Wireless communications terminal, communications protocol switching method, communications protocol switching program, and integrated circuit of wireless communications terminal

• US 7,796,949 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ueda, Eiji, Masaki, Tadakatsu, Matsushita, Yuka
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): AKINYEMI, AJIBOLA A
• Application Number:
  US10/553,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20060234778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,961 Days
• Field of Search: 455/565, 455/558, 455/566, 455/557, 455/550.1, 455/296, 455/63.1, 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 455/63.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/00 Suppression or limitation of noise or interference by means associated with receiver H04B1/10

Abstract

A wireless communications terminal prevents radio interferences caused by other wireless communications concurrent with a contactless communication. A wireless communications terminal receives, in a contactless communication, a command from a reader/writer via a second wireless communications section, and analyzes the received command. The wireless communications terminal controls a wireless communications control section to deactivate or temporarily deactivate the function of a first wireless communications section depending on the analysis of the command. After the function of the first wireless communications section is deactivated or temporarily deactivated, the wireless communications terminal accesses a memory area of an IC card microcomputer system as specified by the command to perform a contactless communication.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone which accommodates an IC card having a memory area for storing information regarding electronic money, the mobile telephone comprising:

a first wireless communications section operable to perform a mobile telephone communication via a communication network;

a second wireless communications section operable to perform a contactless communication, which is independent of the mobile telephone communication, between a reader/writer provided in an automatic ticket gate, and the IC card when the IC card is placed over the automatic ticket gate;

a wireless communications control section;

operable to, in the case where said second wireless communications section accesses the memory area for storing the information regarding electronic money to perform processing for exchanging the electronic money with the reader/writer, when the IC card is placed over the automatic ticket gate, determine that a contactless communication that involves highly confidential information is to be performed by said second wireless communications section, cause a mobile telephone communication function of said first wireless communications section to be in a function deactivated mode where the mobile telephone communication function is not reactivated automatically, and complete the contactless communication, performed by said second wireless communications section, that involves highly confidential information; and

operable to in the case where said second wireless communications section performs the contactless communication without accessing the memory area for storing the information regarding electronic money, when the IC card is placed over the automated ticket gate, cause a mobile telephone communication function of said first wireless communications section to be in a temporary deactivated mode where the mobile telephone communication function is reactivated automatically, and complete the contactless communication performed by said second wireless communications section; and

a timer section operable to start timing when said wireless communications control section causes the mobile telephone communication function of said first wireless communications section to be in the temporary deactivated mode, said timer section being used for reactivation from the temporary deactivated mode,

wherein, at a time when a predetermined time period has elapsed in a timer operation of said timer section, said wireless communication control section automatically returns said first wireless communication section from the temporary deactivated mode to a mode where a mobile telephone communication can be performed.

2. The mobile telephone according to claim 1, wherein, when said first wireless communication section is in the function deactivated mode where a mobile telephone communication cannot be performed and when an operation of mode switching by a user is detected, said wireless communication control section switches said first wireless communications section to the mode where a mobile telephone communication can be performed.

3. A communications method used by a mobile telephone including;

a first wireless communications section for performing a mobile telephone communication via a communications network; and

a second wireless communications section for performing a contactless communication, which is independent of the mobile telephone communication, between a reader/writer provided in an automatic ticket gate, and an IC card having a memory area for storing information regarding electronic money when the IC card is placed over the automatic ticket gate, the method comprising;

a step of determining an initiation of a contactless communication performed by the second wireless communications section;

a wireless communication control step of;

in the case where the second wireless communications section accesses the memory area for storing the information regarding electronic money to perform processing for exchanging the electronic money with the reader/writer, determining, at an initiation of the contactless communication, that a contactless communication that involves highly confidential information is to be performed by the second wireless communication section, causing a mobile telephone communication function of the first wireless communications section to be in a function deactivated mode where the mobile telephone communication function is not reactivated automatically, and completing the contactless communication, performed by the second wireless communications section, that involves highly confidential information; and

in the case where the second wireless communications section performs the contactless communication without accessing the memory area for storing the information regarding electronic money, when the IC card is placed over the automated ticket gate, causing a mobile telephone communication function of the first wireless communications section to be in a temporary deactivated mode where the mobile telephone communication function is reactivated automatically, and completing the contactless communication performed by the second wireless communications section; and

a timer step of starting timing when the mobile telephone communication function of the first wireless communications section is caused to be in a temporary deactivated mode in the wireless communication control step, the timer section being used for reactivation from the temporary deactivated mode,

wherein the wireless communication control step includes a step of, at a time when a predetermined time period has elapsed in a timer operation of the timer section, automatically returning the first wireless communication section from the temporary deactivated mode to a mode where a mobile telephone communication can be performed.

