MOBILE TERMINAL AND COMMUNICATION METHOD THEREOF

• US 20100203908A1
• Filed: 02/05/2010
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Rhee, Young-Hee, Jeong, Chang-Ik, Shim, Jae-Sung
• Granted Patent: US 9,485,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

A mobile terminal includes a wireless communication unit establishing a first communication session with a first entity and a second communication session with a second entity, a display displaying a plurality of windows including a first window and a second window, a memory storing a merging menu, and a controller controlling the display to display the first window related to the first communication session and the second window related to the second communication session, the controller generating a third window including the first communication session and the second communication session in response to a an input and controlling the display to display the third window further including the first entity and the second entity.

Claims

1. A method of communicating with a plurality of entities in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

initiating a first communication session with a first entity;

generating a first window related to the first communication session;

initiating a second communication session with a second entity;

generating a second window related to the second communication session;

generating a third window in response to a first input; and

displaying the third window including the first entity and the second entity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

separating the third window into the first window and the second window and no longer displaying the third window in response to a second input; and

displaying the first window and the second window.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

merging content of the first communication session and content of the second communication session such that the merged content is displayed on the third window, wherein the merging comprises either session merging or window merging.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first communication session and the second communication session are independently executed on the third window when the window merging is selected from a menu for merging.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a second input for selecting the session merging via a menu;

merging the first communication session and the second communication session into a third communication session and initiating the third communication session including at least the first entity and the second entity in response to the second input; and

displaying the third window related to the third communication session,

wherein the at least first entity and second entity can communicate with each other in the third communication session.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first communication session and the second communication session remain active while the third communication session is being executed.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the merging further comprises either one-to-one merging or one-to-multi merging, the one-to-one merging allowing only a user of the mobile terminal and one other entity in a communication session and the one-to-multi merging allowing the user and one or more entities, in the communication session.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the merging further comprises at least one of merging between messengers or instant messaging (IM) services and merging between a messenger or IM and an SMS (Short Message Service) or MMS (Multimedia Message Service).

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the merging is restricted by at least a number of entities or an amount of conversation content in the first and second communication sessions such that the first and second communication sessions cannot be merged when the number of the entities is greater than a preset number or the amount of conversation content is greater than a preset amount, the amount determined by a number of characters or a length of lines in the conversation content.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the third window comprises first content corresponding to the first communication session and second content corresponding to the second communication session, such that the first content and the second content are displayed distinguishably from each other.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting either the first or second communication session to receive a message for transmission to the first entity or the second entity; and

displaying content of the selected communication session distinguishably from content of the unselected communication session on the third window.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting either the first or second communication session to receive a message for transmission to the first entity or the second entity; and

displaying only content of the selected communication session on the third window, the content of the unselected communication session not displayed.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the third window comprises an input switch displayed on a portion of the third window and configured to receive a second input for switching between the first communication session and the second communication session in order to select either the first or second communication session, the method further comprising:

selecting either the first or second communication session in response to the second input; and

receiving a message for transmission to the first entity or the second entity according to the selected communication session.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the input switch is displayed differently according to the selected communication session.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the input switch is displayed in a first color when the first communication session is selected and displayed in a second color when the second communication session is selected.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a specific entity to which a message received via a message input window is to be transmitted, the specific entity selected via the third window in response to a second input,

wherein the second input comprises a first touch input directed to the specific entity displayed on the third window and a second touch input directed to the message input window displayed on a portion of the third window.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second input further comprises touching the specific entity and dragging the specific entity into the message input window such that the message is automatically transmitted to the selected specific entity.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a message for transmission via a message input window displayed on a portion of the third window,

wherein the message is automatically transmitted to a specific entity when the received message is dragged from the message input window to the specific entity displayed on the third window.

19. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to establish a first communication session with a first entity and a second communication session with a second entity;

a display configured to display a plurality of windows;

a memory configured to store a merging menu; and

a controller configured to control the display to display a first window related to the first communication session and a second window related to the second communication session, to generate a third window in response to a first input, and to control the display to display the third window including the first entity and the second entity.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to separate the third window into the first window and the second window and to no longer display the third window in response to a second input.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to merge content of the first communication session with content of the second communication session and to control the display such that the merged content is displayed on the third window, the merging comprising a session merging or a window merging.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the controller is further configured to execute the first communication session and the second communication session independently of each other on the third window when the window merging is selected from the merging menu.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the controller is further configured to:

merge the first communication session with the second communication session into a third communication session and initiate the third communication session including at least the first entity and the second entity in response to a second input on the merging menu for selecting the session merging; and

control the display to display the third window related to the third communication session,

wherein the at least first entity and second entity can communicate with each other in the third communication session.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein the first communication session and the second communication session remain active while the third communication session is executed.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the merging further comprises a one-to-one merging and a one-to-multi merging, the one-to-one merging allowing a user of the mobile terminal and one other entity in a communication session and the one-to-multi merging allowing the user and one or more entities in the communication session.

26. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the merging further comprises at least one of merging between messengers or instant messaging (IM) services and merging between a messenger or IM and an SMS (Short Message Service) or MMS (Multimedia Message Service).

27. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the controller is further configured to restrict the merging based upon at least a number of entities or an amount of conversation content in the first and second communication sessions such that the first and second communication sessions cannot be merged when the number of the entities is greater than a preset number or the amount of the conversation content is greater than a preset amount, the amount determined by a number of characters or a length of lines in the conversation content.

28. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the third window comprises first content corresponding to the first communication session and second content corresponding to the second communication session and the controller is further configured to control the display to display the first content and the second content distinguishably from each other.

29. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to select either the first or second communication session to receive a message for transmission to the first entity or the second entity and to control the display to display content of the selected communication session distinguishably from content of the unselected communication session on the third window.

30. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to select either the first or second communication session to receive a message for transmission to the first entity or the second entity and to control the display to display only content of the selected communication session on the third window, the content of the unselected communication session not displayed.

31. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the third window comprises an input switch configured to receive a second input for switching between the first communication session and the second communication session in order to select either the first or second communication session, and the controller is further configured to select either the first or second communication session in response to the second input and receive a message for transmission to the first entity or the second entity according to the selected communication session.

32. The mobile terminal of claim 31, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to display the input switch differently according to the selected communication sessions.

33. The mobile terminal of claim 31, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to display the input switch in a first color when the first communication session is selected and display the input switch in a second color when the second communication session is selected.

34. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to select a specific entity to which a message received via a message input window is to be transmitted, on the specific entity selected via the third window in response to a second input comprising a first touch input directed to the specific entity displayed on the third window and a second touch input directed to the message input window displayed on a portion of the third window.

35. The mobile terminal of claim 34, wherein the second input further comprises touching the specific entity and dragging the specific entity into the message input window such that the message is automatically transmitted to the selected specific entity.

36. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a message for transmission via a message input window, wherein the message is automatically transmitted to a specific entity when the received message is dragged from the message input window to the specific entity displayed on the third window.

37. A method of communicating in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

establishing a first communication session with a first entity;

generating a window comprising the first communication session;

displaying the first communication session on the window;

establishing a second communication session in response to an input for communicating with a second entity;

displaying the second communication session with the first communication session on the window; and

performing the first communication session and the second communication session independently on the window.