Mobile terminal, position search system, position search method, and program therefor

• US 7,570,960 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2002
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Fujii, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US10/188,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20030008672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,589 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561- 2, 455/457, 455/414.1, 455/404.1, 455410-411, 455/558, 455/419, 455/404.2, 342/357.07, 342/457, 379/45, 379/142.1, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking

Abstract

A mobile terminal 100 includes a position information detection part 8 that detects current position information, a position information decoder part 9 that calculates the current position information as latitude/longitude information, and a position accuracy degradation-producing part 10 that degrades the apparent accuracy of the latitude/longitude information in plural levels. In operation, when a position search request is made from a third-person terminal, the mobile terminal 100 transmits position information with an accuracy according to the authentication result (such as the result of password verification) of the third-person terminal concerned. Therefore, even when the password has been stolen, position information with an accuracy intentionally degraded by the user of the mobile terminal can be transmitted, thereby preventing an inversion of privacy or stalking.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

detection means that detects position information;

degradation means that degrades the position information detected by said detection means in plural levels of accuracy;

authentication means that authenticates the validity of a third-person terminal in response to a position search request from the third-person terminal through a communication network; and

transmission means that sends the third-person terminal the position information with an accuracy determined according to an authentication result by said authentication means;

setting means that sets authentication information for each of levels of accuracy with which the position information has been degraded by said degradation means, wherein

said authentication means compares the authentication information transmitted from the third-person terminal with the authentication information set by said setting means for each of the levels of accuracy of the position information to determine if they match with each other.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein when said authentication means determines that authentication results do not match, said mobile terminal notifies the third-person terminal that the position search request from the third-person terminal is not permitted.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising detection means for detecting the presence or absence of an emergency request, wherein

when said detection means detects an emergency call operation, said transmission means transmits, to the request side of the emergency request, position information with the highest accuracy selected from among the accuracies of the position information degraded by said degradation means in the plural levels.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising registration means that registers authentication information for emergency use, wherein

when said authentication means authenticates the authentication information transmitted from the third-person terminal as the authentication information for emergency use registered by said registration means, said transmission means transmits the position information with the highest accuracy selected from among the accuracies of the position information degraded by said degradation means in the plural levels.

21. A mobile terminal as recited in claim 1 wherein said authentication means authenticates at least a plurality of third person terminals.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 1 wherein said plural levels of accuracy include a highest accuracy level and one or more additional accuracy levels each of which are of a lower accuracy than said highest accuracy level for the position information detected by said detection means.

28. The mobile terminal of claim 1 wherein said authentication means utilizes a password.

5. A mobile terminal comprising:

a detection circuit that detects position information;

a degradation circuit that degrades the position information detected by said detection circuit in plural levels of accuracy;

an authentication circuit that authenticates the validity of a third-person terminal in response to a position search request from the third-person terminal through a communication network; and

a transmission circuit that sends the third-person terminal the position information with an accuracy determined according to the authentication result by said authentication circuit;

setting circuit that sets authentication information for each of levels of accuracy with which the position information has been degraded by said degradation circuit, wherein

said authentication circuit compares the authentication information transmitted from the third-person terminal with the authentication information set by said setting circuit for each of the levels of accuracy of the position information to determine if they match with each other.

6. The mobile terminal according to claim 5, wherein when said authentication circuit determines that authentication results do not match, said mobile terminal notifies that the position search request from the third-person terminal is not permitted.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 5, further comprising detection circuit for detecting the presence or absence of an emergency request, wherein

when said detection circuit detects an emergency request, said transmission circuit transmits, to a request side of the emergency request, position information with the highest accuracy selected from among the accuracies of the position information degraded by said degradation circuit in the plural levels.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 5, further comprising registration circuit that registers authentication information for emergency use, wherein

when said authentication circuit authenticates the authentication information transmitted from the third-person terminal as the authentication information for emergency use registered by said registration circuit, said transmission circuit transmits the position information with the highest accuracy selected from among the accuracies of the position information degraded by said degradation circuit in the plural levels.

22. A mobile terminal as recited in claim 5 wherein said authentication circuit authenticates at least a plurality of third person terminals.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 5 wherein said plural levels of accuracy include a highest accuracy level and one or more additional accuracy levels each of which are of a lower accuracy than said highest accuracy level for the position information detected by said detection circuit.

29. The mobile terminal of claim 5 wherein authentication circuit operates based on a password..

9. A position search system in which a mobile terminal is connected to a third-person terminal through a communication network, said third-person terminal including first transmission means that transmits a position search request from its own terminal to said mobile terminal, and

said mobile terminal including:

detection means that detects position information;

degradation means that degrades the position information detected by said detection means in plural levels of accuracy;

authentication means that authenticates validity of said third-person terminal in response to the position search request from said third-person terminal through said first transmission means; and

second transmission means that sends said third-person terminal the position information with an accuracy selected from among the plural pieces of the position information degraded by said degradation means in the plural levels, according to an authentication result by said authentication means, wherein

said third-person terminal displays the position information with the accuracy determined according to the authentication result transmitted from said second transmission means;

wherein said mobile terminal further includes setting means that sets authentication information for each of the levels of accuracy with which the position information has been degraded by said degradation means, and

said authentication means compares the authentication information transmitted from said third-person terminal with the authentication information set by said setting means for each of the levels of accuracy of the position information to determine if they match with each other.

