MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR MANAGING E-MAIL THEREOF

• US 20100318923A1
• Filed: 06/10/2010
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Taeyong
• Granted Patent: US 8,375,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• 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 a mobile terminal, and which includes executing, via a controller on the mobile terminal, an e-mail function; displaying, via a display on the mobile terminal, a e-mail account list including at least first and second e-mail accounts, in which the first e-mail account uses a first e-mail service for processing e-mails and the second e-mail account uses a second e-mail service for processing e-mails that is different than the first e-mail account service; providing, via the controller, an e-mail service of the selected first e-mail account, when the first e-mail account on the e-mail account list is selected; receiving, via an input unit, an account changing request for changing from the first e-mail account to the second e-mail account while information within the first e-mail account is currently being displayed; changing, via the controller, from the first e-mail account to the second e-mail account according to the account changing request; and providing, via the controller, the second e-mail service for the second e-mail account.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

executing, via a controller on the mobile terminal, an e-mail function;

displaying, via a display on the mobile terminal, a e-mail account list including at least first and second e-mail accounts, said first e-mail account using a first e-mail service for processing e-mails and said second e-mail account using a second e-mail service for processing e-mails that is different than the first e-mail account service;

providing, via the controller, an e-mail service of the selected first e-mail account, when the first e-mail account on the e-mail account list is selected;

receiving, via an input unit, an account changing request for changing from the first e-mail account to the second e-mail account while information within the first e-mail account is currently being displayed;

changing, via the controller, from the first e-mail account to the second e-mail account according to the account changing request; and

providing, via the controller, the second e-mail service for the second e-mail account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information within the first e-mail account currently being displayed corresponds to a received email within the first e-mail account, and the account changing request is requesting the second e-mail account be used to send a reply message to the received e-mail from the first e-mail account.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second e-mail services include a polling e-mail service in which an e-mail server is accessed at predetermined time periods to check whether or not a new e-mail has been received, and when there is a new e-mail, the new e-mail is downloaded, or a push e-mail mail service in which when the e-mail mail server receives a new e-mail, the e-mail mail server automatically transmits the received new e-mail to the mobile terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

arranging and displaying the e-mail account list including the at least first and second e-mail accounts, when receiving the account changing request;

receiving an input indicating a selection of the second e-mail account; and

changing from the first e-mail account to the second e-mail account.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the arranged and displayed e-mail account list is displayed as one of a drop-down list, a list box, a combo box, and a pop-up menu.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

releasing a connection with a e-mail server of the first e-mail account, when the a e-mail server of the second account is accessed.

7. A method for controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

checking, via a controller on the mobile terminal, an e-mail received in a first e-mail account;

detecting, via an input unit, an account changing request while a return e-mail of the received e-mail is being created for changing from the first e-mail account to a second e-mail account, said first e-mail account using a first e-mail service for processing e-mails and said second e-mail account using a second e-mail service for processing e-mails that is different than the first e-mail account service;

displaying, via a display included on the mobile terminal, a registered e-mail account list including previously registered e-mail accounts including at least the first and second e-mail accounts;

receiving, via the input unit, a selection signal indicating a selection of the second e-mail account;

changing, via the controller, from the first e-mail account to the selected second e-mail account;

creating a return e-mail for the e-mail received in the first e-mail account; and

transmitting, via a wireless transmission unit, the created return e-mail through the changed second e-mail account when the creation of the return e-mail is completed.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first and second e-mail services include a polling e-mail service in which a e-mail server is accessed at predetermined time periods to check whether or not a new e-mail has been received, and when there is a new e-mail, the new e-mail is downloaded, or a push e-mail service in which when the e-mail server receives a new e-mail, the e-mail server automatically transmits the received new e-mail to the mobile terminal.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

arranging and displaying the e-mail account list including the at least first and second e-mail accounts, when receiving the account changing request;

receiving an input indicating a selection of the second e-mail account; and

changing from the first e-mail account to the second e-mail account.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing, in a memory of the mobile terminal, the transmitted return e-mail in a e-mail box of the second e-mail account.

11. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a controller configured to execute an e-mail function;

a display configured to display an e-mail account list including at least first and second e-mail accounts, said first e-mail account using a first e-mail service for processing e-mails and said second e-mail account using a second e-mail service for processing e-mails that is different than the first e-mail account service, and said controller configured to provide an e-mail service of the selected first e-mail account, when the first e-mail account on the e-mail account list is selected; and

an input unit configured to receive an account changing request for changing from the first e-mail account to the second e-mail account while information within the first e-mail account is currently being displayed,

wherein the controller is further configured to change from the first e-mail account to the second e-mail account according to the account changing request, and to provide an e-mail service for the second e-mail account.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the information within the first e-mail account currently being displayed corresponds to a received e-mail within the first e-mail account, and the account changing request is requesting the second e-mail account be used to send a reply message to the received e-mail from the first e-mail account.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to arrange and display the e-mail account list including the at least first and second e-mail accounts, when receiving the account changing request,

wherein the input unit is further configured to receive an input indicating a selection of the second e-mail account, and

wherein the controller is further configured to change from the first e-mail account to the second e-mail account.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the arranged and displayed e-mail account list is displayed as one of a drop-down list, a list box, a combo box, and a pop-up menu.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to display a list of incoming e-mails including a combination of e-mails received by the mobile terminal for the first and second e-mail accounts.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the list of incoming e-mails include an indicator next to each e-mail indicating whether said each e-mail is provided by the first or second e-mail accounts.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to release a connection with an e-mail server of the first e-mail account, when the e-mail server of the second account is accessed.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit via a wireless transmission unit a created return e-mail for an e-mail received in the first e-mail account using the second e-mail account.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to store the transmitted return e-mail in an e-mail box of the second e-mail account.