

40. A communication terminal according to claim 39, wherein the telephone number is verified when the telephone number is found in any of the one or more databases selectively searched among the plurality of telephone number databases.

41. A communication terminal according to claim 40, wherein the telephone number is verified when the telephone number is found in a particular database selected among the plurality of telephone number databases.

42. A communication terminal according to claim 40, wherein the telephone number is verified when the telephone number is found commonly in more than one of the plurality of telephone number databases.

43. A communication terminal according to claim 38, wherein one of the attributes is an application source from which the application is received.

44. A communication terminal according to claim 43,

wherein one or more databases are selectively searched among the plurality of telephone number databases, depending upon how trustworthy the application source is.

45. A communication terminal according to claim 38 wherein execution of the application is terminated when the telephone number is not verified.

46. A communication terminal according to claim 38, wherein if the telephone number manager fails to verify the telephone number, a user of the communication terminal will be asked if it is permissible to allow the call to proceed to the telephone number.