Device having a locking feature and a method, means and software for utilizing the feature

• US 20060112428A1
• Filed: 11/23/2004
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Etelapera, Esa
• Application Number:
  US10/996,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20060112428A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/16
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/24 Memory cell safety or protection circuits, e.g. arrangements for preventing inadvertent reading or writing; Status cells; Test cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/673 the user being required to key in a code
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location

Abstract

The invention concerns mobile devices having a locking feature for disabling properties and/or functions of the devices. According to invention a mobile device having an ability to be locked, includes at least two separate locking modes having different locking features. The locking modes are associable to a certain feature, which is determinable in the device. The currently valid locking mode, according to which the device is locked, is determined according to the association.

Claims

1. A mobile device having an ability to be locked, including at least two separate locking modes having different locking features, associated to a certain feature, which is determinable in the device, and means for determining a currently valid locking mode, according to which the device is locked, according to the association between the feature and the locking mode.

2. The mobile device according to claim 1, including a first insecure locking mode having a key locking function for enabling handy and flexible use, and a second secure locking mode having a safe locking and closing function for protecting the device from an unauthorized access.

3. The mobile device according to claim 1, including means for presenting locking modes in a menu, and means for associating a certain locking mode to a feature determinable in a device manually from the menu.

4. The mobile device according to claim 1, including a security level indicating a degree of security needed, including a certain locking mode according to the degree of security of the certain security level, such that the security level is associated to a certain feature determinable in the device and the security level and the locking mode included in it are usable and valid when the feature, to which the security level is associated to, is valid.

5. The mobile device according to claim 1, including means for determining user profiles in the device, means for presenting locking modes in user profile settings, means for associating a chosen locking mode to a certain user profile, and means for activating the locking mode according to definitions of the currently valid user profile as a response to a triggered locking event.

6. The mobile device according to claim 5, including a security subsystem for checking a currently valid locking mode associated to a currently active profile as a response to a triggered locking event.

7. The mobile device according to claim 1, including means for determining a current location of the device, and means for associating a chosen locking mode to a certain predetermined location.

8. The mobile device according to claim 7, including means for comparing the determined, current location and the predetermined location having a certain locking mode associated to it, and means for activating the locking mode associated to the predetermined location, if the current location is found to correspond to the predetermined location, as a response to a triggered locking event.

9. A method for providing locking modes for mobile device, including steps of providing at least two separate locking modes having different locking features, the modes being associated to a certain feature, which is determinable in the device, and selecting the currently valid locking mode, according to which the device is locked, according to the association.

10. The method according to claim 9, including steps of associating a security level indicating a degree of security needed, including a certain locking mode according to the degree of security of the security level, to a certain feature determinable in the device, such that the security level and the locking mode included in it are valid to be used when the feature, to which the security level is associated to, is valid.

11. The method according to claim 9, including steps of choosing a certain locking mode from a user profile setting, and associating the chosen locking mode to a user profile such that the locking mode associated to the user profile is valid to be used in the locking event, when the user profile is valid.

12. The method according to claim 9, including steps of determining a certain location of a device, and associating certain predetermined locking mode to the determined location such that the locking mode associated to the certain location is valid to be used in the locking event, when the device is traced to situate at the predetermined location.

13. A method for locking a mobile device, as a response to a triggered locking event, including steps of:

checking a certain currently valid feature, which is determinable in the device, to which a locking mode is associated to,

determining the currently valid locking mode according to the association between the feature and the locking mode, and

implementing locking of the device according to currently valid locking mode.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein a currently valid user profile is checked in order to determine the currently valid locking mode associated to it.

15. The method according to claim 13, comprising steps of tracing a current location of the device, comparing the current location to the predetermined location, to which a locking mode is associated to, and if the current location is found to correspond to the predetermined location, activating the locking mode associated to the predetermined location.

16. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable code for execution on a processor, the computer program product for locking a mobile device, the computer program product having

software means for providing at least two separate locking modes having different locking features,

software means for associating a locking mode to a certain feature of a device,

software means for checking a currently valid feature, to which a currently valid locking mode is associated to,

software means for determining a currently valid locking mode according to the association between locking mode and the feature, and

software means for locking the device according to the currently valid locking mode, as a response to triggering a locking event.

17. The computer program product according to claim 16, including a security level means indicating degree of security needed, having a certain locking mode associated to a certain security level according to the degree of security of the certain security level, software means for associating the security level to a certain feature determinable in the device, and software means for validation the security level and the locking mode associate to for use, when the feature, to which the security level is associated to, is valid.

18. The computer program product according to claim 16, including software means for associating a certain locking mode to a certain user profile, and software means for checking present locking mode from the user profile by a security subsystem in order to determine the currently valid locking mode associated to it.

19. The computer program product according to claim 16, including software means for tracing current location of the device, software means for associating a certain locking mode to a certain predetermined location, software means for comparing traced, current location to the predetermined location to which the certain locking mode is linked to, and software means for locking the device according to currently valid locking mode associated to predetermined location corresponding to the traced, current location.