Apparatus and method for adding an image of a multimedia message to a phonebook of a portable wireless terminal

• US 20060061810A1
• Filed: 09/13/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jin, Jeong-Gyu, Choi, A-Ram
• Application Number:
  US11/225,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20060061810A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging

Abstract

An apparatus and method for automatically adding a received image to a phonebook of a portable wireless terminal. In the method, an image is extracted from a received multimedia message when the multimedia message is received from a sender, the extracted image is added to a sender'"'"'s image list of a phonebook, and an image most recently added to the sender'"'"'s image list is read out and displayed when a call is received from the sender. Therefore, the latest image of the sender can be displayed when a call is received from the sender.

Claims

1. A method of automatically adding a received image to a phonebook of a portable wireless terminal, comprising:

receiving a multimedia message from a sender;

extracting an image from the received multimedia message; and

adding the extracted image to a sender'"'"'s image list of a phonebook.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia message is selected from a group consisting of an MMS (Multimedia Message Service) message, an E-mail message, and an EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service) message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a call from the sender;

reading out a latest image from the sender'"'"'s image list; and

displaying the latest image in a window of the portable wireless terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the added image in a photo album together with a sender'"'"'s information in order to enable an image search in the photo album with respect to the sender.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically registering the extracted image and a phone number of the sender in the phonebook, if the sender is not registered in the phonebook.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the phonebook provides a photo album function for displaying a sender'"'"'s information and at least one image according to the sender'"'"'s image list.

7. A method of automatically adding a received image to a phonebook of a portable wireless terminal, comprising:

displaying a multimedia message received from a sender;

determining if a phonebook save key is pressed;

if the phonebook save key is pressed, extracting an image from the received multimedia message; and

adding the extracted image to a sender'"'"'s image list registered in a phonebook.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the multimedia message is selected from a group consisting of an MMS (Multimedia Message Service) message, an E-mail message, and an EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service) message.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a call from the sender;

reading out a latest image from the sender'"'"'s image list; and

displaying the latest image in a window of the portable wireless terminal.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing the added image in a photo album together with a sender'"'"'s information in order to enable an image search in the photo album with respect to the sender.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the phonebook provides a photo album function for displaying a sender'"'"'s information and at least one image according to the sender'"'"'s image list.

12. An apparatus for automatically adding a received image to a portable wireless terminal, comprising:

a phonebook for registering a plurality of images;

a display for displaying a multimedia message when the multimedia message is received from a sender; and

an MPU (microprocessor unit) for extracting an image from the received multimedia message and accessing the phonebook to add the extracted image to a sender'"'"'s image list of the phonebook.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein when a call is received from the sender, the MPU reads out a latest image from the sender'"'"'s image list and displays the latest image in a window of the portable wireless terminal.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a photo album for searching images with respect to senders, wherein the MPU stores an added image of the phonebook in the photo album together with a sender'"'"'s information.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the multimedia message is selected from a group consisting of an MMS (Multimedia Message Service) message, an E-mail message, and an EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service) message.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the phonebook provides a photo album function for displaying a sender'"'"'s information and at least one image according to the sender'"'"'s image list.