Device and method for telephone number search in mobile terminal

• US 20060141996A1
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Huh, Yun-Goo
• Application Number:
  US11/304,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20060141996A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Disclosed is a device and method for searching for telephone numbers in a mobile terminal. The device includes a phonebook for storing telephone numbers dialed or received in a specific area, together with the number of calls to or from each of the telephone numbers; a user input unit for allowing a user to input a command for a telephone number search; a display unit for displaying one or more telephone numbers; and a control unit for storing a telephone number of an outgoing or incoming call together with a current location of the mobile terminal in the phonebook and, in response to the command for a telephone number search, delivering the telephone numbers stored in the phonebook to the display unit.

Claims

1. A device for searching for telephone numbers in a mobile terminal, which comprises:

a phonebook for storing telephone numbers dialed or received in a specific area, together with the number of calls to or from each of the telephone numbers;

a user input unit for allowing a user to input a command for a telephone number search;

a display unit for displaying one or more telephone numbers; and

a control unit for storing a telephone number of an outgoing or incoming call together with a current location of the mobile terminal in the phonebook and, in response to the command for a telephone number search, delivering the telephone numbers stored in the phonebook to the display unit.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display unit displays telephone numbers arranged in a specific order according to the number of calls to or from each of the telephone numbers.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said control unit rearranges the telephone numbers whenever the number of calls to or from each of the telephone numbers is increased.

4. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said control unit arranges the telephone numbers read out from the phonebook in descending order from the most frequently used telephone number to the least used one and transfers the arranged telephone numbers to the display unit.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said current location is determined using a location-based service.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said current location is determined using base station information.

7. The device as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a GPS receiver, wherein said current location is determined based on GPS information received by the GPS receiver.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said incoming or outgoing call is for voice communication.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said incoming or outgoing call is one of a short message, multimedia message, instant message and email.

10. A method for registering a telephone number in a mobile terminal, comprising the steps of:

determining whether an incoming or outgoing call has been completed; and

upon completion of the incoming or outgoing call, determining a current location of the mobile terminal, and storing a corresponding telephone number together with the current location.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether the corresponding telephone number has already been stored; and

if the telephone number has been stored, increasing the number of calls to or from the telephone number by one.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

arranging telephone numbers according to the number of calls to or from each of the telephone numbers in the same area.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said incoming or outgoing call is for voice communication.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said incoming or outgoing call is one of a short message, multimedia message, instant message, and email.

15. A method for searching for telephone numbers in a mobile terminal that includes a memory for storing telephone numbers of previous incoming or outgoing calls together with locations corresponding to where the incoming or outgoing calls took place, said method comprising the steps of:

determining whether a user has input a command for a telephone number search;

when the command is input, determining a current location of the mobile terminal; and

searching for one or more telephone numbers corresponding to the current location among the telephone numbers stored in the memory and displaying the searched telephone numbers.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

arranging the detected telephone numbers in a specific order according to the number of calls to or from each of the telephone numbers.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said incoming or outgoing call is for voice communication.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said incoming or outgoing call is one of a short message, multimedia message, instant message and email.