Mobile communication terminal and method

• US 20070066283A1
• Filed: 09/21/2005
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Anttila, Akseli, Wikberg, Harri, Pegon, Valerie, Hemanus, Juha, Haar, Rob
• Granted Patent: US 8,116,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A method in electronic messaging in a mobile telecommunications network for mobile communication terminals is disclosed. The method involves, in a sender terminal, the steps of generating an electronic message, associating the electronic message with a message notification, and representing the electronic message and the message notification in a signal which is transmittable over the mobile telecommunications network to a receiver terminal. The signal is adapted, when received in the receiver terminal, for performance of the message notification in a user interface of the receiver terminal as a notification of the reception of the electronic message. Further disclosed are an associated method in a receiver terminal, and a sender terminal and a receiver terminal capable of performing the respective method, as well as a system including such sender and receiver terminals.

Claims

1. A method in electronic messaging in a mobile telecommunications network for mobile communication terminals, the method involving, in a sender terminal, the steps of:

generating an electronic message;

associating said electronic message with a message notification; and

representing said electronic message and said message notification in a signal which is transmittable over said mobile telecommunications network to a receiver terminal, said signal being adapted, when received in said receiver terminal, for performance of said message notification in a user interface of said receiver terminal as a notification of the reception of said electronic message.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said signal is transmittable by electronic messaging infrastructure in the mobile telecommunications network.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein said electronic messaging infrastructure is selected from the group consisting of:

Short Message Services (SMS), Multimedia Message Services (MMS) and email.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of associating said electronic message with a message notification and said step of representing said electronic message and said message notification in a signal involve incorporating said message notification in said electronic message, wherein said signal is said electronic message with its incorporated message notification.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of associating said electronic message with a message notification and said step of representing said electronic message and said message notification in a signal involve incorporating a reference to said message notification in said electronic message, wherein said signal is said electronic message with its incorporated message notification reference and wherein said message notification is accessible to said receiver terminal through said message notification reference.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein said message notification which is referred to by said message notification reference is predefined and stored in local memory in said receiver terminal.

7. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein said message notification which is referred to by said message notification reference is predefined and stored at a remote resource available over said mobile telecommunications network.

8. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein said message notification which is referred to by said message notification reference is incorporated in a separate electronic message which is transmittable over said mobile telecommunications network from said sender terminal to said receiver terminal.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said signal is adapted for performance of said message notification by generating a perceivable effect in the user interface of the receiver terminal, said perceivable effect including at least one effect selected from the group consisting of:

a visual effect, an auditory effect and a tactile effect.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the visual effect includes a graphical animation.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein a plurality of possible message notifications is provided, and wherein a particular message notification to be associated with the electronic message is selectable among said plurality of possible message notifications by a user of the sender terminal.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, involving an initial step of assigning predefined message notifications to potential receivers of electronic messages,

wherein said step of generating an electronic message involves receiving a specification from a user of said sender terminal of an intended receiver of said electronic message, and

wherein said step of associating involves determining the message notification to be associated with said electronic message as one of said predefined message notifications which is assigned to the intended receiver as specified by said user.

13. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the message notification determined in said step of associating is adapted to cause a visual effect in the form of a graphical animation when performed in the user interface of said receiver terminal, the method involving:

providing a plurality of different behaviors of said graphical animation; and

receiving, from the user of said sender terminal, a selection of one of said plurality of different behaviors of said graphical animation to be used when performing the message notification in the user interface of said receiver terminal.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein said plurality of different behaviors of said graphical animation is adapted to represent different moods or emotions of the user of said sender terminal.

15. A method in electronic messaging in a mobile telecommunications network for mobile communication terminals, the method involving, in a receiver terminal, the steps of:

receiving a signal over said mobile telecommunications network from a sender terminal, said signal containing an electronic message from said sender terminal;

identifying, from said signal, a message notification which has been associated with said electronic message at said sender terminal; and

performing said message notification in a user interface of said receiver terminal as a notification of the reception of said electronic message.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein said signal is received as conveyed by electronic messaging infrastructure in the mobile telecommunications network.

17. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein said electronic messaging infrastructure is selected from the group consisting of:

Short Message Services (SMS), Multimedia Message Services (MMS) and email.

18. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein said signal is said electronic message with said message notification incorporated therein.

19. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein said signal is said electronic message with a reference to said message notification incorporated therein, and wherein said step of identifying involves obtaining said message notification as referred to by said message notification reference.

20. The method as defined in claim 19, wherein the message notification referred to by said message notification reference is predefined and stored in local memory in said receiver terminal.

21. The method as defined in claim 19, wherein the message notification referred to by said message notification reference is predefined and stored at a remote resource available for said receiver terminal over said mobile telecommunications network.

22. The method as defined in claim 19, involving:

receiving a separate electronic message over said mobile telecommunications network from said sender terminal; and

obtaining the message notification, as referred to by said message notification reference, from said separate electronic message.

23. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein said step of performing said message notification involves generating a perceivable effect in the user interface of the receiver terminal, said perceivable effect including at least one effect selected from the group consisting of:

a visual effect, an auditory effect and a tactile effect.

24. The method as defined in claim 23, wherein the visual effect includes a graphical animation.

25. A sender terminal for electronic messaging in a mobile telecommunications network for mobile communication terminals, the sender terminal comprising:

means for generating an electronic message;

means for associating said electronic message with a message notification; and

means for representing said electronic message and said message notification in a signal which is transmittable over said mobile telecommunications network to a receiver terminal, said signal being adapted, when received in said receiver terminal, for performance of said message notification in a user interface of said receiver terminal as a notification of the reception of said electronic message.

26. A receiver terminal for electronic messaging in a mobile telecommunications network for mobile communication terminals, the receiver terminal comprising:

means for receiving a signal over said mobile telecommunications network from a sender terminal, said signal containing an electronic message from said sender terminal;

means for identifying, from said signal, a message notification which has been associated with said electronic message at said sender terminal; and

means for performing said message notification in a user interface of said receiver terminal as a notification of the reception of said electronic message.

27. A system for electronic messaging in a mobile telecommunications network, the system comprising a sender terminal and a receiver terminal,

said sender terminal including:

means for generating an electronic message;

means for associating said electronic message with a message notification; and

means for representing said electronic message and said message notification in a signal which is transmittable over said mobile telecommunications network to said receiver terminal, said signal being adapted, when received in said receiver terminal, for performance of said message notification in a user interface of said receiver terminal as a notification of the reception of said electronic message, and

said receiver terminal including;

means for receiving a signal over said mobile telecommunications network from said sender terminal, said signal containing an electronic message from said sender terminal;

means for identifying, from said signal, a message notification which has been associated with said electronic message at said sender terminal; and

means for performing said message notification in a user interface of said receiver terminal as a notification of the reception of said electronic message.