MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD OF CONNECTING EXTERNAL DEVICE TO MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20090042608A1
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, In Suk, Moon, Byoung Pyo, Moon, Min Gwon, Lim, Hye Bong, Choi, Jae Young
• Application Number:
  US12/184,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20090042608A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60

Abstract

A mobile terminal and method of connecting an external device to a mobile terminal are provided that facilitates management of multimedia contents between the mobile terminal and the external device to which the mobile terminal is connected. The present invention includes an interface unit for connecting the mobile terminal to an external device and a control unit that controls the mobile terminal to be connected to the external device in a non-multimedia content management protocol mode if the external device does not support a multimedia content management protocol mode.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal for playing back multimedia contents, the mobile terminal comprising:

an interface unit for connecting the mobile terminal to an external device; and

a control unit configured to connect the mobile terminal to the external device in a non-multimedia content management protocol mode if the external device does not support a multimedia content management protocol mode when the mobile terminal is connected to the external device.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the multimedia content management protocol mode comprises an MTP (media transfer protocol) mode.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the non-multimedia content management protocol mode comprises a mass storage mode or a data service mode.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the mass storage mode comprises a UMS (USB mass storage) mode.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the data service mode comprises a PC sync mode.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the control unit controls the external device to be connected in the mass storage mode when the mobile terminal supports loading an external memory and the control unit controls the external device to be connected in the data service mode when the mobile terminal does not support loading the external memory.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the external device to be connected in the non-multimedia content management protocol mode automatically.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a display unit and wherein the control unit controls the display unit to display a message indicating that an attempt to connect the mobile terminal to the external device in the multimedia content management protocol mode has failed.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a display unit and wherein the control unit controls the display unit to display a message indicating the non-multimedia content management protocol mode if the mobile terminal and the external device are successfully connected in the non-multimedia content management protocol mode.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the interface unit further comprises a USB (universal serial bus) connector and the mobile terminal is connected to the external device via the USB connector.

11. A method of connecting an external device to a mobile terminal the method comprising:

connecting an interface unit of the mobile terminal to the external device; and

connecting the external device in a non-multimedia content management protocol mode if the external device does not support a multimedia content management protocol mode.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the multimedia content management protocol mode comprises an MTP (media transfer protocol) mode.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the non-multimedia content management protocol mode comprises a mass storage mode or a data service mode.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the mass storage mode comprises a UMS (USB mass storage) mode.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the data service mode comprises a PC sync mode.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising connecting the external device in the mass storage mode when the mobile terminal supports loading an external memory and connecting the external device in the data service mode when the mobile terminal does not support loading the external memory.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising connecting the external device in the non-multimedia content management protocol mode automatically.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying a message indicating that an attempt to connect the mobile terminal to the external device in the multimedia content management protocol mode has failed.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying a message indicating the non-multimedia content management protocol mode if the mobile terminal and the external device are successfully connected in the non-multimedia content management protocol mode.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the external device is connected to the mobile terminal via a USB connector.