PORTABLE TERMINAL APPARATUS AND COMMUNICATION METHOD THEREOF

• US 20020002612A1
• Filed: 06/09/1998
• Published: 01/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: NAGASAKI, KATSUHIKO
• Granted Patent: US 6,606,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002

Abstract

The authorization of a user is performed in such a way that the user inputs one or more characters to a portable terminal apparatus using a pen input apparatus, and the handwriting of the input character(s) is compared with the handwriting of the authorized user, which is stored (e.g., in a flash ROM) in advance. When it is determined that the portable terminal apparatus is being used by an unauthorized user, a communication device is activated, and the server is notified of the fact that the portable terminal apparatus is being used by the unauthorized user.

Claims

1. A portable terminal apparatus, comprising:

information input means, and communication means for performing communication with an external apparatus over a network, wherein there is further provided;

determination means for determining whether a current user is an authorized user; and

control means for performing control in such a way that said communication means is activated to perform communications with said external apparatus according to a determination result obtained by said determination means.

6. A portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein there is further provided storage means for storing a password set by said authorized user in advance, and

wherein said determination means determines whether or not the current user is the same as the authorized user by comparing the password input by the current user using said information input means with the password stored in said storage means.

2. A portable terminal apparatus, comprising:

pen input means, and communication means for communicating with an external apparatus over a network, wherein there is further provided;

determination means for determining whether a current user is the same as an authorized user by comparing the handwriting of the current user, which is input using said pen input means, with the handwriting of the authorized user, which has been input previously using said pen input means; and

control means for performing control in such a way that said communication means is activated to perform communications with said external apparatus according to the determination result obtained by said determination means.

3. A portable terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein there is further provided inhibition means for inhibiting the activation of said communication means when it is determined by said determination means that the current user is the same as the authorized user.

4. A portable terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein there is further provided storage means for storing handwriting features of the authorized user, and said determination means extracts the features of the handwriting of the current user, input using said pen input means, and determines whether or not the current user is the same as the authorized user by comparing the extracted features of the handwriting of the current user with the features of the handwriting which are stored in said storage means.

5. A portable terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein there are further provided:

character recognition means for recognizing a character input using said pen input means; and

storage means for storing in advance a character recognition rate for the handwriting of the authorized user by said character recognition means, and

wherein said determination means determines whether or not the current user is the same as the authorized user by computing the character recognition rate for the handwriting of the current user using said character recognition means and by comparing the computed character recognition rate with the character recognition rate stored by said storage means.

7. A communication method for use with a portable terminal apparatus comprising information input means, and communication means for performing communication with an external apparatus over a network, said communication method comprising:

a determination step for determining whether a current user is an authorized user; and

a control step for performing control in such a way that the communication means is activated to perform communication with the external apparatus according to a determination result obtained in said determination step.

12. A communication method for use with a portable terminal apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the portable terminal apparatus further comprises storage means for storing in advance a password set by the authorized user, and

wherein, in said determination step, a determination is made as to whether or not the current user is the same as the authorized user by comparing a password input by the current user using the information input means with the password stored in the storage means.

8. A communication method for use with a portable terminal apparatus comprising pen input means, and communication means for performing communication with an external apparatus over a network, said communication method comprising:

a determination step for determining whether or not a current user is an authorized user by comparing handwriting of the current user input using the pen input means with handwriting of the authorized user input previously using the pen input means; and

a control step for performing control in such a way that the communication means is activated to perform communication with the external apparatus according to the determination result obtained in said determination step.

9. A communication method for use with a portable terminal apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an inhibition step for inhibiting activation of the communication means when it is determined in said determination step that the current user is the same as the authorized user.

10. A communication method for use with a portable terminal apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the portable terminal apparatus further comprises storage means for storing the features of the handwriting of the authorized user, and

wherein, in said determination step, a determination is made as to whether or not the current user is the same as the authorized user by extracting features of the handwriting of the current user input using the pen input means and by comparing the extracted features of that handwriting with features of the handwriting stored in the storage means.

11. A communication method for use with a portable terminal apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the portable terminal apparatus further comprises character recognition means for recognizing a character input using the pen input means, and storage means for storing in advance a character recognition rate for handwriting of the authorized user relating to character recognition by the character recognition means,

wherein, in said determination step, a determination is made as to whether or not the current user is the same as the authorized user by computing the character recognition rate for handwriting of the current user and by comparing the computed character recognition rate with the character recognition rate stored in the storage means.

13. A data communication system, comprising:

a portable terminal apparatus; and

a server, said portable terminal apparatus and said server performing communication over a network,

wherein said portable terminal apparatus comprises;

determination means for determining whether a current user is an authorized user, and first transmission means for transmitting data which indicates unauthorized use to said server when it is determined by said determination means that the current user is not an authorized user, and

wherein said server comprises;

receiving means for receiving data which indicates the unauthorized use; and

second transmission means for transmitting predetermined data to said portable terminal apparatus.

14. A data communication system according to claim 13, comprising a plurality of such portable terminal apparatuses,

wherein said server further comprises:

identification means for identifying the portable terminal apparatus which transmitted the data received by said receiving means, and

said second transmission means transmits predetermined data to the portable terminal apparatus identified by said identification means.

15. A data communication system according to claim 13, wherein said second transmission means transmits a data deletion program which deletes the data within the portable terminal apparatus identified by said identification means.

16. A data communication system according to claim 13, wherein said second transmission means transmits a warning message.

17. A data communication system according to claim 13,

wherein said second transmission means transmits an application program for locking execution of the application within the portable terminal apparatus identified by said identification means.

18. A data communication system according to claim 13,

wherein said portable terminal apparatus comprises storage means for storing data and a data deletion program for deleting the data, and

said second transmission means transmits a subprogram for activating the data deletion program stored in said storage means.

19. A data communication system according to claim 13,

wherein said server further comprises position determination means for determining the position of said portable terminal apparatus, and

wherein said second transmission means transmits the position determined by said position determination means together with a warning message.