Method, apparatus, and system for controlling terminal device

• US 9,445,298 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2013
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MarkAny, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MarkAny, Inc.
• Inventors: Kim, Mi Gyung, Kim, Hyoung Jun, Lee, Kyu Won
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUOC H
• Application Number:
  US13/967,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20140108634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0226 based on location or mobility handoff or reselection H04W36/00; mobile application services making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02

Abstract

Disclosed are a method, apparatus, and system for controlling a terminal device. A method of controlling a terminal device is performed by a terminal device control unit included in the terminal device. The method may include determining whether or not to change a state of the terminal device into a terminal device control state based on range information including at least one of a control area and a control period in which the terminal device is controlled and the real-time information of the terminal device, changing the state of the terminal device into the terminal device control state based on a result of the determination, and controlling the terminal device based on the control information in the terminal device control state.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a terminal device, comprising:

receiving, by a terminal device control unit included in the terminal device, device control information comprising range information, comprising at least one of a control area and a control period in which the terminal device is controlled, and control information for controlling the terminal device from a first information acquisition unit of the terminal device, the control information authorizing the control unit to control one or more functions of the terminal device when in the terminal device control state, wherein the first information acquisition unit obtains the device control information and a Uniform Resource Locator (URI) on which the device control information is obtained through at least one of a barcode, a Quick Response (QR) code, Universal Serial Bus (USB) communication, and audio watermarking communication;

receiving, by the terminal device control unit, real-time information comprising at least one of a real-time position and present time of the terminal device from a second information acquisition unit of the terminal device;

determining, by the terminal device control unit, whether or not to change a state of the terminal device into a terminal device control state based on the range information and the real-time information;

changing, by the terminal device control unit, the state of the terminal device into the terminal device control state based on a result of the determination; and

controlling, by the terminal device control unit, the terminal device based on the control information in the terminal device control state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by the terminal device control unit, whether or not to change a state of the terminal device into a terminal device control state comprises:

determining whether or not the real-time position of the terminal device is within the control area; and

determining to change the state of the terminal device into the terminal device control state if, as a result of the determination, the real-time position of the terminal device is within the control area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by the terminal device control unit, whether or not to change a state of the terminal device into a terminal device control state comprises:

determining whether or not the present time is within the control period; and

determining to change the state of the terminal device into the terminal device control state if, as a result of the determination, the present time is within the control period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by the terminal device control unit, whether or not to change a state of the terminal device into a terminal device control state comprises:

determining whether or not the real-time position is within the control area;

determining whether or not the present time is within the control period; and

determining to change the state of the terminal device into the terminal device control state if, as a result of the determination, the real-time position is within the control area and the present time is within the control period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first information acquisition unit obtains the device control information using the URI if the URI is obtained.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the terminal device control unit, real-time information comprising at least one of a real-time position and a present time of the terminal device from the second information acquisition unit after changing the state of the terminal device into the terminal device control state;

determining, by the terminal device control unit, at least one of whether or not the real-time position of the terminal device has deviated from the control area and whether or not the present time of the terminal device has deviated from the control period; and

changing, by the terminal device control unit, the state of the terminal device from the terminal device control state to a terminal device control release state based on at least one of the determinations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling, by the terminal device control unit, the terminal device based on the control information in the terminal device control state comprises controlling at least one of a screen capturing function, a photographing function using a camera, a data transfer function, a data storage function, a print function using a printer, an application execution control function, a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) control function, a USB control function, an external storage control function, a recording prevention function, a call control function, a ring-tone/vibration control function, and a sound control function of the terminal device based on the control information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the received device control information is encrypted, and

the method further comprises decrypting the encrypted device control information.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the device control information is obtained through audio watermarking communication.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein authorizing the control unit to control one or more functions of the terminal device includes allowing the control unit to enable and disable the one or more functions of the terminal device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the control information identifies the one or more functions of the terminal device that the control unit is authorized to control.

12. A terminal device comprising a terminal device controller comprising:

a device control information reception unit for receiving device control information comprising range information, comprising at least one of a control area and a control period in which the terminal device is controlled, and control information for controlling the terminal device from a first information acquisition unit of the terminal device, the control information authorizing a control unit to control one or more functions of the terminal device when in the terminal device control state, wherein the first information acquisition unit is configured to obtain the device control information and a Uniform Resource Locator (URI) on which the device control information is obtained through at least one of a barcode, a Quick Response (QR) code, Universal Serial Bus (USB) communication, or audio watermarking communication;

a real-time information reception unit for receiving real-time information comprising at least one of a real-time position and a present time of the terminal device from a second information acquisition unit of the terminal device;

a state management unit for determining whether or not to change a state of the terminal device into a terminal device control state based on the range information and the real-time information and changing the state of the terminal device into the terminal device control state based on a result of the determination; and

the control unit for controlling the terminal device based on the control information in the terminal device control state.

13. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the state management unit determines whether or not the real-time position of the terminal device is within the control area and determines to change the state of the terminal device into the terminal device control state if, as a result of the determination, the real-time position of the terminal device is within the control area.

14. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the state management unit determines whether or not the present time is within the control period and determines to change the state of the terminal device into the terminal device control state if, as a result of the determination, the present time is within the control period.

15. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the state management unit determines whether or not the real-time position is within the control area, determines whether or not the present time is within the control period, and determines to change the state of the terminal device into the terminal device control state if, as a result of the determination, the real-time position is within the control area and the present time is within the control period.

16. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the first information acquisition unit obtains the device control information using the URI if the URI is obtained.

17. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein:

the real-time information reception unit receives real-time information comprising at least one of a real-time position and a present time of the terminal device from the second information acquisition unit after changing the state of the terminal device into the terminal device control state, and

the state management unit determines at least one of whether or not the real-time position of the terminal device has deviated from the control area and whether or not the present time of the terminal device has deviated from the control period and changes the state of the terminal device from the terminal device control state to a terminal device control release state based on at least one of the determinations.

18. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the control unit controls at least one of a screen capturing function, a photographing function using a camera, a data transfer function, a data storage function, a print function using a printer, an application execution control function, a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) control function, a USB control function, an external storage control function, a recording prevention function, a call control function, a ring-tone/vibration control function, and a sound control function of the terminal device based on the control information.

19. The terminal device of claim 12 wherein the device control information is obtained through audio watermarking communication.

20. The terminal device of claim 12 wherein authorizing the control unit to control one or more functions of the terminal device includes allowing the control unit to enable and disable the one or more functions of the terminal device.

21. The terminal device of claim 12 wherein the control information identifies the one or more functions of the terminal device that the control unit is authorized to control.

22. A terminal device control system, comprising:

a server device comprising a server unit configured to generate device control information comprising range information, comprising at least one of a control area and a control period in which a terminal device is controlled, and control information for controlling the terminal device, the control information authorizing a control unit to control one or more functions of the terminal device when in the terminal device control state, and converting the generated device control information into a distributable form; and

a terminal device comprising the terminal device control unit configured to change a state of the terminal device into a terminal device control state based on the device control information obtained by the terminal device and real-time information comprising at least one of a real-time position and a present time of the terminal device and to control at least one function of the terminal device based on the control information in the terminal device control state;

wherein the terminal device is configured to obtain the device control information and a Uniform Resource Locator (URI) on which the device control information is obtained through at least one of a barcode, a Quick Response (QR) code, Universal Serial Bus (USB) communication, and audio watermarking communication.

23. The terminal device control system of claim 22, wherein the terminal device obtains the device control information using the URI if the URI is obtained.

24. The terminal device control system of claim 22, wherein the terminal device control unit determines at least one of whether or not the real-time position of the terminal device has deviated from the control area and whether or not the present time of the terminal device has deviated from the control period based on the real-time position of the terminal device obtained from the terminal device, after changing the state of the terminal device into the terminal device control state, and changes the state of the terminal device from the terminal device control state to a terminal device control release state based on at least one of the determinations.

25. The terminal device control system of claim 22, wherein the terminal device controller controls at least one of a screen capturing function, a photographing function using a camera, a data transfer function, a data storage function, a print function using a printer, an application execution control function, a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) control function, a USB control function, an external storage control function, a recording prevention function, a call control function, a ring-one/vibration control function, and a sound control function of the terminal device based on the control information in the terminal device control state.

26. The terminal device control system of claim 22, wherein

the server unit converts the generated device control information into one of a barcode, a QR code, audio watermarking communication, and data enabling at least one of NFC, USB communication, LAN communication, wired data communication, and wireless data communication.

27. The terminal device control system of claim 22 wherein the device control information is obtained through audio watermarking communication.

28. The terminal device control system of claim 22 wherein authorizing the control unit to control one or more functions of the terminal device includes allowing the control unit to enable and disable the one or more functions of the terminal device.

29. The terminal device control system of claim 22 wherein the control information identifies the one or more functions of the terminal device that the control unit is authorized to control.