MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD OF COMPOSING MESSAGE USING THE SAME

• US 20110050601A1
• Filed: 03/23/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: SON, Seunghwan, SEO, Jin
• Granted Patent: US 8,629,844 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A mobile terminal is provided that includes a touch screen and a controller. The controller operates in a first message composition mode for composing a message according to a first message format. The controller switches the first message composition mode to a second message composition mode for composing the message according to a second message format in response to a first predetermined touch input received via the touch screen. The first message format is different from the second message format.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touch screen; and

a controller configured to operate in a first message composition mode for composing a message according to a first message format and a second message composition mode for composing the message according to a second message format, wherein the controller switches the first message composition mode to the second message composition mode for composing the message according to a second message format in response to a first predetermined touch input received via the touch screen, and

wherein the first message format is different from the second message format.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller switches the first message composition mode to the second message composition mode, such that text content of the message composed in the first message composition mode is maintained in the second message composition mode.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller switches the first message composition mode to the second message composition mode, such that content of the message composed in the first message composition mode having a format not supported in the second message composition mode is not displayed in the second message composition mode.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the controller switches the first message composition mode to the second message composition mode, such that the content of the message composed in the first message composition mode having a format not supported in the second message composition mode is stored in memory.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller switches the first message composition mode to the second message composition mode, such that content of the message composed in the first message composition mode having a format not supported in the second message composition mode is converted to a format supported in the second message composition mode.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the format supported in the second message composition mode is a text format.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined touch input comprises a touch track input via an input region provided on the touch screen.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined touch input comprises a touch input via at least one soft key provided on the touch screen.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller switches from the second message composition mode to the first message composition mode in response to a second predetermined touch input received via the touch screen.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the second predetermined touch input comprises a touch track input via an input region provided on the touch screen.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the second predetermined touch input comprises a touch input via at least one soft key provided on the touch screen.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the first predetermined touch input and the second predetermined touch input comprise a touch input via at least one soft key provided on the touch screen and the controller switches between the first message composition mode and the second message composition mode in a toggle manner in response to the touch input via the at least one soft key

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second message formats comprise a short message service (SMS) format, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) format, an instant messaging (IM) format, or an e-mail format.

14. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touch screen; and

a controller configured to operate in a plurality of message composition modes for composing a message, wherein each of the plurality of message composition modes allows the message to be composed according to a corresponding one of the plurality of message formats,

wherein the controller switches from a first of the plurality of message composition modes to a second of the plurality of message composition modes in response to a first predetermined touch input received via the touch screen.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller switches the first message composition mode to the second message composition mode, such that text content of the message composed in the first message composition mode is maintained in the second message composition mode.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller switches the first message composition mode to the second message composition mode, such that content of the message composed in the first message composition mode having a format not supported in the second message composition mode is not displayed in the second message composition mode.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein the controller switches the first message composition mode to the second message composition mode, such that the content of the message composed in the first message composition mode having a format not supported in the second message composition mode is stored in memory.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller switches the first message composition mode to the second message composition mode, such that content of the message composed in the first message composition mode having a format not supported in the second message composition mode is converted to a format supported in the second message composition mode.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the format supported in the second message composition mode is a text format.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the first predetermined touch input comprises a touch track input via an input region provided on the touch screen.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the first predetermined touch input comprises a touch input via at least one soft key provided on the touch screen.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller switches from the second message composition mode to the first message composition mode in response to a second predetermined touch input received via the touch screen.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein the second predetermined touch input comprises a touch track input via an input region provided on the touch screen.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein the second predetermined touch input comprises a touch input via at least one soft key provided on the touch screen.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein the first predetermined touch input and the second predetermined touch input comprise a touch input via at least one soft key provided on the touch screen and the controller switches between the first message composition mode and the second message composition mode in a toggle manner in response to the touch input via the at least one soft key

26. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of message formats comprise a short message service (SMS) format, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) format, an instant messaging (IM) format, or an e-mail format.

27. A method of composing a message in a mobile terminal comprising a controller and a touch screen, the method comprising:

entering, by the controller, a first message composition mode for composing the message according to a first message format;

receiving, by the controller, a first predetermined touch input via the touch screen in the first message composition mode; and

switching, by the controller, from the first message composition mode to a second message composition mode for composing the message according to a second message format in response to the first predetermined touch input,

wherein the first message format is different from the second message format.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving, by the controller, a second predetermined touch input via the touch screen in the second message composition mode; and

switching, by the controller, from the second message composition mode to the first message composition mode in response to the second predetermined touch input.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein each of the first and second predetermined touch inputs comprise a predetermined touch track input via an input region provided on the touch screen or a touch input via at least one soft key provided on the touch screen.