PRIVACY PROTECTION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20120142316A1
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Published: 06/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PARK, Sang Ho
• Granted Patent: US 9,820,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A privacy protection method and apparatus for a mobile terminal are provided. The method includes specifying basic information, privacy protection indication, and fictitious information of a contact item to be recorded in a contact list, determining, when a contact is received from an external terminal, whether a privacy protection function is activated for the external terminal, and outputting, when the privacy protection function is activated for the external terminal, a contact reception screen and a contact handling screen that include pre-specified fictitious information of the external terminal and exclude pre-specified basic information thereon. As a result, when a contact is received from a counterpart, information on the counterpart can be prevented from being displayed on the screen. Hence, it is possible to prevent inadvertent disclosure of counterpart information.

Claims

1. A method of privacy protection for a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

specifying basic information, privacy protection indication, and fictitious information of a contact item to be recorded in a contact list;

determining, when a contact is received from an external terminal, whether a privacy protection function is activated for the external terminal; and

outputting, when the privacy protection function is activated for the external terminal, a contact reception screen and a contact handling screen that include pre-specified fictitious information of the external terminal and exclude pre-specified basic information thereon.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specifying of the basic information comprises specifying at least one of a name, a phone number and an e-mail address, and further wherein the specifying of the fictitious information comprises specifying at least one of a nickname, a ringtone and a vibration pattern.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of whether the privacy protection function is activated comprises:

receiving a call connection request from the external terminal;

determining whether the phone number of the external terminal is recorded in the contact list; and

determining, when the phone number is recorded in the contact list, whether the privacy protection indication for the external terminal is set to “

on”

.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the outputting of the contact reception screen comprises displaying a nickname pre-specified for the external terminal without display of a pre-specified name, a phone number or an e-mail address.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the outputting of the contact reception screen comprises displaying a message of “

Caller ID Suppression”

without display of a pre-specified name, a phone number or an e-mail address, and at least one of outputting a pre-specified ringtone and producing vibrations according to a pre-specified vibration pattern.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accepting a contact termination command;

saving details of the contact with the external terminal as part of privacy-protected contact details; and

displaying, in response to a command for viewing contact details, contact details excluding the privacy-protected contact details.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying, in response to a command for viewing privacy-protected contact details, a password input field; and

displaying, when a correct password is entered, the privacy-protected contact details, wherein the basic information recorded in the contact list is output during display of the privacy-protected contact details.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the specifying of the basic information comprises specifying at least one of a name, a phone number and an e-mail address as basic information, and the specifying of the fictitious information comprises specifying at least one of a caller substitute image and a callee substitute image as fictitious information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of whether the privacy protection function is activated comprises:

receiving a video call connection request from the external terminal;

determining whether the phone number of the external terminal is recorded in the contact list; and

determining, when the phone number is recorded in the contact list, whether the privacy protection indication for the external terminal is set to “

on”

.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the outputting of the contact reception screen comprises:

displaying a message indicating video call reception without a pre-specified name or phone number;

displaying, in response to an answer command from the user, a video call handling screen including a pre-specified caller substitute image and keys for disabling caller ID suppression and callee ID suppression; and

sending a pre-specified callee substitute image and a message indicating activation of the privacy protection function to the external terminal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the outputting of the contact reception screen further comprises:

displaying, when the key for disabling caller ID suppression is entered, caller images received from the external terminal; and

sending, when the key for disabling callee ID suppression is entered, captured images of the user to the external terminal.

12. A mobile terminal supporting privacy protection, the mobile terminal comprising:

a storage unit for storing a contact list composed of basic information, privacy protection indication, and fictitious information for each contact item;

a wireless communication unit for receiving a contact from an external terminal;

a control unit for determining whether a privacy protection function is activated for the external terminal; and

a display unit for displaying, when the privacy protection function is activated for the external terminal, pre-specified fictitious information of the external terminal excluding pre-specified basic information thereon.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the storage unit stores at least one of a name, a phone number and an e-mail address as basic information, and stores a caller substitute image and a callee substitute image as fictitious information.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the control unit determines, when a video call connection request is received from the external terminal, whether the phone number of the external terminal is recorded in the contact list, and determines, when the phone number is recorded in the contact list, whether the privacy protection indication for the external terminal is set to “

on”

.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the display unit displays a message indicating video call reception without a pre-specified name or phone number, displays, in response to an answer command from the user, a pre-specified caller substitute image and keys for disabling caller ID suppression and callee ID suppression, and displays, when the key for disabling caller ID suppression is entered, caller images received from the external terminal.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the wireless communication unit sends a pre-specified callee substitute image and a message indicating activation of the privacy protection function to the external terminal, and sends, when the key for disabling callee ID suppression is entered, captured images of the user to the external terminal.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the storage unit stores at least one of a name, a phone number and an e-mail address as the basic information, and stores at least one of a of a nickname, a ringtone and a vibration pattern as the fictitious information.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the control unit determines, when a call connection request is received from the external terminal, whether the phone number of the external terminal is recorded in the contact list, and determines, when the phone number is recorded in the contact list, whether the privacy protection indication for the external terminal is set to “

on”

.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the display unit displays a nickname pre-specified for the external terminal without display of a pre-specified name, a phone number or an email address.