Mobile communication terminal, method for controlling execution state of application program, application program, and recording medium wherein application program has been recorded

• US 7,596,389 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2002
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Asai, Mao, Watanabe, Nobuyuki, Kamiya, Dai, Nagasawa, Hideyuki, Maeda, Fukiko, Oseki, Eriko, Kondo, Takashi, Yamada, Kazuhiro, Tsuda, Masayuki, Naganuma, Takefumi
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US10/496,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20050054372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,490 Days
• Field of Search: 455/514, 455/566, 455/550.1, 455418-419, 455/414.1, 455/572, 455/574, 713/324, 345/102
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0264 by selectively disabling software applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In the mobile telephone 1 relating to the present invention, a control section 2 performs control for switching between a non-active state which refuses inputs to an application program, and a rest state in which the application program is temporarily halted. The control section 2 performs control for switching the execution state of the application program from the non-active state to the rest state, in accordance with instructions from an input section 3. The control section 2 further performs control for switching the execution state of the application program from the non-active state to the rest state, in accordance with a function contained in an application program.

Claims

1. A mobile communications terminal, comprising:

a controller configured to control switching between an active state of an application program, a non-active state of the application program, and a rest state of the application program; and

an input unit configured to instruct a state transition between said active state, said non-active state and said rest state, wherein said controller executes control for switching the execution state of said application program between the active state, non-active state and the rest state, in accordance with instructions from said input unit, wherein,

in the active state of the application program, the application program is executed and permitted to process data inputted by a key and a native application program that controls a communication function of the mobile communication terminal is not permitted to process the data inputted by the key,

in the non-active state of the application program, the application program is executed and not permitted to process data inputted by the key and the native application program that controls the communication function of the mobile communication terminal is permitted to process the data inputted by the key, and

in the rest state of the application program, the application program is halted and not permitted to process data inputted by the key and the native application program that controls the communication function of the mobile communication terminal is permitted to process the data inputted by the key.

2. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to switch the execution state of said application program in accordance with a function contained in said application program.

6. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 1, wherein an execution state immediately after start up is the non-active state.

7. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 6, wherein a state transition from the non-active state to the active state is executed on the basis of an execution state switching instruction.

8. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 6, wherein a state transition from the active state to the non-active state is performed on the basis of a function contained in the application program.

9. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 6, wherein a state transition from the non-active state to the rest state is executed on the basis of a function contained in the application program.

10. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 6, wherein a state transition from the rest state to the non-active state is executed when a prescribed condition is satisfied.

11. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 10, wherein the prescribed condition includes:

opening a call section of the casing of a mobile telephone;

elapsing of a rest time set in the active state; and

reaching a set time according to a timer.

12. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 6, wherein a state transition from the rest state to the active state is executed on the basis of an execution state switching instruction.

13. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 6, wherein a termination of the application in the non-active state occurs in accordance with a shutdown instruction.

14. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 6, wherein a termination of the application in the active state occurs in accordance with a shutdown instruction.

15. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 6, wherein a termination of the application in the rest state occurs in accordance with a shutdown instruction.

16. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein a transition from the active state directly to the rest state is prohibited.

19. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein in the rest state of the application program, the application program is not permitted to perform update processing of display data.

3. A method executed, by mobile communications terminal controls the execution state of an application program stored in said mobile communications terminal, comprising:

controlling the mobile communications terminal to switch between an active state of said application program, a non-active state of said application program, and a rest state of said application program with a controller of the mobile communication terminal; and

an instructing a state transition of said mobile communications terminal between said active state, said non-active state and said rest state through an input unit of the mobile communications terminal,

wherein, said controlling is executed for switching the execution state of said application program between the active state, the non-active state and the rest state, in accordance with said instructing,

in the active state of the application program, the application program is executed and permitted to process data inputted by a key and a native application program that controls a communication function of the mobile communication terminal is not permitted to process the data inputted by the key,

in the non-active state of the application program, the application program is executed and not permitted to process data inputted by the key and the native application program that controls the communication function of the mobile communication terminal is permitted to process the data inputted by the key, and

in the rest state of the application program, the application program is halted and not permitted to process data inputted by the key and the native application program that controls the communication function of the mobile communication terminal is permitted to process the data inputted by the key.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein, said controlling includes switching the execution state of said application program between the active state, the non-active state and the rest state, in accordance with a function contained in said application program.

17. The method of claim 3, wherein a transition from the active state directly to the rest state is prohibited.

20. The method of claim 3, wherein in the rest state of the application program, the application program is not permitted to perform update processing of display data.

5. A tangible computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions which when executed by a mobile communications terminal including an application program, causes said mobile communications terminal to implement a method comprising:

switching between an active state of said application program, a non-active state of said application program and a rest state of said application program with a controller of the mobile communication terminal; and

switching between the active state, the non-active state and the rest state, on the basis of state transition instructions input from an external source, wherein

in the active state of the application program, the application program is executed and permitted to process data inputted by a key and a native application program that controls a communication function of the mobile communication terminal is not permitted to process the data inputted by the key,

in the non-active state of the application program, the application program is executed and not permitted to process data inputted by the key and the native application program that controls the communication function of the mobile communication terminal is permitted to process the data inputted by the key, and

in the rest state of the application program, the application program is halted and not permitted to process data inputted by the key and the native application program that controls the communication function of the mobile communication terminal is permitted to process the data inputted by the key.

18. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein a transition from the active state directly to the rest state is prohibited.

21. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein in the rest state of the application program, the application program is not permitted to perform update processing of display data.