Information distribution service system using mobile terminal device

• US 9,088,536 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2014
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Uchida, Kaoru
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, NATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/458,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20140357241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 342 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

An information distribution service system includes a mobile terminal device with a communication part and another terminal device connected to the mobile terminal device via the communication part. The mobile terminal device includes a server function part that provides information to another terminal device; an email control part that sends information, regarding an access method for accessing the information with another terminal device, to another terminal device via an email; and a server access control part that operates the server function part so as to start processing for providing the information when another terminal device makes an access according to the access method.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal device which communicates with a counterpart terminal device to implement an information distribution service, comprising:

a server function part which is configured to provide the counterpart terminal device with information which is selected in advance;

an email control part which is configured to send a prompting email to the counterpart terminal device, receive a reply email from the counterpart terminal device responsive to the prompting email, and reply to the reply email from the counterpart terminal device with an access information email directed to the counterpart terminal device so as to establish connection with the counterpart terminal device; and

a server access control part which is configured to start the server function part to provide the information to the counterpart terminal device in accordance with a management table stored in a memory of the mobile terminal device describing an access method and a disclosure policy for the information,

wherein the server function part is started on condition that the email control part receives the reply email from the counterpart terminal device, and

wherein, upon start of the server function part, the server function part determines a communication port for communication with the counterpart terminal device, the communication port being determined dynamically such that the communication port is different from a previously determined port resulting from a prior starting of the server function part from a prior receiving of a prior reply email.

2. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the information is a folder which the counterpart terminal device is allowed to browse according to the disclosure policy of the management table.

3. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a GPS unit which is configured to measure positional information, said server function part being configured to provide said positional information as the information provided to the counterpart terminal device.

4. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the port number is dynamically determined with respect to the information provided to the counterpart terminal device via the server function part.

5. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the access information email sent to the counterpart terminal responsive to the reply email includes a URL and the port number for permitting the counterpart terminal to establish connection to the server function part of the mobile terminal device, the reply email being storable in a memory of the counterpart terminal thereby making the URL and port number available for use by the counterpart terminal without requiring manual entry of the URL and port number by a user of the counterpart terminal, thus enhancing accessibility.

6. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the management table includes, for each entry, a companion, a counterpart address, a keyword, a folder name and a service name.

14. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the access information email sent to the counterpart terminal further includes a folder name identifying a folder of the mobile terminal device to which the counterpart terminal is permitted to browse via the server function part.

15. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1,

wherein the prompting email sent to the counterpart terminal includes a keyword, and

wherein the email control part expects the reply email from the counterpart terminal to include the keyword, and upon detection of the keyword in the reply email, the email control part confirms whether a sender address of the reply email matches a username in the management table, and upon successful confirmation causes the server access control part to determine the port number and start the server function part with said port number.

16. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1,

wherein a different port number is selected every time permission is made to disclose the information to the counterpart terminal.

7. An information distribution service method adapted to a mobile terminal device which communicates with a counterpart terminal device, comprising:

designating information selected in advance to be accessible to the counterpart terminal device via a server function;

establishing connection with the counterpart terminal device by

sending a prompting email to the counterpart terminal device,

receiving a reply email from the counterpart terminal device responsive to the prompting email,

and replying to the reply email from the counterpart terminal device with an access information email directed to the counterpart terminal device; and

on condition that the reply email from the counterpart terminal device, starting the server function to provide the information to the counterpart terminal device in accordance with a management table stored in a memory of the mobile terminal device describing an access method and a disclosure policy for the information,

wherein, upon start of the server function, the server determines a communication port for communication with the counterpart terminal device, the communication port being determined dynamically such that the communication port is different from a previously determined port resulting from a prior starting of the server function from a prior receiving of a prior reply email.

8. The information distribution service method according to claim 7, wherein the information is a folder which the counterpart terminal device is allowed to browse according to the disclosure policy of the management table.

9. The information distribution service method according to claim 7, wherein the information to be provided to the counterpart terminal device is positional information generated by a GPS unit onboard the mobile terminal device.

10. The information distribution service method according to claim 7, wherein the port number is dynamically determined with respect to the information provided to the counterpart terminal device via the server function.

11. The information distribution service according to claim 7, wherein different port numbers are utilizes depending on disclosed data, thus alleviating a negative influence to terminal functionality due to denial of service.

12. The information distribution service according to claim 7, wherein the access information email sent to the counterpart terminal responsive to the reply email includes a URL and the port number for permitting the counterpart terminal to establish connection to the server function part of the mobile terminal device, the reply email being storable in a memory of the counterpart terminal thereby making the URL and port number available for use by the counterpart terminal without requiring manual entry of the URL and port number by a user of the counterpart terminal, thus enhancing accessibility.

13. The information distribution service according to claim 7, wherein the management table includes, for each entry, a companion, a counterpart address, a keyword, a folder name and a service name.

17. The information distribution service method according to claim 7, wherein the access information email sent to the counterpart terminal further includes a folder name identifying a folder of the mobile terminal device to which the counterpart terminal is permitted to browse via the server function part.

18. The information distribution service method according to claim 7,

wherein the prompting email sent to the counterpart terminal includes a keyword, and

wherein an email control part of the mobile terminal device expects the reply email from the counterpart terminal to include the keyword, and upon detection of the keyword in the reply email, the email control part confirms whether a sender address of the reply email matches a username in the management table, and upon successful confirmation causes the server access control part to determine the port number and start the server function part with said port number.

19. The information distribution service method according to claim 7,

wherein a different port number is selected every time permission is made to disclose the information to the counterpart terminal.