Mobile phone

• US 20070042800A1
• Filed: 03/16/2006
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tani, Minako
• Application Number:
  US11/376,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20070042800A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations

Abstract

Provided is a mobile telephone that outputs new search results each time a user either selects a plurality of groups or changes a search condition. Each time new search results are outputted, a displayed size and coordinates of icons corresponding to parties found as the new search results are determined. The new search results are displayed according to the determined coordinates, after moving icons currently on display between a first area and a second area of a display, for example. Using the mobile telephone, the user is able to visually and easily recognize the process of increase/decrease in the number of search results.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone, comprising:

a storage unit pre-storing therein pieces of attribute information in one-to-one relation with parties to be communicated with;

a designation reception unit operable to receive, from a user, designation of a search condition for searching the pieces of attribute information;

an extraction unit operable to extract, from the storage unit, one or more pieces of attribute information that satisfies the search condition;

a display control unit operable to;

when first designation is received, display on a predetermined area of a display, a first set of marks corresponding to pieces of attribute information extracted in accordance with the first designation; and

when second designation is received succeeding the first designation, a) display on the predetermined area, a second set of marks corresponding to pieces of attribute information extracted in accordance with the second designation, and b) display in a predetermined display manner, and thereafter delete a third set of marks that correspond to a difference between the first set of marks and the second set of marks; and

a selection information display unit operable to select, according to a user operation, any mark displayed on the predetermined area, and to display at least part of a piece of attribute information corresponded with the mark.

2. The mobile telephone of claim 1, wherein

the display control unit displays the first set of marks on a first area of the display, the second set of marks on the first area, and the third set of marks on a second area of the display that is outside the first area.

3. The mobile telephone of claim 1, wherein

the storage unit stores the pieces of attribute information in association with one or more groups, respectively,

designation received by the designation reception unit is selection of at least one group and a logical operator, and

the extraction unit performs the extraction based on the at least one group and the logical operator selected by the designation reception unit.

4. The mobile telephone of claim 1, wherein

the storage unit stores each of the pieces of attribute information in association with corresponding image data, and

each mark displayed by the display control unit is image data stored in the storage unit in association with a corresponding piece of attribute information.

5. The mobile telephone of claim 1, wherein

the display control unit determines a displayed size of marks corresponding to pieces of attribute information extracted at one time, according to a number of the pieces of attribute information extracted at one time, and displays the marks in the determined size.

6. The mobile telephone of claim 2, wherein

the display control unit displays the first set of marks and the second set of marks respectively on the first area in one row, and moves the third set of marks between the first area and the second area as if the third set of marks is either departing from or joining the row.

7. The mobile telephone of claim 2, wherein

the display control unit displays the first set of marks and the second set of marks respectively on the first area in a circular formation, and moves the third set of marks between the first area and the second area as if the third set of marks is either departing from or joining the circle.

8. The mobile telephone of claim 1, wherein

each of the pieces of attribute information includes a name, a telephone number, and a mail address, as attributes of a corresponding party to be communicated with, and

the selection information display unit displays, for each selected mark, at least one of a name, a telephone number, and a mail address.