Communication terminal

• US 20060164434A1
• Filed: 03/24/2006
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hera Wireless S.A. (Fineur International S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsunori Okagaki
• Inventors: Okagaki, Mitsunori
• Granted Patent: US 7,127,276 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

The control circuit 11 causes display of messages received through the communication unit 1 in the display unit 14 in list form. A cursor for making selections from the messages displayed in list form has different patterns. The control circuit 11 associates the cursor patterns with message types. In another embodiment, the control circuit 11 groups received messages into new messages not yet reproduced by a user and old messages already reproduced, causes display of the number of the new messages in a predetermined area of the display unit when the new messages are stored in RAM 13, and display of the number of the old messages in said predetermined area when the new messages are not stored in RAM 13.

Claims

1. A communication terminal comprising:

a display unit which displays an original selection screen for selecting at least one of a plurality of upper layer options displayed on said original selection screen;

display control structure which causes a display of the plurality of upper layer options displayed on said display unit, by one of (i) division and (ii) scroll; and

a plurality of hardware keys at least one of which is operated to select a corresponding one of a plurality of upper layer options not currently displayed on said original selection screen;

said display control structure (i) causing, when an upper layer option not currently displayed on said original selection screen has been selected, a display of a further screen, including a plurality of lower layer options associated with the selected upper layer option, on said display unit, and (ii) causing, when next displaying said original selection screen by operating one of said plurality of hardware keys, a display of a screen that includes an indication of the selected upper layer option.

2. A communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said display control structure causes, in response to activation of a clear key after the display of the screen associated with the selected option, a display of an original selection screen that includes an indication of the selected option.

3. A communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said display control structure causes a display of the selected option by division.

4. A communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein said display control structure causes a display of the selected option by scroll.

5. A communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein said display control structure causes a display of a selected option word highlighted.

6. A communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein said display control structure causes, in response to activation of a clear key after the display of the screen associated with the selected option, a display of an original selection screen that includes the selected option highlighted.

7. A communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein said display control structure, in response to a hardware key selecting an upper layer option not currently displayed on said original selection screen, causes an immediate display of a plurality of lower layer options corresponding to the selected upper layer option.

8. A communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein said key for selecting an option not currently displayed comprises an alphanumeric key.

9. A communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein said display control structure causes said original display screen to display less than seven options, and wherein said display control structure causes, in response to activation of the 7 key while said original selection screen is displayed, display on said display unit of a plurality of information associated with a seventh option not displayed on the original selection screen.

10. A communication terminal according to claim 9, wherein said display control structure causes, in response to activation of the 7 key while said original selection screen displays a plurality of upper layer options, display on said display unit of a plurality of lower layer options associated with a seventh option.

11. A communication terminal according to claim 10, wherein said display control structure causes, in response to selection of a clear key while said display unit displays the plurality of information associated with a seventh option, display of an original selection screen including the seventh option.

12. A communication terminal according to claim 10, wherein said display control structure causes the display of the original selection screen to display the seventh option highlighted.

13. A communication terminal comprising:

an LCD display which displays an upper layer option selection screen for selecting at least one of a plurality of upper layer options displayed on said upper layer option selection screen;

display control structure which causes a display of the plurality of upper layer options displayed on said display unit, by scroll; and

a plurality of hardware keys at least one of which is operated to select an upper layer option that is not currently displayed on said upper layer option selection screen;

said display control structure causing, when an upper layer option not currently displayed on said original selection screen has been selected, immediate display on said display unit of a further screen that includes a plurality of lower layer options associated with the selected upper layer option, said display control structure also causing, when next displaying said upper layer option selection screen by operating one of said plurality of hardware keys, a display of a screen that includes an indication of the selected upper layer option.

14. A communication terminal according to claim 13, wherein said display control structure causes the immediate display on said display unit of the further screen when the upper layer option not currently displayed on said original selection screen has been selected by an alphanumeric key.

15. A communication terminal according to claim 14, wherein said display control structure causes the display of the screen that includes an indication of the selected upper layer option when next displaying said upper layer option selection screen, when the upper layer option selection screen has been selected by a clear key.

16. A communication terminal according to claim 14, wherein said display control structure causes said upper layer option selection screen to display less than seven options, and wherein said display control structure causes, in response to activation of the 7 key while said upper layer option selection screen is displayed, display on said display unit of a plurality of information associated with a seventh option.

17. A communication terminal according to claim 14, wherein said display control structure causes, in response to activation of the 7 key while said upper layer option selection screen displays a plurality of upper layer options, display on said display unit of a plurality of lower layer options associated with a seventh option.

18. A communication terminal according to claim 17, wherein said display control structure causes, in response to selection of a clear key while said display unit displays the plurality of lower layer options associated with a seventh option, display of an upper layer option selection screen including the seventh option highlighted

19. A communication terminal comprising:

an LCD display configured to display less than a predetermined number of upper layer options;

display control structure which causes each of said predetermined number of upper layer options to be displayed on said LCD display by a scrolling function; and

a plurality of hardware keys, one of which causes said scrolling function;

said display control structure causing, when an upper layer option not currently displayed on said LCD display has been selected by another one of said plurality of hardware keys, immediate display on said LCD display of a screen that includes a plurality of lower layer options associated with the selected upper layer option;

said display control structure also causing, after activation of a further one of said plurality of hardware keys while said LCD display is displaying said screen that includes the plurality of lower layer options associated with the selected upper layer option, a display of an upper layer option screen that includes an indication of the selected upper layer option highlighted.