Apparatus and method for schedule management in mobile terminal

• US 20080045173A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ahn, Young June, Park, Seon Young
• Application Number:
  US11/643,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20080045173A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/187.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for managing schedule information in a mobile terminal are provided. The method includes converting, if the location of the mobile terminal changes, an execution time of a schedule to a local time of a city in which the mobile terminal is located and notifying, if the location of the mobile terminal does not change, the schedule at the converted execution time. Accordingly, the present invention provides an apparatus and a method for conveniently managing a schedule to be executed according to the location of the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A schedule management method in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

converting, if the location of a mobile terminal changes, an execution time of a schedule to a local time of a city in which the mobile terminal is located, and notifying a user of the mobile terminal of the schedule at the converted execution time; and

notifying, if the location of the mobile terminal does not change, the user of the mobile terminal of the schedule at the execution time in a local time of a city in which the mobile terminal is located.

2. The schedule management method of claim 1, wherein the schedule comprises a schedule to be executed by the user at a time set for a corresponding city, and a name of a city in which the schedule is to be executed.

3. The schedule management method of claim 2, wherein the schedule further comprises an item to be executed by the user, the execution time of the item, and a name of a correspondence city.

4. The schedule management method of claim 1, wherein the schedule comprises a memo.

5. The schedule management method of claim 1, wherein the converting of the execution time of the schedule comprises:

obtaining location information of the mobile terminal and extracting a city name and time differences by cities corresponding to the obtained location information from a database of locations;

determining a time difference between the local time of the extracted city name and the local time of a correspondence city name;

converting the execution time to the local time of the correspondence city by using the determined time difference; and

sorting the converted execution times in order of time sequence.

6. The schedule management method of claim 1, wherein the notifying of the schedule comprises:

monitoring the current time of the city in which the mobile terminal is located;

comparing the converted execution time with the monitored current time;

extracting, if the converted execution time and the monitored current time are identical, a schedule item corresponding to the converted execution time; and

outputting a notice of the extracted schedule item with an alarm.

7. The schedule management method of claim 6, wherein the outputting of the notice of the extracted schedule item with an alarm comprises annunciating the extracted schedule item via a display unit by using at least one of a sound, vibration, and light.

8. The schedule management method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an input screen on the mobile terminal such that the user may input a city name for searching the schedule by cities;

identifying whether the city name is input by the user; and

displaying, if the city name is input, schedule information corresponding to the input city name.

9. The schedule management method of claim 8, wherein the displaying of the input screen for the city name comprises displaying by differentiating city names for which schedule information is currently registered in the mobile terminal from city names for which schedule information is not registered in the mobile terminal.

10. The schedule management method of claim 8, wherein the displaying of the schedule information corresponding to the input city name comprises searching a city name by connecting to an external server through a wireless Internet such that the user may search information related to the input city name.

11. The schedule management method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying whether a request signal for searching schedule information corresponding to the current location of the mobile terminal is input by the user;

calculating, if the request signal is input, location information corresponding to the current location of the mobile terminal;

extracting a city name corresponding to the calculated location information; and

displaying schedule information corresponding to the extracted city name.

12. The schedule management method of claim 11, wherein the displaying of the schedule information corresponding to the extracted city name comprises comparing the local time of the extracted city name with the local time of a correspondence city name, and converting, if the local time of the extracted city name is not identical to the local time of the correspondence city name, execution time of a schedule for the correspondence city name to the local time of the extracted city name.

13. The schedule management method of claim 1, further comprising:

inputting a city name for registering schedule information;

inputting a schedule to be executed in the city of the input city name;

registering the input schedule information by mapping the input schedule information to the input city name.

14. The schedule management method of claim 13, wherein the registering of the input schedule further comprises adding a memo to the input city name.

15. The schedule management method of claim 13, wherein the inputting of the schedule comprises:

inputting an execution time of the schedule to be executed in the city of the input city name;

inputting a name of a correspondence city in which another party of the schedule is located; and

inputting a schedule item.

16. A mobile terminal for storing schedule information, comprising:

an input unit for inputting a signal for storing or searching the schedule information, and transmitting the signal to a control unit;

a display unit for displaying an input screen for registering or searching the schedule information, and for notifying the schedule information;

a storage unit for storing the schedule information, location of city and time difference by cities, and world map data;

a location calculator for calculating a location in which the mobile terminal is currently located by using a signal received from a GPS receiver;

a world time calculator for calculating the time difference between the local time of a city in which the mobile terminal is located and the local time of a correspondence city by using the locations and time differences stored in the storage unit;

a schedule information extractor for extracting the location of a city calculated by the location calculator and schedule information corresponding to a city name input by a user; and

an alarm generator having at least one of a speaker, vibrator, and lamp, for generating an alarm to notify of the extracted schedule information.

17. A method of schedule management in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

determining if a location of a mobile terminal has changed;

converting an execution time of an item scheduled in the mobile terminal to a local time of the location of the mobile terminal if the location of the mobile terminal has changed; and

notifying a user of the mobile terminal of the scheduled item at the execution time.

18. The schedule management method of claim 17, wherein the determining if the location of the mobile terminal has changed comprises:

determining the location of the mobile terminal;

comparing the location of the mobile terminal to at least one of a designated home location of the user, a location in which schedule information was input, and city name information comprising part of the schedule item.

19. The schedule management method of claim 18, wherein the converting of the execution time of the scheduled item comprises:

determining a city name and time difference corresponding to the determined location of the mobile terminal from a database of locations;

determining a time difference between the local time of the determined city name and the local time of a correspondence city name;

converting the execution time to the local time of the correspondence city by using the determined time difference; and

sorting the converted execution times in order of time sequence.

20. The schedule management method of claim 18, wherein the determining of the location of the mobile terminal comprises receiving a global positioning service (GPS) signal by a GPS receiver.

21. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for executing a method of schedule management in a mobile terminal, the instructions comprising:

a first set of instructions for determining if a location of a mobile terminal has changed;

a second set of instructions for converting an execution time of an item scheduled in the mobile terminal to a local time of the location of the mobile terminal if the location of the mobile terminal has changed; and

a third set of instructions for notifying a user of the mobile terminal of the scheduled item at the execution time.