Communication terminal and method of inserting symbols thereof

• US 20060210127A1
• Filed: 03/06/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Han Kyung
• Granted Patent: US 7,783,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/12 Fingerprints or palmprints

Abstract

A mobile communication terminal and method of inserting symbols thereof are disclosed, by which a convenient symbol input system is provided and by which a user is facilitated to input a symbol using a fingerprint pattern of the user. The present invention includes a fingerprint recognizer, a control unit searching a symbol matched to the recognized fingerprint pattern if a fingerprint pattern is recognized by the fingerprint recognizer, and an output unit outputting the searched symbol.

Claims

1. A communication terminal comprising:

a fingerprint recognizer;

a control unit searching a symbol matched to a fingerprint pattern which is recognized by the fingerprint recognizer; and

an output unit outputting the searched symbol.

2. The communication terminal of claim 1, further comprising a memory storing a plurality of symbol data corresponding to a plurality of symbols including the searched symbol.

3. The communication terminal of claim 2, wherein the plurality of the symbol data are matched to different fingerprint patterns registered via the fingerprint recognizer, respectively.

4. The communication terminal of claim 3, wherein the different fingerprint patterns are identified from each other by a number of counts that a user fingerprint is contacted with the fingerprint recognizer in a registration via the fingerprint recognizer.

5. The communication terminal of claim 3, wherein each of the different fingerprint patterns is identified by a finger type of a user fingerprint registered via the fingerprint recognizer.

6. The communication terminal of claim 3, wherein each of the different fingerprint patterns is identified by a combination of at least one of a finger type of a user fingerprint registered via the fingerprint recognizer and a number of counts that the user fingerprint is contacted with the fingerprint recognizer.

7. The communication terminal of claim 3, wherein the different fingerprint patterns are identified by user'"'"'s different activity patterns in contacting a finger with the fingerprint recognizer.

8. The communication terminal of claim 2, wherein the plurality of the symbol data are identified in combination with different fingerprint patterns registered via the fingerprint recognizer and a key operation of the communication terminal.

9. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the control unit inserts the searched symbol into a content of a message outputted via the output unit as the fingerprint pattern is recognized via the fingerprint recognizer in executing a message creating task.

10. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the control unit inserts the searched symbol into a character sequence outputted via the output unit as the fingerprint pattern is recognized via the fingerprint recognizer in executing a character sequence creating task.

11. A communication terminal comprising:

a fingerprint recognizer recognizing a fingerprint pattern;

a control unit matching the fingerprint pattern recognized by the fingerprint recognizer to a symbol in a registration process, the control unit searching the symbol in an execution of a task for creating a character sequence as the fingerprint pattern is recognized by the fingerprint recognizer; and

an output unit appending the searched symbol to the character sequence to output according to a control of the control unit.

12. The communication terminal of claim 11, further comprising a memory storing a plurality of symbols including the searched symbols, the memory matching to store different fingerprint patterns to a plurality of the symbols according to the control of the control unit, respectively.

13. The communication terminal of claim 12, wherein the different fingerprint patterns are identified by user'"'"'s different activity patterns in contacting a finger with the fingerprint recognizer.

14. The communication terminal of claim 13, wherein the activity pattern indicates an activity that the user contacts a fingerprint with the fingerprint recognizer for predetermined times.

15. The communication terminal of claim 13, wherein the activity pattern indicates an activity that the user contacts a finger of a different type with the fingerprint recognizer.

16. The communication terminal of claim 11, wherein the task is to create a content of a message for a messaging service.

17. A method of inserting a symbol into a character sequence in a communication terminal having a fingerprint recognizer comprising:

recognizing a fingerprint pattern via the fingerprint recognizer;

searching a symbol matched to the recognized fingerprint pattern; and

inserting the searched symbol into the character sequence.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the character sequence is a content of a message that is being created for a messaging service.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of matching to register different fingerprint patterns to a plurality of symbols including the searched symbol, respectively.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the different fingerprint patterns are identified from each other by a number of counts that a user fingerprint is contacted with the fingerprint recognizer.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the different fingerprint patterns are identified from each other by a finger type of a user fingerprint contacted with the fingerprint recognizer.

22. A method of inserting a symbol into a message in an execution of a message creating task in a mobile communication terminal having a fingerprint recognizer comprising:

storing the symbol in advance by matching the symbol to a fingerprint pattern recognized by the fingerprint recognizer;

displaying a content of the message that is being created according to the execution of the task;

searching the symbol as the fingerprint pattern is recognized via the fingerprint recognizer; and

combining the searched symbol with a character sequence corresponding to the content of the message to display.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the fingerprint pattern is identified by a number of counts that a user fingerprint is contacted with the fingerprint recognizer.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the fingerprint pattern is identified by a finger type of a user fingerprint contacted with the fingerprint recognizer.

25. A communication terminal comprising:

a fingerprint recognizer;

a memory storing at least one symbol set including a plurality of symbols;

a control unit searching a symbol set matched to a fingerprint pattern which is recognized by the fingerprint recognizer from the memory, and designating a symbol of the searched symbol set; and

an output unit outputting the searched symbol set and the designated symbol.