MOBILE TERMINAL AND CHAT METHOD IN A MOBILE TERMINAL USING AN INSTANT MESSAGING SERVICE

• US 20100267369A1
• Filed: 01/27/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Shin, Hyun Ho, Lim, Yong Suk, Cho, Song Rae
• Granted Patent: US 8,583,086 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A mobile terminal and chat method in a mobile terminal using an instant messaging service are provided. According to the present invention, in the course of a chat with a specific party using an instant messaging service, a specific one of previous chat contents with at least one party including the specific party may be used as a chat content with the specific party.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal for performing a chat using an instant messaging service is provided. The mobile terminal includes:

a wireless communication unit configured to perform the chat with at least one chat party using the instant messaging service;

a display unit configured to display at least one chat window including a chat content display region and a chat content input region while the chat with the at least one chat party is ongoing, wherein the chat content display region displays at least one message previously transmitted to the at least one chat party and the chat content input region displays at least one new message that is to be transmitted to the at least one chat party; and

a controller configured to;

control the wireless communication unit to perform the chat with a first chat party and control the display unit to display a first chat window when the first chat party is selected,

control the wireless communication unit to perform the chat with a second chat party when the second chat party is selected and control the display unit to display at least one specific message transmitted during the chat with the first chat party in the chat content input region.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display unit to:

delete the at least one specific message transmitted during the chat with the first chat part that is displayed in the chat content input region when at least one new text message is input in the chat content input region;

or

edit the at least one specific message transmitted during the chat with the first chat part that is displayed in the chat content input region when an editing function is selected.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the display unit is further configured to display identification information of at least one party that may be selected as the at least one chat party under control of the controller; and

the controller is further configured to process a selection of the second chat party on the display unit using the displayed identification information.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the display unit is further configured to:

display a second chat window including a chat content display region and a chat content input region under control of the controller while the chat with the second chat party is ongoing; and

display the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party in the chat content input region of the second chat window.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the display is further configured to display the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party in the chat content input region of the second chat window such that it is distinguishable from a content of the chat with the second chat party.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display unit to switch the first chat window to the second chat window on a same region of the display unit if the second chat party is selected while the chat with the first chat party is ongoing.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the wireless communication unit is further configured to:

transmit the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party to the second chat party under control of the controller;

receive an input of a new chat content, delete the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party and transmit the new chat content to the second chat party under control of the controller;

or

edit the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party and transmit the edited chat content to the second chat party under control of the controller.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the display unit is further configured to display the transmitted content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party, the transmitted new chat content or the transmitted edited chat content on the chat content display region of the second chat window under control of the controller.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to input the content of a last of a plurality of previous chats with the first chat party as the content of the chat with the second chat party.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

process an external signal to add a chat party to receive the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party; and

control the wireless communication unit to transmit the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party to the added chat party.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to input the content of a specific one of a plurality of previous chats with the first chat party that also included at least one additional chat party as the content of the chat with the second chat party.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a user input unit configured to receive an input via a direction key manipulation and a selection of at least one specific previous chat content from a list of previous chat contents with at least one chat party and wherein the controller is further configured to input the selected at least one specific previous chat content as a content of a chat with each of the first and second chat parties according to the input received via the direction key manipulation.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store a content of the chat with the first and second chat parties.

14. A method for performing a chat in a mobile terminal using an instant messaging service, the method comprising:

displaying at least one chat window including a chat content display region and a chat content input region on a display while a chat with at least one chat party is ongoing, wherein the chat content display region displays at least one message previously transmitted to the at least one chat party and the chat content input region displays at least one new message that is to be transmitted to the at least one chat party; and

performing the chat with a first chat party and displaying a first chat window on the display when the first chat party is selected; and

performing the chat with a second chat party when the second chat party is selected and displaying at least one specific message transmitted during the chat with the first chat party in the chat content input region.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

deleting the at least one specific message transmitted during the chat with the first chat party from the chat content input region when at least one new text message is input in the chat content input region;

or

editing the at least one specific message transmitted during the chat with the first chat part that is displayed in the chat content input region when an editing function is selected.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying identification information on the display of at least one party that may be selected as the at least one chat party; and

processing a selection of the second chat party using the displayed identification information.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying a second chat window including a chat content display region and a chat content input region on the display while the chat with the second chat party is ongoing; and

displaying the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party in the chat content input region of the second chat window.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party in the chat content input region of the second chat window such that it is distinguishable from a content of the chat with the second chat party.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising switching the first chat window to the second chat window on a same region of the display if the second chat party is selected while the chat with the first chat party is ongoing.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

transmitting the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party to the second chat party;

receiving an input of a new chat content, deleting the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party and transmitting the new chat content to the second chat party;

or

editing the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party and transmitting the edited chat content to the second chat.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising displaying the transmitted content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party, the transmitted new chat content or the transmitted edited chat content on the chat content display region of the second chat window.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising inputting the content of a last of a plurality of previous chats with the first chat party as the content of the chat with the second chat party.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

processing an external signal to add a chat party to receive the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party; and

transmitting the content of the at least one specific previous chat with the first chat party to the added chat party.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising inputting the content of a specific one of a plurality of previous chats with the first chat party that also included at least one additional chat party as the content of the chat with the second chat party.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving an input via a direction key manipulation and a selection of at least one specific previous chat content from a list of previous chat contents with at least one chat party; and

inputting the selected at least one specific previous chat content as a content of a chat with each of the first and second chat parties according to the input received via the direction key manipulation.

26. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing a content of the chat with the first and second chat parties.