METHOD FOR CONTROLLING DISPLAY OF A MESSAGING WINDOW IN A TERMINAL

• US 20090106686A1
• Filed: 06/04/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Rhee, Young Hee, Lee, Sang Min, Shin, Joon Hun
• Granted Patent: US 8,924,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A method for controlling display of a messaging window displays a messaging window including a message input region and a message output region, receives a plurality of incoming messages which are successively displayed in the message output region, and selectively freezes the message output region such that incoming messages that are received while the message output region is selectively frozen are not displayed in the message output region.

Claims

1. A method for controlling display of a messaging window, the method comprising:

displaying a messaging window comprising a message input region and a message output region;

receiving a plurality of incoming messages that are successively displayed in the message output region; and

selectively freezing the message output region such that incoming messages that are received while the message output region is selectively frozen are not displayed in the message output region.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

continuously displaying the selectively frozen message output region until a new outgoing message is input to the message input region.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selectively frozen message output region disappears from the message output region once input of the new outgoing message to the message input region begins, and further comprising:

displaying at least one incoming message received since the message output region was selectively frozen in the message output region.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

continuously displaying the selectively frozen message output region until an input for ending display of the selectively frozen message output region is received.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selectively frozen message output region disappears from the message output region once the input for ending display of the selectively frozen message output region is received, and further comprising:

displaying at least one incoming message received since the message output region was selectively frozen in the message output region.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

prompting a user to save the selectively frozen message output region when the input for ending display of the selectively frozen message output region is received; and

saving at least one message in the selectively frozen message output region in response to a user input to save the at least one message.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

saving the selectively frozen message output region for later retrieval.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an indicator indicating the selective freezing of the message output region.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

retrieving the selectively frozen message output region in response to selection of the indicator.

10. A method for controlling display of a messaging window, the method comprising:

displaying a messaging window comprising a message input region and a message output region;

receiving a plurality of incoming messages that are successively displayed in the message output region;

selectively freezing at least a portion of the message output region; and

displaying the selectively frozen portion of the message output region on the messaging window.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying incoming messages which are received while the message output region is selectively frozen in the message output region.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying the message output region divided into at least a frozen message output region and a recent message output region after the message output region is selectively frozen.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the recent message output region continuously displays new messages received or transmitted such that the display is not interrupted by the selectively frozen portion of the message output region displayed in the frozen message output region.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying the message output region without the frozen message output region in response to a user input for returning to the message output region that successively displays a plurality of incoming and transmitted messages.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

prompting a user to save at least one message in the selectively frozen message output region when the user input is received; and

saving the at least one message in response to a user input to save the at least one message.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

adjusting sizes of the frozen message output region and the recent message output region.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the frozen message output region and the recent message output region are displayed as a side-by-side view or a top-and-bottom view.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

saving the selectively frozen message output region for later retrieval.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein a plurality of message output regions are selectively frozen, each of the plurality of message output regions including at least one different message.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

displaying at least one indicator indicating the selective freezing of the message output region,

wherein a number of indicators displayed indicates a number of the plurality of the message output regions that were selectively frozen.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

retrieving one of the plurality of message output regions that were selectively frozen in response to selection of the at least one indicator.

22. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

prompting a user to save the selectively frozen message output region before the messaging window is closed; and

saving at least one message in the selectively frozen message output region in response to a user input.

23. A terminal comprising:

a display unit for displaying a messaging window including a message input region and a message output region;

a communication unit for performing message communication;

a memory unit for storing at least one message; and

a control unit for selectively freezing at least a portion of the message output region during the message communication, and displaying at least one selectively frozen message on a screen of the display unit.

24. The terminal of claim 23, wherein the control unit prevents incoming messages that are received while the at least a portion of the message output region is frozen from being displayed in the message output region.

25. The terminal of claim 23, wherein the control unit divides the message output region into at least a frozen message output region and a recent message output region, and controls the recent message output region to display incoming messages received while the selectively frozen portion of the message output region is displayed in the frozen message output region.