Data privacy on wireless communication terminal
View Patent ↗A wireless communication terminal in which items are stored that have been generated or received during use of the terminal is provided with a system for restricting access to private or sensitive information by unauthorized users in a user-friendly way that does not require entry of a password.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a processor and a memory including software code, the memory and the software code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
disclose any items of a phonebook function that have an enabling privacy attribute associated therewith, a plurality of items of the phonebook function in the form of data generated or received during use of the apparatus, wherein said items are phonebook entries or sent or received messages or calls, pictures, videos, sound recording, songs or documents associated with the phonebook entries,
said phonebook entries having a privacy attribute associated therewith,
said privacy attribute restricting or enabling access to the item concerned,
search stored phonebook entries on the basis of a search criterion entered by a user, and
disclose items that have a restricting privacy attribute only after a user has entered a search criterion that at least partially matches information in the phonebook entry concerned or at least partially matches an attribute associated with the phonebook entry concerned, wherein the search criterion includes a predetermined number and order of characters of the phonebook entry concerned where the predetermined number and order of characters corresponds to a predefined security level.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a user interface including a display and a keypad.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said processor is operable to show a list of matching phonebook entries or sent or received messages or calls, pictures, videos, sound recording, songs or documents associated with the phonebook entries on said display after a user has entered a search criterion.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said list of matching items includes both phonebook entries or sent or received messages or calls, pictures, videos, sound recording, songs or documents associated with the phonebook entries with a restricting privacy attribute and phonebook entries or sent or received messages associated with the phonebook entries with an enabling privacy attribute.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said processor is configured to disclose phonebook entries or messages or calls, pictures, videos, sound recording, songs or documents associated with phonebook entries that have a restricting privacy attribute associated therewith only after a search criterion has been entered by the user that includes a predetermined number of characters matching a name in the phonebook entry concerned.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said processor is configured to disclose phonebook entries or messages or calls, pictures, videos, sound recording, songs or documents associated with a phonebook entry that has a restricting privacy attribute associated therewith only after a search criterion has been entered by the user that matches an access attribute associated with the phonebook entry concerned.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the access attribute is a user defined code.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said processor is configured to alert the user of the receipt of a message from a contact of a phonebook entry that has a restricting privacy attribute by means of a discreet notification.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said discreet notification is a tone reproduced by a loudspeaker in the terminal and/or an icon shown on a display.
10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a message handling application with one or more folders in which sent, drafted or received messages are listed, wherein said message handling application is configured not to list messages sent to, drafted for or received from contacts of a phonebook entry that has a restricting privacy attribute in any of said folders.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein said message handling application is configured to show messages sent to, drafted for or received from contacts of a phonebook that have a restricting privacy attribute only after the user has entered a search criterion that at least partially matches a name of the phonebook entry concerned or an attribute associated with the phonebook entry concerned.
12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a call handling application that is operable to store call events, wherein said call handling application is configured not to show any call events that relate to phonebook entries that have a restricting privacy attribute.
13. A method for detecting private and/or sensitive information in the form of phonebook entries or sent or received messages or calls, pictures, videos, sound recording, songs or documents associated with the phonebook entries as data generated during use of a terminal, said method comprising:
associating a privacy attribute with said phonebook entries or sent or received messages or calls, pictures, videos, sound recording, songs or documents associated with the phonebook entries, said privacy attribute restricting or enabling access to the phonebook entry or sent or received message or calls, pictures, videos, sound recording, songs or documents associated with the phonebook entry concerned,
disclosing any of said phonebook entries or sent or received messages or calls, pictures, videos, sound recording, songs or documents associated with the phonebook entries that have an enabling privacy attribute, and
disclosing any of said phonebook entries or sent or received messages associated with the phonebook entries that have a restricting privacy attribute only after a user has entered a search criterion that at least partially matches information in the phonebook entry concerned or at least partially matches an attribute associated with the phonebook entry concerned wherein the search criterion includes a predetermined number and order of characters of the phonebook entry concerned where the predetermined number and order of characters corresponds to a predefined security level.
14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the terminal further comprises a user interface including a display and a keypad.
15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising showing a list of matching phonebook entries or sent or received messages or calls, pictures, videos, sound recording, songs or documents associated with the phonebook entries on said display after a user has entered a search criterion.
16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein said list of matching phonebook entries or sent or received messages associated with the phonebook entries includes both phonebook entries or sent or received messages associated with the phonebook entries with a restricting privacy attribute and phonebook entries or sent or received messages associated with the phonebook entries with an enabling privacy attribute.
17. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising disclosing phonebook entries or messages associated with phonebook entries that have a restricting privacy attribute associated therewith only after a search criterion has been entered by the user that includes a predetermined number of characters matching a name in the phonebook entry concerned.
18. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising disclosing phonebook entries or messages associated with phonebook entries that have a restricting privacy attribute associated therewith only after a search criterion has been entered by the user that matches an access attribute associated with the phonebook entry concerned.
19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the access attribute is a user defined code.
20. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising alerting the user of the receipt of a message from a contact of a phonebook entry that has a restricting privacy attribute by means of a discreet notification.
21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein said discreet notification is a tone reproduced by a loudspeaker in the terminal and/or an icon shown on a display.
22. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the terminal further includes a message handling application with one or more folders in which sent, drafted or received messages are listed, comprising not listing messages sent to, drafted for or received from contacts of a phonebook entry that have a restricting privacy attribute in any of said folders.
23. The method according to claim 22 , further comprising showing messages sent to, drafted for or received from contacts of a phonebook that have a restricting privacy attribute only after the user has entered a search criterion that at least partially matches a name of the phonebook entry concerned or on attribute associated with the phonebook entry concerned.
24. A software program product stored on a non-transitory memory executing the method according to claim 13 when run on a processor.
25. A software product stored in a non-transitory memory comprising:
software code for associating a privacy attribute to phonebook entries or sent or received messages or calls, pictures, videos, sound recording, songs or documents associated with the phonebook entries as data that is generated or received during use of a terminal,
software code for disclosing any of the phonebook entries or sent or received messages or calls, pictures, videos, sound recording, songs or documents associated with the phonebook entries having an enabling privacy attribute associated therewith,
software code for searching phonebook entries on the basis of a search criterion entered by a user, and
software code for disclosing phonebook entries or sent or received messages or calls, pictures, videos, sound recording, songs or documents associated with the phonebook entries that have a restricting privacy attribute only after a user has entered a search criterion that at least partially matches information in the phonebook entry concerned or at least partially matches an attribute associated with the phonebook entry concerned wherein the search criterion includes a predetermined number and order of characters of the phonebook entry concerned where the predetermined number and order of characters corresponds to a predefined security level.