APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANAGING MESSAGE IN MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20100273454A1
• Filed: 04/21/2010
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: MAENG, Sun-Young, LEE, Sung-Yeon
• Granted Patent: US 8,725,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for managing a message in a mobile terminal are provided. In the method, meta data of messages stored in the terminal are analyzed and items for filtering a message are generated. A user is allowed to select at least one item. Messages corresponding to the selected item are displayed.

Claims

1. A method for managing a message in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

generating items for filtering a message using a meta data of messages stored in the terminal;

selecting at least one item; and

displaying messages corresponding to the selected item among the messages stored in the terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the meta data comprises at least one of a transmission phone number, a reception phone number, a transmission time, a reception time, whether a user reads a message, whether a protection is set, and an importance degree.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the items for filtering comprise at least one of a transmission phone number, a reception phone number, a transmission time, a reception time, whether a user reads a message, whether protection is set, and an importance degree.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying of the messages corresponding to the selected item comprises:

searching for only messages having meta data corresponding to the selected item among the messages stored in the terminal; and

displaying a message list representing the searched messages.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a message box comprising the displayed messages.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing the generated message box.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the generated message box is named according to the selected item.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the generated message box is named by a user.

9. An apparatus for managing a message in a mobile terminal, comprising:

a controller for generating items for filtering a message using a meta data of messages stored in the terminal, selecting at least one item, and searching for messages corresponding to the selected item among the messages stored in the terminal; and

a display unit for displaying the searched messages.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the meta data comprises at least one of a transmission phone number, a reception phone number, a transmission time, a reception time, whether a user reads a message, whether protection is set, and an importance degree.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the items for filtering comprise at least one of a transmission phone number, a reception phone number, a transmission time, a reception time, whether a user reads a message, whether protection is set, and an importance degree.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller searches for only messages having meta data corresponding to the selected item among the messages stored in the terminal, generates a message list representing the searched messages, and provides the message list to the display unit.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller generates a message box comprising the searched messages.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller stores the generated message box.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the generated message box is named according to the selected item.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the generated message box is named by a user.