MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING CANADIDATE PHONE NUMBER LIST AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING OPERATION OF THE MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20120176333A1
• Filed: 03/16/2012
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Tae Hun, PARK, Jin Sang
• Granted Patent: US 8,780,064 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2748 by matching character strings
• 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 communication device capable of providing a candidate phone number list and a method of controlling an operation of the mobile communication device is provided. The method includes displaying a phone number input window and a display window on the touch screen, displaying a string of numbers input to the phone number input window in the display window and displaying a candidate phone number list on the touch screen if a touch input to the display window is detected when the input number string is displayed in the display window, the candidate phone number list including a plurality of phone numbers that contain the input number string.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a first input on a first area of a screen according to a first user command applied thereto;

displaying, on a second area of said screen, information related to said first input, said information comprising digits of a phone number;

detecting a second input on said second area of said screen according to a second user command applied thereto;

displaying a candidate list containing at least one of an entry of a contact name and a phone number associated with said entry in response to said second input;

detecting a third input on said displayed candidate list according to a third user command applied thereto; and

displaying a menu of selectable communication functions for a particular entry that is selected in response to said third input, said communication functions comprising a call function that activates a call initiation procedure upon selection thereof and a message function that activates a message creation procedure upon selection thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said information related to said first input further comprises a total number of candidate entries that include or match said digits of said phone number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting of the second input occurs at a region on said second area of said screen other than that where said digits of the phone number are displayed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one among the first input, the second input, and the third input is based on handwriting recognition or QWERTY keyboard inputs.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, on a third area, information related to at least one among signal strength, wireless communication status, battery power, and time.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the third area is part of the second area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said second area shows a virtual keypad.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a selectable erase icon in said first area that activates an erasing operation upon activation thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said screen is a touch sensitive screen and at least among said first user command, said second user command and said third user command is a touch input detected thereon.

10. A graphical user interface comprising:

a first screen image, provided via a display unit, that is divided into a first area and a second area, said second area showing graphical outputs related to a first input detected on said first area according to a first user command applied thereto, said graphical outputs comprising digits of a phone number;

a second screen image, provided via said display unit, showing a candidate list, which contains one or more entries of at least one among a contact name and a phone number associated with said contact name, in response to a second input detected on said second area according to a second user command applied thereto; and

graphical icons, provided via said display unit, associated with communication functions applicable to a particular entry that is selected in response to a third input detected on said candidate list according to a third user command applied thereto,

said communication functions comprising a call function that activates a call initiation procedure upon user selection thereof and a text or multimedia message function that activates a text or multimedia message creation procedure upon user selection thereof.

11. The graphical user interface of claim 10, wherein said graphical outputs shown on said second area further comprise a showing of a total number of candidate entries that include at least one of said digits of said phone number.

12. The graphical user interface of claim 10, wherein said second input is detected at a region on said second area of said first screen image other than that where said digits of the phone number are shown.

13. The graphical user interface of claim 10, wherein at least one among the first input, the second input, and the third input is based on handwriting recognition or QWERTY keyboard inputs.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying, on a third area, information related to at least one among signal strength, wireless communication status, battery power, and time.

15. The graphical user interface of claim 14, wherein the third area is part of the second area.

16. The graphical user interface of claim 10, wherein said second area of said first screen image shows a virtual keypad used to detect said first input.

17. The graphical user interface of claim 10, further comprising:

an erase icon shown in said first area of said first screen image, said erase icon activating an erasing operation upon user selection thereof.

18. The graphical user interface of claim 10, wherein the display unit comprises a touch sensitive screen and at least one among said first user command, said second user command and said third user command is a touch input detected thereon.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store information;

a display unit configured to display information; and

a processor cooperating with at least one among said memory and said display unit, and configured to,

cause the display unit to display, on a second area of a screen image, information related to a first input detected on a first area of said screen image according to a first user command applied thereto, said information comprising digits of a phone number;

cause the display unit to display a candidate list containing at least one of an entry of a contact name and a phone number associated with said entry in response to a second input detected on said second area of said screen image according to a second user command applied thereto; and

cause the display unit to display a menu of selectable communication functions for a particular entry selected in response to a third input detected on said displayed candidate list according to a third user command applied thereto,

said communication functions comprising a call function that activates a call initiation procedure upon selection thereof and a message function that activates a message creation procedure upon selection thereof.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said information related to said first input further comprises a total number of candidate entries that include or match said digits of said phone number.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said detecting of the second input occurs at a region on said second area of said screen other than that where said digits of the phone number are displayed.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein at least one among the first input, the second input, and the third input is based on handwriting recognition or QWERTY keyboard inputs.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said display unit further shows a third area comprising information related to at least one among signal strength, wireless communication status, battery power, and time.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the third area is part of the second area.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said second area shows a virtual keypad.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first area further shows a selectable erase icon that activates an erasing operation upon activation thereof.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said display unit comprises a touch sensitive screen and at least among said first user command, said second user command and said third user command is a touch input detected thereon.