DISPLAYING RECEIVED MESSAGE WITH ICON

• US 20080201664A1
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: O, Mi Kyung
• Granted Patent: US 8,984,444 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging

Abstract

A method for displaying a received message on a terminal. The method includes receiving messages, displaying on a display unit of the terminal different icons according to a type of the received messages, and displaying on the display unit of the terminal information indicating a number of unread received messages among the received messages.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a received message on a terminal, the method comprising:

receiving messages;

displaying on a display unit of the terminal different icons according to a type of the received messages; and

displaying on the display unit of the terminal information indicating a number of unread received messages among the received messages.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of received messages includes a single message or multiple messages.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the different icons displays the different icons in an indicator area of the display unit of the terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the different icons displays an icon and a character displayed together according to the type of the received messages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the different icons displays an icon indicating the type of received message, and displaying the information indicating the number of unread messages displays a number indicating the number of unread messages together with the displayed icon.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing a message classification field of a header of the received messages to determine the type of received messages.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the different icons displays the different icons in a different color such that each different icon is distinguishable from other icons.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the different icons displays the different icons in a blinking manner according to the types of the messages.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the information indicating the number of unread received messages comprises displaying a same number of icons corresponding the number of unread received messages.

11. A method for displaying a received message on a terminal, the method comprising:

receiving multimedia messages; and

displaying on a display unit of the terminal different icons according to a type of contents attached to the received multimedia messages.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the displaying step displays the different icons in an indicator area of the display unit of the terminal.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the displaying step further comprises displaying character information indicating a type of the received messages is a multimedia message.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the displayed icons comprise a shape or image corresponding to the type of contents such that a user can determine the type of contents by viewing the displayed icons.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the shape or image of an icon corresponding to image contents comprises a camera shape or camera image, the shape or image of an icon corresponding to audio contents comprises a musical note shape or musical note image, and the shape or image of an icon corresponding to video contents comprises a video shape or video image.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the displaying step displays a combination of icons when the received message includes a combination of contents that are different from each other.

17. A mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a communication unit configured to receive messages;

a display unit configured to display different icons according to a type of the received messages; and

a controller configured to display on the display unit information indicating a number of unread received messages among the received messages.

10. The method of claim 17 wherein displaying the information indicating the number of unread received messages comprises displaying a single icon for a particular type of message with characters indicating the particular type of message and the number of unread messages for that particular type of unread message.

18. The mobile communication terminal of claim 17, wherein the number of received messages includes a single message or multiple messages, and

wherein the controller is further configured to display the different icons in an indicator area of the display unit of the terminal.

19. The mobile communication terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to display an icon and a character displayed together according to the type of the received messages.

20. The mobile communication terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to display an icon indicating the type of received message, and display a number indicating the number of unread messages together with the displayed icon.

21. The mobile communication terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to display the different icons in a different color such that each different icon is distinguishable from other icons or in a blinking manner according to the types of the messages.

22. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a communication unit configured to receive multimedia messages; and

a controller configured to display on a display unit of the terminal different icons according to a type of contents attached to the received multimedia messages.

23. The mobile communication terminal of claim 22, wherein the controller is further configured to display the different icons in an indicator area of the display unit of the terminal, and to display character information indicating a type of the received messages is a multimedia message.

24. The mobile communication terminal of claim 22, wherein the controller is further configured to icons having a shape or image corresponding to the type of contents such that a user can determine the type of contents by viewing the displayed icons, and

wherein the shape or image of an icon corresponding to image contents comprises a camera shape or camera image, the shape or image of an icon corresponding to audio contents comprises a musical note shape or musical note image, and the shape or image of an icon corresponding to video contents comprises a video shape or video image.

25. The mobile communication terminal of claim 22, wherein the controller is further configured to display a combination of icons when the received message includes a combination of contents that are different from each other.