Mobile communication terminal having a direct dial function using call history and method for performing the function

• US 8,311,519 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2009
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pantech Co. Ltd. (Pantech Incorporated)
• Inventors: KIM, Kangyub
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trandai, Scott
• Application Number:
  US12/412,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20090305679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 379/134, 379/114.2, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/355.02, 37926501-26509, 455/411, 455/406, 455/420, 455/557, 455/556.1, 455/415, 455/413, 4554121-4122, 455/552.1, 455/566
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs

Abstract

A mobile communication terminal call history displays call distinguishing icons representing the types of calls performed with counterparts. The call types include sent and received voice calls, video calls, and messages. If a user selects one call distinguishing icon displayed on a mobile communication terminal'"'"'s display unit, a voice call or a video call is sent to the counterpart or a screen on which a message can be written to the counterpart is displayed, according to the call type of the selected call distinguishing icon. The user can directly select a counterpart and the call type to be sent to the counterpart by selecting one of the call distinguishing icons displayed on the display unit. A desired call distinguishing icon can be selected by entering a command on a touch screen, a keypad, or by voice command.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal having a direct dialing function comprising:

a display unit to display a latest call history comprising call distinguishing icons corresponding to a first counterpart arranged in a chronological order according to call history information, the call distinguishing icons comprising video call, message, and voice call icons;

a memory unit to store the call history information generated when a voice call, a video call, or a message is sent from or received by the mobile communication terminal; and

a controller to generate a video call or a message according to the type of the first call distinguishing icon when the first call distinguishing icon is selected.

2. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the latest call history further comprises a second call distinguishing icon corresponding to the first counterpart, the second call distinguishing icon comprising a voice call icon, the video call icon, or the message icon.

3. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the first call distinguishing icon is selected by receiving a user command on a surface of the display unit in a region corresponding to the first call distinguishing icon.

4. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the first call distinguishing icon is selected by a command received from key input unit provided in the mobile communication terminal or by a verbal command.

5. The mobile communication terminal of claim 2, wherein the controller sends a voice call to the first counterpart when the voice call icon is selected, sends a video call to the first counterpart when the video call icon is selected, and provides a screen on which a message can be written to the first counterpart when the message icon is selected.

6. The mobile communication terminal of claim 2, wherein the latest call history further comprises a third call distinguishing icon corresponding to a second counterpart, the third call distinguishing icon comprising the voice call icon, the video call icon, or the message icon.

7. A method for performing a direct dialing function comprising:

displaying a call history comprising call distinguishing icons corresponding to a first counterpart arranged in a chronological order according to call history information on a display unit of a mobile communication terminal, the first call distinguishing icons comprising video call, message, and voice call icons;

selecting the first call distinguishing icon; and

generating a video call or a message according to the type of the first call distinguishing icon to the first counterpart.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the call history further includes a second call distinguishing icon corresponding to the first counterpart on the display unit, the second call distinguishing icon comprising a voice call icon, the video call icon, or the message icon.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting the first call distinguishing icon comprises touching a surface of the display unit in a region corresponding to the first call distinguishing icon.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting the first call distinguishing icon comprises entering a command to a key input unit in the mobile communication terminal or speaking a verbal command.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the video call or the message comprises:

sending the video call to the first counterpart when the first call distinguishing icon is the video call icon; and

providing a screen on which a message can be written to a counterpart when the first call distinguishing icon is the message icon.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the call history further includes a third call distinguishing icon corresponding to a second counterpart on the display unit, the third call distinguishing icon comprising the voice call icon, the video call icon, or the message icon.

13. A mobile communication terminal having a direct dialing function comprising:

a display unit to display multiple call distinguishing icons corresponding to a first counterpart on a first portion of a first row and to display counterpart information of the first counterpart on a second portion of the first row, the multiple call distinguishing icons being arranged in a chronological order according to call history information and comprising video call, message, and voice call icons;

a memory unit to store the call history information of the first counterpart when a voice call, a video call, or a message is sent from, or received by the mobile communication terminal in association with the first counterpart; and

a controller to generate a video call or a message to the first counterpart according to the type of a corresponding call distinguishing icon when one of the multiple call distinguishing icon is selected.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first portion comprises multiple sub-columns, and the display unit displays the multiple call distinguishing icons on each of the multiple sub-columns, respectively.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first portion is a first column of the first row and the second portion is a second column of the first row.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein

the multiple call distinguishing icons comprise the video call icon, the message icon, and a voice call icon,

the voice call icon is a sent voice call icon, a received voice call icon, or a missed voice call icon,

the video call icon is a sent video call icon, a received video call icon, or a missed video call icon, and

the message icon is a sent message icon, or a received message icon.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the first portion is updated by call history information of the first counterpart when a voice call, a video call, or a message corresponding to the first counterpart is sent from, received by, or missed by the mobile communication terminal, and the display unit displays the call history information of the first counterpart on the first portion of the first row and on the second portion of the first row.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the first portion and the second portion is updated by call history information of a second counterpart when a voice call, a video call, or message corresponding to the second counterpart is sent from, received by, or missed by the mobile communication terminal, and the display unit displays the call history information of the second counterpart in the first portion of the first row and in the second portion of the first row.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the display unit displays the multiple call distinguishing icons corresponding to the first counterpart on each of multiple sub-columns of a first portion of a second row, respectively, and displays first counterpart information of the first counterpart in a second portion of the second row.