Mobile terminal apparatus, mobile terminal settings changing system, method used therefor, and program thereof

• US 7,215,978 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2003
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Yuka
• Primary Examiner(s): ZEWDU, MELESS NMN
• Application Number:
  US10/671,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20040072592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413, 455410-411, 455418-420, 455/66.1, 455 68- 69, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/556.1, 455557-558, 4554561-4566, 455/88, 455/414.1, 455/556.2, 235/462.46, 235/472.02, 380247-250, 380/270, 380281-282, 380/258, 713155-156, 713161-162, 713171-172, 713/175, 713/168, 379/433, 379/433.09, 379/91.01, 379/106.11, 379/357.02, 379/443, 340/7.58, 340/7.61, 340/7.39
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A settings changing system can power off only the mobile terminal apparatus of a user entering a specific institution without fail. The mobile terminal apparatus obtains ticket information from a ticket issue server through a base station and a network, and stores the information on a built-in contactless IC card. When the mobile terminal apparatus is put over a reader/writer mounted in the gate of a concert hall, theater, stadium, etc., the settings of the mobile terminal apparatus are automatically rewritten according to information from the reader/writer through the contactless IC card, and the set state (ON/OFF of the power and the manner mode) of the mobile terminal apparatus is changed.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal apparatus, comprising:

a contactless IC (integrated circuit) device for use in communicating with external equipment by radio waves accumulating authentication information from a higher-level apparatus, and transmitting the authentication information to the external equipment; and

control means for enabling or disabling specified functions of the mobile terminal apparatus according to information received from the external equipment through the contactless IC device after the external equipment checks the authentication information received from the contactless IC device.

2. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the external equipment is a reader/writer capable of reading and writing information from and to the contactless IC device.

3. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the mobile terminal apparatus has a plurality of modes in each of which the respective enabled/disabled state of the specified functions is set in advance, the contactless IC device performs communications with the external equipment about a mode, and the control means enables or disables the specified functions according to the mode specified by the external equipment.

4. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the specified functions include at least a power supply function, a sound volume function, a vibration function, and an offline function.

5. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the higher-level apparatus is a ticket issue server for issuing ticket information for use in authenticating an admission into an institution.

6. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the higher-level apparatus is a certificate authority for issuing an electronic certificate.

7. A mobile terminal settings changing system, comprising:

a higher-level apparatus for issuing authentication information;

a mobile terminal apparatus comprising a contactless IC (integrated circuit) device for accumulating the authentication information from the higher-level apparatus and transmitting the authentication information to external equipment, and control means for enabling or disabling specified functions of the mobile terminal apparatus according to information received through the contactless IC device; and

the external equipment for communicating with the contactless IC device by radio waves, and transmitting the information to the contactless IC device after checking the authentication information received from the contactless IC device.

8. The mobile terminal settings changing system according to claim 7, wherein

the external equipment is a reader/writer capable of reading and writing information from and to the contactless IC device.

9. The mobile terminal settings changing system according to claim 7, wherein

the mobile terminal apparatus has a plurality of modes in each of which the respective enabled/disabled settings of the specified functions is set in advance, the external equipment performs communications with the contactless IC device about a mode after checking the authentication information, and the control means enables or disables the specified functions according to the mode specified by the external equipment.

10. The mobile terminal settings changing system according to claim 7, wherein

the specified functions include at least a power supply function, a sound volume function, a vibration function, and an offline function.

11. The mobile terminal settings changing system according to claim 7, wherein

the higher-level apparatus is a ticket issue server for issuing ticket information for use in authenticating an admission into an institution.

12. The mobile terminal settings changing system according to claim 7, wherein

the higher-level apparatus is a certificate authority for issuing an electronic certificate.

13. A mobile terminal settings changing method, comprising the steps of:

transmitting authentication information to external equipment through a contactless IC (integrated circuit) device stored in a mobile terminal apparatus for use in communicating with the external equipment by radio waves, and accumulating the authentication information from a higher-level apparatus;

receiving information from the external equipment through the contactless IC device after the external equipment checks the authentication information received from the contactless IC device; and

enabling or disabling specified functions of the mobile terminal apparatus according to the received information.

14. The mobile terminal settings changing method according to claim 13, wherein

the external equipment is a reader/writer capable of reading and writing information from and to the contactless IC device.

15. The mobile terminal settings changing method according to claim 13, wherein

the mobile terminal apparatus has a plurality of modes in each of which the respective enabled and disabled settings of the specified functions is set in advance, the contactless IC device performs communications with the external equipment about a mode, and the specified functions are enabled or disabled according to the mode specified by the external equipment.

16. The mobile terminal settings changing method according to claim 13, wherein

the specified functions include at least a power supply function, a sound volume function, a vibration function, and an offline function.

17. The mobile terminal settings changing method according to claim 13, wherein

the higher-level apparatus is a ticket issue server for issuing ticket information for use in authenticating an admission into an institution.

18. The mobile terminal settings changing method according to claim 13, wherein

the higher-level apparatus is a certificate authority for issuing an electronic certificate.

19. A computer-readable medium containing a perform used to direct a computer to perform the processes of:

transmitting authentication information to external equipment through a contactless IC (integrated circuit) device stored in a mobile terminal apparatus for use in communicating with the external equipment by radio waves, and accumulating the authentication information from a higher-level apparatus;

receiving information from the external equipment through the contactless IC device after the external equipment checks the authentication information received from the contactless IC device; and

enabling or disabling specified functions of the mobile terminal apparatus according to the received information.