Apparatus and method for designating a recipient for transmission of a message in a mobile terminal

• US 20030040327A1
• Filed: 08/26/2002
• Published: 02/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Yong-Kook
• Application Number:
  US10/227,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20030040327A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

An apparatus and method for facilitating designation of an SMS or E-mail recipient in a mobile terminal. In the SMS/E-mail recipient designation method, upon sensing a completed text entrance, a recipient designation display is displayed. If a user inputs a recipient'"'"'s phone number/E-mail directly or a long key corresponding to the recipient'"'"'s phone number/E-mail, the recipient'"'"'s phone number/E-mail is displayed. Finally, if the user confirms, a message notifying transmission in progress is displayed and an SMS message/E-mail is transmitted contemporaneously.

Claims

1. An apparatus for designating a recipient when transmitting a message in a mobile terminal, comprising:

a memory for assigning hot keys to message recipients for short dialing;

a searcher for searching for a recipient corresponding to a hot key upon input of the hot key from a user; and

a display for displaying the searched recipient.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is an SMS (Short Message Service) message and the searched recipient is registered by a phone number.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is an E-mail and the searched recipient is registered by an E-mail address.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is an MSMS (Multimedia SMS) and the searched recipient is registered by a phone number.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is a note and the searched recipient is registered by a phone number.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hot key has at least two digits and when a user presses the last digit of the hot key and holds it down for a predetermined period of time, the searcher searches for the recipient corresponding to the hot key in the memory and displays the recipient on the display, transmitting a message contemporaneously.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein first-type long keys each having one digit are assigned to message recipients on a one-to-one basis and when a digit is pressed and held down for a predetermined period of time, the searcher searches for a first-type long key is set and a recipient corresponding to the first-type long key in the memory.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the display displays a window prompting the user to select between a digit input mode and a hot key input mode, and the searcher searches for a recipient when the user presses a first-type long key in the digit input mode or the hot key input mode, or a hot key in the hot key input mode.

9. A method of designating a recipient when transmitting a message in a mobile terminal, comprising the steps of:

(1) providing a recipient designation display;

(2) displaying a recipient if a user inputs the recipient directly or a long key corresponding to the recipient; and

(3) transmitting a message to the recipient.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step (2) comprises the steps of:

(2-1) transitioning to a hot key input mode upon input of a Menu key, and displaying the recipient designation display;

(2-2) searching for the recipient corresponding to a hot key or a first-type long key if the hot key or the first-type long key is input in the hot key input mode while the recipient designation display is provided, and displaying the recipient; and

(2-3) performing the step (3) upon input of a Confirm key from the user with the searched recipient displayed.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of searching for the recipient to a second-type long key in a memory when the last digit of the hot key is pressed and held down for a predetermined period of time and thus the second-type long key is set with the recipient designation display provided in the hot key input mode, displaying the recipient, and then performing the step (3).

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the message is an SMS (Short Message Service) message and the searched recipient is registered by a phone number.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the message is an E-mail and the searched recipient is registered by an E-mail address.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the message is an MSMS (Multimedia SMS) and the searched recipient is registered by a phone number.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the message is a note and the searched recipient is registered by a phone number.