10. The position search system according to claim 9, wherein

said mobile terminal further includes detection means for detecting the presence or absence of an emergency request, and

when said detection means detects an emergency request, said transmission means transmits, to the request side of the emergency request, position information with the highest accuracy selected from among the accuracies of the position information degraded by said degradation means in the plural levels.

11. The position search system according to claim 9, wherein

said mobile terminal further includes registration means that registers authentication information for emergency use, and

when said authentication means authenticates the authentication information transmitted from said third-person terminal as the authentication information for emergency use registered by said registration means, said transmission means transmits position information with the highest accuracy selected from among the accuracies of the position information degraded by said degradation means in the plural levels.

12. The position search system according to claim 9, wherein when said authentication means determines that authentication results do not match, said mobile terminal notifies said third-person terminal that the position search request from said third-person terminal is not permitted.

23. A position search system as recited in claim 9 wherein said authentication means authenticates at least a plurality of third person terminals.

26. The position search system of claim 9 wherein said plural levels of accuracy produced by said degradation means include a highest accuracy level and one or more additional accuracy levels each of which are of a lower accuracy than said highest accuracy level for the position information detected by said detection means.

30. The position search system of claim 9 wherein said authentication means in said mobile terminal utilizes a password.

13. A position search method for a position search system in which a mobile terminal is connected to a third-person terminal through a communication network, the third-person terminal including a first transmission step of transmitting a position search request from its own terminal to the mobile terminal, and

the mobile terminal performing:

detection step of detecting position information;

degradation step of degrading position information detected in said detection step in plural levels of accuracy;

authentication step of authenticating validity of the third-person terminal in response to the position search request from the third-person terminal through said first transmission step; and

a second transmission step of sending the third-person terminal the position information with an accuracy selected from among the plural pieces of position information degraded in said degradation step in the plural levels, according to authentication result in said authentication step, wherein

the third-person terminal displays the position information with the accuracy determined according to the authentication result transmitted in said second transmission step;

wherein the mobile terminal further includes a setting step of setting authentication information for each of the levels of accuracy with which the position information has been degraded in said degradation step, and

the authentication information transmitted from the third-person terminal is compared in said authentication step with the authentication information set in said setting step for each of the levels of accuracy of the position information to determine if they match with each other.

14. The position search method according to claim 13, wherein

the mobile terminal further includes a detection step of detecting the presence or absence of an emergency request, and

when an emergency request is detected in said detection step, the position information with the highest accuracy selected from among the accuracies of the position information degraded in said degradation step in the plural levels is transmitted in said transmission step to the request side of the emergency request.

15. The position search method according to claim 13, wherein

the mobile terminal further includes a registration step of registering authentication information for emergency use, and

when the authentication information transmitted from the third-person terminal is authenticated in said authentication step as the authentication information for emergency use registered in said registration step, position information with the highest accuracy selected from among the accuracies of the position information degraded in said degradation step in the plural levels is transmitted in said transmission step.

16. The position search method according to claim 13, wherein when it is determined in said authentication step that authentication results do not match, the mobile terminal notifies the third-person terminal that the position search request from the third-person terminal is not permitted.

27. The method of claim 13 wherein said plural levels of accuracy produced by said degradation step include a highest accuracy level and one or more additional accuracy levels each of which are of a lower accuracy than said highest accuracy level for the position information detected in said detecting step.

31. The position search method recited in claim 13 wherein said authentication step includes the use of a password.

17. A computer readable medium containing instructions for a position search system in which a mobile terminal is connected to a third-person terminal through a communication network, said instructions instructing the third-person terminal to perform first transmission processing for transmitting a position search request from its own terminal to the mobile terminal, and

the mobile terminal to perform:

detection processing for detecting position information;

degradation processing degrading the position information detected in said detection processing in plural levels of accuracy;

authentication processing for authenticating the validity of the third-person terminal in response to the position search request from the third-person terminal through said first transmission processing; and

second transmission processing for sending the third-person terminal the position information with an accuracy selected from among the plural pieces of position information degraded in said degradation processing in the plural levels, according to authentication result in said authentication processing, wherein the third-person terminal displays the position information with the accuracy determined according to the authentication result transmitted in said second transmission processing;

wherein the mobile terminal is further instructed to perform setting processing for setting authentication information for each of the levels of accuracy with which the position information has been degraded in said degradation processing, and

the authentication information transmitted from the third-person terminal is compared in said authentication processing with the authentication information set in said setting processing for each of the levels of accuracy of the position information to determine if they match with each other.

18. The computer readable medium containing instructions for the position search system according to claim 17, wherein

the mobile terminal is further instructed to perform detection processing for detecting the presence or absence of an emergency call operation, and

when an emergency request is detected in said detection processing, the position information with the highest accuracy selected from among the accuracies of the position information degraded in said degradation processing in the plural levels is transmitted in said transmission processing to a request side of the emergency request.

19. The computer readable medium containing instructions for the position search system according to claim 17, wherein

the mobile terminal is further instructed to perform a registration processing for registering authentication information for emergency use, and

when the authentication information transmitted from the third-person terminal is authenticated in said authentication processing as the authentication information for emergency use registered in said registration processing, position information with the highest accuracy selected from among the accuracies of the position information degraded in said degradation processing in the plural levels is transmitted in said transmission processing.

20. The computer readable medium containing instructions for the position search system according to claim 17, wherein when it is determined in said authentication processing that authentication results do not match in said authentication processing, the mobile terminal is instructed to perform notification processing for notifying the third-person terminal that the position search request from the third-person terminal is not permitted.