4. A communications program stored on a computer-readable storage medium that is executed by a mobile telephone including a first wireless communications section for performing a mobile telephone communication via a communications network, and a second wireless communications section for performing a contactless communication, which is independent of the mobile telephone communication, between a reader/writer provided in an automatic ticket gate, and an IC card having a memory area for storing information regarding electronic money when the IC card is placed over the automatic ticket gate, the program causing the mobile telephone to perform the steps:

a step of determining an initiation of a contactless communication performed by the second wireless communications section;

a wireless communication control step of;

in the case where the second wireless communications section accesses the memory area for storing the information regarding electronic money to perform processing for exchanging the electronic money with the reader/writer, determining, at an initiation of the contactless communication, that a contactless communication that involves highly confidential information is to be performed by the second wireless communication section, causing a mobile telephone communication function of the first wireless communications section to be in a function deactivated mode where the mobile telephone communication function is not reactivated automatically, and completing the contactless communication, performed by the second wireless communications section, that involves highly confidential information; and

in the case where the second wireless communications section performs the contactless communication without accessing the memory area for storing the information regarding electronic money, when the IC card is placed over the automated ticket gate, causing a mobile telephone communication function of the first wireless communications section to be in a temporary deactivated mode where the mobile telephone communication function is reactivated automatically, and completing the contactless communication performed by the second wireless communications section; and

a timer step of starting timing when the mobile telephone communication function of the first wireless communications section is caused to be in a temporary deactivated mode in the wireless communication control step, the timer section being used for reactivation from the temporary deactivated mode.

wherein the wireless communication control step includes a step of, at a time when a predetermined time period has elapsed in a timer operation of the timer section, automatically returning the first wireless communication section from the temporary deactivated mode to a mode where a mobile telephone communication can be performed.

5. An integrated circuit used in a mobile telephone which accommodates an IC card having a memory area for storing information regarding electronic money, the mobile telephone including a first wireless communications section for performing a wireless communication via a communications network, and a second wireless communications section for performing a contactless communication, which is independent of the mobile telephone communication, between a reader/writer provided in an automatic ticket gate, and the IC card when the IC card is placed over the automatic ticket gate, the integrated circuit comprising:

a circuit functioning as a wireless communications control section;

operable to, in the case where the second wireless communications section accesses the memory area for storing the information regarding electronic money to perform processing on exchanging the electronic money with the reader/writer, when the IC card is placed over the automatic ticket gate, determine that a contactless communication that involves highly confidential information is to performed by the second wireless communications section, cause a mobile telephone communication function of the first wireless communication function of the first wireless communications section to be in a function deactivated mode where the mobile telephone communication function is not reactivated automatically, and complete the contactless communication, performed by the second wireless communications section, that involves highly confidential information; and

operable in the case where the second wireless communications section performs the contactless communication without accessing the memory area for storing the information regarding electronic money, when the IC card is placed over the automated ticket gate, cause a mobile telephone communication function of the first wireless communications section to be in a temporary deactivated mode where the mobile telephone communication function is reactivated automatically, and complete the contactless communication performed by the second wireless communications section; and

a circuit functioning as a timer section operable to start timing when the wireless communications control section causes the mobile telephone communication function of the first wireless communications section to be in the temporary deactivated mode, the timer section being used for reactivation from the temporary deactivated mode,

wherein, at a time when a predetermined time period has elapsed in a timer operation of the timer section, the wireless communication control section automatically returns the first wireless communication section from the temporary deactivated mode to a mode where a mobile telephone communication can be performed.