MOBILE COMMUNICATION TERMINAL HAVING QWERTY KEYS AND METHOD FOR OUTPUTTING DUAL TONE MULTI-FREQUENCY SIGNAL THEREOF

• US 20080224898A1
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yang, Sung Chul, JIN, Sang Hoon, Jang, II Seok
• Granted Patent: US 7,848,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/505 signals generated in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems

Abstract

A mobile communication terminal having QWERTY keys and a method for outputting Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signals thereof are disclosed. The user inputs information including alphabetic characters that is requested by a directory system, while viewing the alphabetic characters marked on the QWERTY keys. The mobile communication terminal outputs DTMF signals of symbols marked on the input QWERTY keys identical to the DTMF signals of the corresponding symbols of keys arrayed in a conventional 3×4 key array format. The alphabetic keys of the QWERTY keys output DTMF signals identical to those of the keys of the 3×4 array format in an alphabet input mode. Therefore, the user can easily input information requested by the directory system while viewing the symbols marked on the QWERTY keys, without requiring the user to memorize the array of alphabetic characters of the 3×4 key array format.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal having QWERTY keys comprising:

a wireless communication unit for transmitting and receiving information to and from a directory system;

QWERTY keys on which symbols including alphabetic characters and numerals are marked in a QWERTY array, for inputting the marked symbols by inputting a corresponding QWERTY key in order to input information requested by the directory system; and

a controller for outputting a DTMF signal corresponding to a symbol of a key of a 3×

4 key array to the directory system through the wireless communication unit, where the symbol of the key of the 3×

4 key array is identical to the input marked symbol.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the information requested by the directory system comprises at least one alphabetic character.

3. The terminal of claim 2, wherein the controller enters an alphabet input mode and a numeric input mode.

4. The terminal of claim 3, wherein, when performing the alphabet input mode, the controller outputs a DTMF signal corresponding to an alphabetic character marked on the input QWERTY key.

5. The terminal of claim 3, wherein, when entering the numeric input mode, the controller outputs a DTMF signal corresponding to a numeral marked on the input QWERTY key.

6. The terminal of claim 3, further comprising an acceleration sensor for determining a motion acceleration of the mobile communication terminal and transmitting an acceleration value to the controller,

wherein the controller changes a current input mode to another input mode when the received acceleration value is greater than a predetermined acceleration value.

7. The terminal of claim 3, further comprising a function key for changing between the alphabet input mode and the numeric input mode.

8. The terminal of claim 1, further comprising an audio processing unit for outputting a request for information from the directory system as a voice.

9. A method for outputting DTMF signals of a mobile communication terminal having QWERTY keys, comprising:

accessing a directory system;

receiving a request for information from the directory system;

selecting at least one QWERTY key on which symbols are marked, and inputting symbols corresponding to the selected QWERTY key to input response information in response to the requested information; and

outputting a DTMF signal corresponding to a symbol of a key of a 3×

4 key array to the directory system, where the symbol of the key of the 3×

4 key array is identical to the input marked symbol.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the response information comprises at least one alphabetic character.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein accessing a directory system comprises inputting a phone number corresponding to the directory system in a numeric input mode.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein inputting symbols further comprises determining whether an input mode is changed from the numeric input mode to an alphabet input mode or from the alphabet input mode to the numeric input mode.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein outputting a DTMF signal comprises outputting, if the input mode is changed from the numeric input mode to the alphabet input mode, a DTMF signal corresponding to an alphabetic character marked on the selected key.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein outputting a DTMF signal comprises outputting, if the input mode is changed from the alphabet input mode to the numeric input mode, a DTMF signal corresponding to a numeral marked on the selected key.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, in the numeric input mode, only a QWERTY key marked with a numeral outputs a DTMF signal.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein determining whether an input mode is changed is performed based on whether a motion acceleration of the mobile communication terminal is greater than a predetermined acceleration value.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising changing, if the acceleration of the mobile communication terminal is greater than the predetermined acceleration value, a current input mode to another input mode.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein determining whether the input mode is changed is performed based on whether a selection signal of a function key is input.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising changing, if a selection signal of a function key is input, a current input mode to another input mode.

20. The method of claim 9, further comprising outputting the request for information as a voice.

21. A method for outputting DTMF signals of a mobile communication terminal having QWERTY keys, comprising:

accessing a directory system;

receiving a request for information from the directory system;

displaying keys of a virtual 3×

4 key array, wherein a key of the 3×

4 key array is mapped to a corresponding numeric key of QWERTY keys for inputting response information in response to the request-information;

inputting the response information by selecting at least one numeric key of the QWERTY keys, based on the corresponding key of the displayed virtual 3×

4 keys; and

outputting a DTMF signal corresponding to the selected numeric key to the directory system.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the response information comprises at least one alphabetic character.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein displaying keys of the virtual 3×

4 key array further comprises displaying an input window for displaying the response information.

24. A mobile communication terminal having QWERTY keys comprising:

a case;

a wireless communication unit installed within the case, for transmitting and receiving information to and from a directory system;

QWERTY keys for inputting response information in response to information requested by the directory system, the QWERTY keys being arrayed, spaced apart from each other, at specific intervals, and including numeric keys arrayed in a 3×

4 key array format, wherein alphabetic characters are formed in a 3×

4 key array format located adjacent to the corresponding numeric keys;

a display unit installed on the case above the array of the QWERTY keys; and

a controller for receiving the response information input by numeric keys selected according to the alphabetic characters arrayed in the 3×

4 array format, and for outputting DTMF signals corresponding to the selected numeric keys to the directory system.

25. The terminal of claim 24, wherein the information requested by the directory system comprises at least one alphabetic character.

26. The terminal of claim 25, wherein the alphabetic characters arrayed in the 3×

4 array format have a color different from a color of symbols marked on the QWERTY keys, and are translucently formed on the case.

27. The terminal of claim 26, wherein:

the color of the symbols marked on the QWERTY keys is different from a color of the case; and

the color of the alphabetic characters arrayed in the 3×

4 array format is similar to the color of the case.