Apparatus and method for peripheral device control in portable terminal

• US 8,942,734 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2010
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Dong-Hyeon
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIEH, PING Y
• Application Number:
  US12/691,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20100190527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,831 Days
• Field of Search: 455/557, 455/558, 455/522, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 4554561-4564, 370/338, 370/347, 235/380, 235/382, 710/14, 710/20, 710/38, 710/41, 710/48
• US Class Current: 455/456.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for a peripheral device control in a portable terminal are provided. In the method for the peripheral device control in the portable terminal, the method includes selectively changing a communication path between a communication modem and a storage to a communication path between a controller and the storage by controlling a switch when the communication modem is turned off, determining information necessary for the peripheral device control through the communication path between the controller and the storage and controlling the peripheral device when the information satisfies a control condition.

Claims

1. A method for providing a peripheral device control in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

providing a communication path directly between a communication modem and a storage through a switch;

changing, by a controller, the communication path between the communication modem and the storage to a communication path between the controller and the storage via the switch when the communication modem is turned off;

determining, by the controller, information necessary for the peripheral device control through the communication path between the controller and the storage, the information necessary for the peripheral device control including base station information of the portable terminal and user information obtained from the storage; and

disabling, by the controller, the peripheral device based on an analysis of the user information and a determination that the base station information indicates a restrictive area,

wherein the base station information is obtained from a receiving circuit included in the storage through the communication path between the controller and the storage.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising

changing, by the controller, the communication path between the controller and the storage to the communication path between the communication modem and the storage via the switch when the communication modem is turned on.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage is a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a camera provided by or coupled to the portable terminal.

5. An apparatus for a peripheral device control in a portable terminal, comprising:

a switch providing a communication path directly between a communication modem and a storage through the switch; and

a controller for changing the communication path between the communication modem and the storage to a communication path between the controller and the storage via the switch when the communication modem is turned off, determining information, obtained from the storage, necessary for the peripheral device control through the communication path between the controller and the storage, the information necessary for the peripheral device control including base station information of the portable terminal and user information obtained from the storage, and,

the controller being further configured to disable the peripheral device based on an analysis of the user information and a determination that the base station information indicates a restrictive area,

wherein the base station information is provided through a receiver included within the storage.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller changes the communication path between the controller and the storage to the communication path between the communication modem and the storage via the switch when the communication modem is turned on.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the storage is a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM).

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the peripheral device is a camera provided by or coupled to the portable terminal.

9. A method for controlling a camera included within a portable communication terminal, the method comprising:

turning a communication modem of the portable terminal off;

determining, by a controller, whether to disable the camera when the communication modem is turned off, based on base station information of the portable terminal indicating a restrictive area, in conjunction with an analysis of user information read from a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) within the portable terminal and communicatively coupled to the controller,

wherein the base station information is obtained from a receiving circuit included in the USIM through a communication path between a controller and the USIM.