Methods for sharing music and enabling character cooperation in a wireless local area communication network

• US 7,761,121 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2006
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Byeon, Hee-Soo, Hong, Nho-Kyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Application Number:
  US11/489,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20070021142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/41.2, 455/426.1, 455/552.1, 455/566, 455/556.2, 370/310, 370/328, 370/338, 345/156, 345/2.2, 348 1401- 1402, 348/14.07
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A mobile communication terminal which senses a counterpart mobile communication terminal located within a predetermined range by using local area communication and displays a character corresponding to the sensed counterpart mobile communication terminal on its screen. After character cooperation, the mobile communication terminal transmits reproduced music or a user'"'"'s spoken comment to counterpart mobile communication terminals by using the local area communication. Also, the mobile communication terminal outputs a sound signal transmitted from a counterpart mobile communication terminal by using the local area communication. Therefore, mobile communication terminals can share music with each other, so that the users can enjoy various types of communication by forming a virtual community space.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a memory for storing at least one of images and moving pictures of one or more characters, wherein each character corresponds to a character identity code;

a local area communication module for enabling the mobile communication terminal to local-area communicate with another mobile communication terminal; and

a control unit for sensing whether there is another mobile communication terminal within a predetermined range by using the local area communication, and displaying on a screen at least one of a character image and a character moving picture from the memory corresponding to a character identity code of a sensed mobile communication terminal.

2. The mobile communication terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit transmits at least one of reproduced music and a user'"'"'s spoken comments to other mobile communication terminals by using the local area communication when there occurs at least one of the music being reproduced and the user'"'"'s spoken comments being generated by a user of the mobile communication terminal.

3. The mobile communication terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit outputs a sound signal transmitted from another mobile communication terminal by using the local area communication.

4. The mobile communication terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit reads a character of the character identity code corresponding to the sensed mobile communication terminal from the memory.

5. The mobile communication terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit displays a music-sharing screen for visually notifying a user that the mobile communication terminal is under a music-sharing mode, when there occurs at least one of the music being reproduced and a spoken comment being generated from the user.

6. The mobile communication terminal as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control unit controls that the character displayed on the music-sharing screen so as to animate the character according to a story suitable for the music.

7. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a local area communication module for enabling the mobile communication terminal to local-area communicate with another mobile communication terminal; and

a control unit for sensing whether there is another mobile communication terminal within a predetermined range by using the local area communication, and transmitting at least one of reproduced music and a user'"'"'s spoken comment to sensed mobile communication terminals when there occurs at least one of the music being reproduced and the user'"'"'s spoken comment being generated by a user of the mobile communication terminal;

wherein the mobile communication terminal and the sensed mobile communication terminals output the reproduced music simultaneously so that the user of the mobile communication terminal and users of the sensed mobile communication terminals can listen to the reproduced music.

8. The mobile communication terminal as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control unit outputs a sound signal transmitted from another mobile communication terminal by using the local area communication.

9. The mobile communication terminal as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a memory for storing at least one of images and moving pictures of one or more characters, wherein each character corresponds to a character identity code,

wherein the control unit displays on a screen at least one of a character image and a character moving picture from the memory corresponding to a character identity code of the sensed mobile communication terminal.

10. The mobile communication terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit reads a character of the character identity code corresponding to the sensed mobile communication terminal from the memory.

11. The mobile communication terminal as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control unit displays a music-sharing screen for visually notifying a user that the mobile communication terminal is under a music-sharing mode, when there occurs at least one of the music being reproduced and the user'"'"'s spoken comment being generated.

12. The mobile communication terminal as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control unit controls that the character displayed on the music-sharing screen so as to animate the character according to a story suitable for the music.

13. A method for character cooperation in a mobile communication terminal which includes a memory for storing at least one of images and moving pictures of one or more characters, and a local area communication module for enabling local area communication with a counterpart mobile communication terminal, the method comprising:

sensing whether there is a counterpart mobile communication terminal within a predetermined range by using the local area communication; and

displaying on a screen at least one of a character image and a character moving picture from the memory corresponding to a character identification code of the counterpart mobile communication terminal when the counterpart mobile communication terminal is sensed.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising transmitting at least one of reproduced music and a user'"'"'s spoken comment to counterpart mobile communication terminals by using the local area communication when there occurs at least one of the music being reproduced and the spoken comment being generated by a user of the mobile communication terminal.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a step of outputting a sound signal transmitted from a counterpart mobile communication terminal by using the local area communication.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising displaying a music-sharing screen for visually notifying the user that the mobile communication terminal is under a music-sharing mode, when there occurs at least one of the music being reproduced and the user'"'"'s spoken comment being generated.

17. A method for sharing music in a mobile communication terminal which includes a memory for storing at least one of images and moving pictures of at least one character, and a local area communication module for enabling local area communication with a counterpart mobile communication terminal, the method comprising:

sensing whether there is a counterpart mobile communication terminal within a predetermined range by using the local area communication; and

transmitting at least one of reproduced music and a user'"'"'s spoken comment to counterpart mobile communication terminals by using the local area communication when there occurs at least one of the music being reproduced and the spoken comment being generated by a user of the mobile communication terminal;

wherein the mobile communication terminal and the counterpart mobile communication terminal output the reproduced music simultaneously so that the user of the mobile communication terminal and users of the counterpart mobile communication terminals can listen to the reproduced music.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising displaying the character corresponding to the sensed counterpart mobile communication terminal on a screen.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising outputting a sound signal received from a counterpart mobile communication terminal by using the local area communication.

20. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising displaying a music-sharing screen for visually notifying a user that the mobile communication terminal under a music-sharing mode, when there occurs at least one of the music being reproduced and the user'"'"'s spoken comment being generated.