Portable terminal device executing an application in accordance with a selection made by a user

• US 10,726,159 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Inventors: Suzuki, Motoyuki, Yoshizawa, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Nipa, Wasika
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ambaye, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US15/104,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20160314308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,370 Days
• Field of Search: 726 18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724634 With partially locked states, e.g. when some telephonic functional locked states or applications remain accessible in the locked states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/30 Security of mobile devices; Security of mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A portable terminal device (1) sets a security level for each application in accordance with position, and stores the level in a memory (102). The security level determines whether each application is displayed or made executable on a display portion (114a) in locked state and unlocked state. A control unit (101) refers to the security level and determines the application displayed on the display portion (114a) in accordance with position information acquired by a position information acquisition unit (GPS reception unit) (104), and makes executable the application selected by the user. Thus, the portable terminal device (1) offers user-friendliness while ensuring security strength.

Claims

1. A portable terminal device executing an application in accordance with a selection made by a user, the portable terminal device

comprising:

a location information obtaining unit obtaining current location information of the portable terminal device;

a security level setting storage unit setting and storing a security level for each of a plurality of applications in accordance with a location;

a display unit displaying, on a display, respective icons of the applications that are selectable by the user;

a control unit controlling the display of the display unit, and executing the application selected by the user; and

a time information obtaining unit for obtaining current time information,

wherein the security level determines, for each application, whether to display the respective icons of the applications on the display unit and allow execution of the respective applications in a locked state and an unlocked state of the portable terminal device,

wherein the control unit, in accordance with the current location information obtained by the location information obtaining unit, is configured to;

determine, based on the respective security levels of the plurality of applications and the current location information, a combination of icons of the applications that are to be displayed on the display unit and icons of the applications which are not to be displayed on the display unit in a condition that the portable terminal device is in the locked state, and

adjust respective positions of the icons of the applications determined to be displayed on the display unit,

wherein the security level setting storage unit sets and stores a security level for each application in accordance with a combination of the location and the time, and the control unit refers to the security level stored in the security level setting storage unit to determine an application displayed on the display unit in accordance with a combination of the location information obtained by the location information obtaining unit and the time information obtained by the time information obtaining unit, and causes the application selected by the user to be executed.

2. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the security level includes information for causing the portable terminal device not to display an application on the display unit and restrict an execution of the application in any of a locked state and an unlocked state.

3. The portable terminal device according to claim 2, comprising a user recognition unit recognizing a current user among a plurality of registered users,

wherein the security level setting storage unit sets and stores a security level for each application in accordance with a combination of a location and the registered users, and the control unit refers to the security level stored in the security level setting storage unit to determine an application displayed on the display unit in accordance with a combination of the location information obtained by the location information obtaining unit and the current user recognized by the user recognition unit, and causes the application selected by the user to be executed.

4. The portable terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit switches the authentication method for unlocking and an authentication method for allowing the application selected by the user to be executed, on the basis of the security level stored in the security level setting storage unit.

5. The portable terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the security level setting storage unit sets and stores an authentication method for unlocking in such a manner that the authentication method is different in accordance with the location, and

the control unit refers to the authentication method stored in the security level setting storage unit to switch the authentication method for unlocking, in accordance with the location information obtained by the location information obtaining unit.

6. The portable terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit switches the authentication method for unlocking and an authentication method for allowing the application selected by the user to be executed, on the basis of the security level stored in the security level setting storage unit.

7. The portable terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the security level setting storage unit sets and stores an authentication method for unlocking in such a manner that the authentication method is different in accordance with the location, and

the control unit refers to the authentication method stored in the security level setting storage unit to switch the authentication method for unlocking, in accordance with the location information obtained by the location information obtaining unit.

8. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, comprising a user recognition unit recognizing a current user among a plurality of registered users,

wherein the security level setting storage unit sets and stores a security level for each application in accordance with a combination of a location and the registered users, and

the control unit refers to the security level stored in the security level setting storage unit to determine an application displayed on the display unit in accordance with a combination of the location information obtained by the location information obtaining unit and the current user recognized by the user recognition unit, and causes the application selected by the user to be executed.

9. The portable terminal device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit switches the authentication method for unlocking and an authentication method for allowing the application selected by the user to be executed, on the basis of the security level stored in the security level setting storage unit.

10. The portable terminal device according to claim 8, wherein the security level setting storage unit sets and stores an authentication method for unlocking in such a manner that the authentication method is different in accordance with the location, and

the control unit refers to the authentication method stored in the security level setting storage unit to switch the authentication method for unlocking, in accordance with the location information obtained by the location information obtaining unit.

11. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switches an authentication method for unlocking and an authentication method for allowing the application selected by the user to be executed, on the basis of the security level stored in the security level setting storage unit.

12. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the security level setting storage unit sets and stores an authentication method for unlocking in such a manner that the authentication method is different in accordance with the location, and

the control unit refers to the authentication method stored in the security level setting storage unit to switch the authentication method for unlocking, in accordance with the location information obtained by the location information obtaining unit.

13. A portable terminal device executing an application in accordance with a selection made by a user, the portable terminal device comprising:

a time information obtaining unit obtaining current time information;

a security level setting storage unit setting and storing a security level for each application in accordance with a time;

a display unit displaying, on a display, respective icons of applications that are selectable by the user; and

a control unit controlling the display of the display unit, and executing the application selected by the user,

wherein the security level determines, for each application, whether to display the respective icons of the applications on the display unit and allow execution of the respective applications in the locked state and an unlocked state of the portable terminal device,

wherein the control unit, in accordance with the current time information obtained by the time information obtaining unit, is configured to;

determine, based on the respective security levels of the plurality of applications and the current time information, a combination of icons of the applications that are to be displayed on the display unit and icons of the applications which are not to be displayed on the display unit in a condition that the portable terminal device is in the locked state, and

adjust respective positions of the icons of the applications determined to be displayed on the display unit,

wherein the security level setting storage unit sets and stores a security level for each application in accordance with a combination of a location and a time, and the control unit refers to the security level stored in the security level setting storage unit to determine an application displayed on the display unit in accordance with a combination of the location information and the time information obtained by the time information obtaining unit, and causes the application selected by the user to be executed.

14. A portable terminal device executing an application in accordance with a selection made by a user, the portable terminal device comprising:

a user recognition unit recognizing a current user among a plurality of registered users;

a security level setting storage unit setting and storing a security level for each of a plurality of applications in accordance with the registered users;

a display unit displaying, on a display, respective icons of the applications that that are selectable by the current user; and

a control unit controlling a display of the display unit, and executing the application selected by the current user; and

a time information obtaining unit for obtaining current time information,

wherein the security level determines, for each application, whether to display the respective icons of the applications on the display unit and allow execution of the respective applications in a locked state and an unlocked state of the portable terminal device,

wherein the control unit, in accordance with information of the current user recognized by the user recognition unit, is configured to;

determine, based on the respective security levels of the plurality of applications and the information of the current user, a combination of icons of the applications that are to be displayed on the display unit and icons of the applications which are not to be displayed on the display unit in a condition that the portable terminal device is in the locked state, and

adjust respective positions of the icons of the applications determined to be displayed on the display unit,

wherein the security level setting storage unit sets and stores a security level for each application in accordance with a combination of the location and the time, and the control unit refers to the security level stored in the security level setting storage unit to determine an application displayed on the display unit in accordance with a combination of the location information and the time information obtained by the time information obtaining unit, and causes the application selected by the user to be executed.