Patent Publication Number: US-2012033860-A1

Title: Mobile phone security system and operating method thereof

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure generally relates to security systems, and more particularly to a mobile phone security system and an operating method thereof. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Auxiliary functionality of a mobile phone may typically include phone book systems, network settings, short message services, and mobile banking. However, if the mobile phone is lost or stolen, there is nothing that can be done to prevent unauthorized access to private information on the mobile phone. 
     Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout several views, and all the views are schematic. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an embodiment of a mobile phone security system. 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart of an operating method of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a mobile phone security system  10  includes a trigger module  12 , an image acquisition module  14 , a memory  15  and a microprocessor  16 . The memory  15  stores a database  17 . The memory  15  is coupled with the microprocessor  16 . The microprocessor  16  includes a comparison module  18  and a response module  19 . 
     The trigger module  12  is capable of triggering the image acquisition module  14 . In the illustrated embodiment, the trigger module  12  includes a detection device (not shown) disposed on a keypad or a keypad area of the mobile phone. When contact is made with the keypad or the keypad area, the detection device registers the contact, and the trigger module  12  triggers the image acquisition module  14 . 
     The image acquisition module  14  is positioned on the mobile phone, and includes a camera (not shown) and an illumination device (not shown). The camera captures at least one pupil image of a proximal party triggering the trigger module  12 . The illumination device supports the image acquisition module  14  under insufficient light. Brightness of the illumination device may change periodically to stimulate the pupil to shrink or dilate, such that a plurality of pupil images may be captured. The illumination device may be an infrared illumination device, so as to capture more detailed texture of the pupil of the proximal party and protect the pupil thereof from damage by the bright light emitted by the illumination device. 
     The memory  15  may be a NAND FLASH, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), or other types of memory. The memory  15  is coupled with the microprocessor  16   
     The microprocessor  16  is coupled with a control unit (not shown) of the mobile phone. 
     The database  17  is configured to store the pupil images of at least one authorized user, the plurality of the pupil images can be acquired using the image acquisition module  14 . 
     The comparison module  18  is used to compare the pupil images captured by the image acquisition module  14  with the stored pupil images in the database  17  by performing comparisons between the captured and stored pupil images, and generates a result notification to the response module  19 . 
     The response module  19 , based on the comparison result generated by the comparison module  18 , implements a corresponding responsive action for locking or unlocking the mobile phone accordingly. In the illustrated embodiment, if the similarity between the captured pupil image and the at least one stored pupil image in the database  17  exceeds or equals a preset value, the response module  19  unlocks the mobile phone. If the similarity between the captured pupil image and each of the pupil images stored in the database  17  is less than the preset value, the response module  19  locks the mobile phone. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a method for unlocking a mobile phone using the mobile phone security system shown in  FIG. 1  is as follows. 
     In step S 201 , at least one pupil image of a proximal party attempting to unlock the mobile phone is captured. In the illustrated embodiment, the at least one pupil image is captured by an image acquisition module  14  triggered by a trigger module  12  when the proximal party makes contact with a keypad or a keypad area of the mobile phone. 
     In step S 202 , the captured pupil image of the proximal party is compared with each of the stored pupil images in the database  17 . In the illustrated embodiment, the captured pupil image is compared with the stored pupil image in the database  17  by a comparison module  18  by calculating a similarity between the captured pupil image and each of the stored pupil images in the database  17 . 
     In step S 203 , a determination is made as to whether or not the pupil image captured by the image acquisition module matches the at least one pupil image stored in the database  17 . In the illustrated embodiment, if the similarity between the captured pupil image and each pupil image stored in the database is less than a preset value, step S 205  is implemented. If the similarity between the captured pupil image and at least one stored pupil image in the database exceeds or equals the preset value, step S 204  is implemented. 
     In step S 204 , the mobile phone is unlocked. 
     In step S 205 , the captured pupil image is stored for reference. 
     In step S 206 , a request or suggestion is made to the proximal party to input a password of the mobile phone to unlock the mobile phone. If the proximal party chooses “yes”, step S 207  is implemented, otherwise, the method is completed and terminates. 
     In step S 207 , the microprocessor  16  determines whether the password the proximal party has inputted is correct or not, and if the password is correct, step  204  is implemented, otherwise, the method is completed and terminates. 
     The mobile phone security system  10  generates an appropriate decision to lock or unlock the mobile phone by capturing one or more pupil image of a proximal party for comparison with the stored pupil images of one or more authorized users, thereby securing private information stored on the mobile phone. Furthermore, the user does not need to input a password to unlock the mobile phone every time, thereby enhancing convenience. 
     Finally, while various embodiments have been described and illustrated, the disclosure is not to be construed as being limited thereto. Various modifications can be made to the embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.