Method for transmitting and receiving a message using a mobile communication terminal

• US 20060146880A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jong-Hwan
• Granted Patent: US 7,876,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/473
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

A method for enhancing a message service of a mobile communication terminal is described. When combining messages, a method for transmitting a message using a mobile communication terminal includes selecting messages stored in a mobile communication terminal; combining the selected messages into at least one message using a predetermined specifier; and sending the combined message to a destination device. In addition, when separating a message, a method for receiving a message from a mobile communication terminal includes selecting a message from a first message box of a destination device; separating the selected message into a plurality of messages; and associating the separated messages with a second message box of the destination device.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a message with a mobile communication terminal, comprising:

selecting messages stored in the mobile communication terminal;

combining the selected messages into at least one message using a predetermined specifier; and

sending the combined message to a destination device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selected messages are short messages associated with a Short Message Service (SMS) message box.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the combined message has one of a Long Message Service (LMS) and a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) format.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein combining the selected messages comprises determining whether the size of the selected messages is smaller than a predetermined maximum transmission capacity.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising editing the selected messages if the size of the selected messages is larger than the predetermined maximum transmission capacity.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising prompting a user of the mobile communication terminal to reselect messages if the size of the selected messages is larger than the predetermined maximum transmission capacity.

7. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

comparing the number of the selected messages with a predetermined message number when the size of the selected messages is smaller than the predetermined maximum transmission capacity;

inputting one of a telephone number and an e-mail address when the number of the selected messages is greater than the predetermined message number; and

combining the selected messages into one message on the basis of the inputted telephone number or e-mail address.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising sending the selected messages to destination device by Short Message Service (SMS) when the number of the selected messages is smaller than the predetermined message number.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined message number is the largest number of SMS messages that can be transmitted at a cost less than or equal to a cost of transmitting one Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether the selected messages will be transmitted by SMS;

inputting the telephone number or email address when it is determined that the selected messages will be transmitted by SMS; and

sequentially transmitting the selected short messages by SMS based on the inputted telephone number or email address.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein determining whether the selected messages will be transmitted by SMS comprises:

prompting the user to select whether to transmit by SMS; and

determining the user'"'"'s selection.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein combining the selected messages into one message using a predetermined specifier comprises inserting the predetermined specifier between the selected messages.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined specifier comprises ‘

\c’

when a telephone number is inputted.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined specifier comprises at least one enter key character when an e-mail address is inputted.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the messages stored in the mobile communication terminal are stored in a message box.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the combined message is sent by Multimedia Message Service (MMS).

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the destination device is one of a mobile communication terminal, a personal computer, and a server.

18. A method for receiving a message from a mobile communication terminal, comprising:

selecting a message from a first message box of a destination device;

separating the selected message into a plurality of messages; and

associating the separated messages with a second message box of said destination device.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the selected message has a multimedia message format.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the separated messages are short messages.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein the first message box is a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) message box.

22. The method according to claim 18, wherein the second message box is a Short Message Service (SMS) message box.

23. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

determining whether the selected message includes a predetermined specifier;

adding a message separation option to a menu when the selected message includes the predetermined specifier; and

displaying the selected or separated message on a display unit.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising displaying the selected message on the display unit when the selected message does not include the predetermined specifier.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the separating is performed in response to a user selecting the message separation option from the menu.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein the separating is automatically performed.

27. The method according to claim 18, further comprising displaying the selected message on a display unit, wherein the selected message is separated into a plurality of messages in response to a user'"'"'s selection.

28. The method according to claim 18, wherein the selected message includes a predetermined specifier, and the selected message is separated into the plurality of messages based on the predetermined specifier

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the predetermined specifier designates the plurality of messages within the selected message.

30. The method according to claim 23, further comprising displaying one of an icon and a letter indicating whether the message from the first message box includes the predetermined specifier.

31. The method according to claim 25, further comprising storing the separated messages in the second message box of the destination device.

32. The method according to claim 25, further comprising:

displaying a list of the separated messages; and

transmitting messages selected from the displayed list by the user to a predetermined e-mail address.

33. The method according to claim 25, further comprising:

displaying a list of the separated messages; and

storing messages selected from the displayed list by the user in the second message box of the destination device.

34. The method according to claim 25, further comprising:

displaying a list of the separated messages; and

re-transmitting messages selected from the displayed list by the user to another mobile communication terminal.