Message service method for mobile communication terminal using position information

• US 7,392,057 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2004
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hyeon-Wook
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US10/970,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20050096069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/410, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 4554141-4144, 4554561-457, 705/1, 705/14, 380/258, 713/155, 713/179
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A system and method for providing a message service. Position information and/or security information is inserted into messages before transmission. A receiving mobile terminal may open the received message depending on its position or knowledge of the security information.

Claims

1. A method for providing a message service for use in a mobile communication terminal, comprising the steps of:

establishing a security mode using reading position information as an encryption key and a locking key and for determining a readable position at which a message to be transmitted can be read such that the message is encrypted and locked;

generating a security message;

designating a destination mobile communication terminal; and

transmitting the security message to the mobile communication terminal wherein the security message, which is a message encrypted using the reading position information as an encryption key, is locked using the reading position information as a locking key, and the release of the security mode is performed using the current position information as a release key to release the locking of the security message, and is performed by decoding the security message using the current position information as a decoding key.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission step of transmitting the security message comprises the step of:

attaching reading guide information for informing a user of the destination mobile terminal of information associated with the readable position, to the security message.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission step of transmitting the security message further comprises the step of:

establishing a deletion condition for designating a condition to be deleted after the security message is received in the destination mobile terminal, on the security message.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the deletion condition includes at least one of ‘

a number of reading times’

, ‘

a time consumed after an initial reading operation’

, ‘

a number of abnormal reading attempts’

, ‘

a specific time’

, ‘

a re-transmission attempt’

, and ‘

separation from a reading area’

.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission step of transmitting the security message comprises the step of:

establishing an ESN (Electronic Serial Number) encryption request to request encryption of the security message from a mobile communication network using an ESN of the destination mobile terminal.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of establishing the security mode comprises encrypting the message to be transmitted by adapting the reading position information as an encryption key.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of establishing the security mode further comprises using the reading position information as a locking key, such that the message to be transmitted is locked.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of establishing the security mode comprises using the reading position information as an encryption key, such that the message to be transmitted is encrypted.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of establishing the security mode further comprises using the reading position information as a locking key, such that the message to be transmitted is locked.

10. A method for providing a message service to a destination mobile communication terminal over a mobile communication network, comprising the steps of:

receiving a security message in which an ESN (Electronic Serial Number) encryption request is established wherein the security message, which is a message encrypted using the reading position information as an encryption key, such that the message to be transmitted is encrypted and is locked using the reading position information as a locking key, and the release of the security mode is performed using the current position information as a release key to release the locking of the security message, and is performed by decoding the security message using the current position information as a decoding key;

encrypting the security message using an ESN of the destination mobile terminal associated with the security message as an encryption key; and

transmitting the ESN-encrypted security message to the destination mobile terminal.

11. A method for providing a message service for use in a mobile communication terminal, comprising the steps of:

receiving a security message in which a security locking-mode is established from reading position information indicating a readable position;

releasing the security locking-mode of the security message using current position information of the mobile communication terminal when a user requests to read the security message; and

displaying contents of the message in which the security locking-mode is released and the release of the security mode is performed using the current position information as a release key to release the locking of the security message, and is performed by decoding the security message using the current position information as a decoding key,

wherein the security message, which is a message encrypted using the reading position information as an encryption key, is locked using the reading position information as a locking key, and the release of the security mode is performed using the current position information as a release key to release the locking of the security message, and is performed by decoding the security message using the current position information as a decoding key.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

outputting a warning message when the security mode of the security message is not released.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the release step of releasing the security mode of the security message comprises the step of:

identifying the current position information using a position signal received from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the release step of releasing the security mode of the security message comprises the step of:

identifying the current position information using a sewing base station of the mobile communication terminal.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

displaying reading area guide information when reading area information identifying information associated with the readable position is attached to the security message.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the release step of releasing the security mode of the security message comprises the step of:

decoding the security message utilizing an ESN (Electronic Serial Number) of the mobile communication terminal as a decoding key when the security message is ESN-encrypted.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the security message is a message encrypted using the reading position information as an encryption key, and the release of the security mode is performed by decoding the security message using the current position information as a decoding key.

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the security message corresponds to a deletion condition for indicating a condition to be deleted after the security message is received, if the deletion condition is established on the security message,; and

deleting the security message, if the security message corresponds to the deletion condition.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the deletion condition includes at least one of ‘

a number of reading times’

, ‘

a time consumed after an initial reading operation’

, ‘

a number of abnormal reading attempts’

, ‘

a specific time’

, ‘

a re-transmission attempt’

, and ‘

separation from a reading area’

.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the security message is a message encrypted using the reading position information as an encryption key, and the release of the security mode is performed by decoding the security message using the current position information as a decoding key.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein the security message, which is a message encrypted using the reading position information as an encryption key, is locked using the reading position information as a locking key.

22. A system for providing a message service, comprising:

a mobile terminal for establishing a security mode using reading position information for designating a readable position at which a message to be transmitted can be read, generating a security message, establishing an ESN (Electronic Serial Number) encryption request for requesting ESN encryption of the security message, and then transmitting the security message wherein the security mode establishment is performed by locking and encrypting the message to be transmitted by adapting and using the reading position information as the locking key and encryption key, and wherein the release of the security mode is performed by releasing the locking of the security message by adapting the reading position information as the release key and decoding the security message using the reading position information as a decoding key;

a mobile communication network for receiving the security message in which the ESN encryption request is established, encrypting the security message, and transmitting the encrypted security message; and

a destination mobile terminal for receiving the encrypted security message, decoding the encrypted security message using an ESN as a decoding key when a reading request for the security message is received from a user, releasing a security mode of the security message using current position information of the destination mobile terminal, and displaying message contents,

wherein the encrypted security message is encrypted using an ESN of the destination MS associated with the security message as an encryption key.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the security mode establishment is performed by encrypting the message to be transmitted by adapting the reading position information as the encryption key, and is performed by locking the message to be transmitted by adapting the reading position information as the locking key, and wherein the release of the security mode is performed by releasing the locking of the security message by adapting the current position information as the release key, and is performed by decoding the security message by adapting the current position information as the decoding key.