Mobile terminal and chat method in a mobile terminal using an instant messaging service

• US 8,583,086 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2010
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lim, Yong Suk, Shin, Hyun Ho, Cho, Song Rae
• Primary Examiner(s): Georgewill, Opiribo
• Application Number:
  US12/695,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20100267369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/414.1, 455/412.1, 345/173, 345/214, 715/781, 715/823
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A mobile terminal and chat method in a mobile terminal using an instant messaging service are provided. According to the present invention, in the course of a chat with a specific party using an instant messaging service, a specific one of previous chat contents with at least one party including the specific party may be used as a chat content with the specific party.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal for performing a chat, the mobile terminal comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to perform the chat with at least one chat party using an instant messaging service;

a display unit configured to display at least one chat window including a chat content display region and a chat content input region while the chat with the at least one chat party is ongoing, wherein the chat content display region displays at least one message previously transmitted to the at least one chat party and the chat content input region displays at least one new message that is to be transmitted to the at least one chat party;

a user input unit configured to receive a text data by typing input; and

a controller configured to;

control the wireless communication unit to perform the chat with a first chat party,

control the display unit to display a first chat window when the first chat party is selected,

control the wireless communication unit to perform the chat with a second chat party when the second chat party is selected,

control the display unit to display a second chat window including a chat content display region and a chat content input region while the chat with the second chat party is ongoing,

control the display unit to display a lastly transmitted message of a plurality of previous chats with the first chat party in the chat content input region of the second chat window for transmission to the second chat party, and

search at least one transmitted message of the chat with the first chat party via initial character search based on the text data received via the user input unit and control the display unit to display a result of the search in the chat content input region of the second chat window instead of displaying the lastly transmitted message when the text data is received via the user input unit.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display unit to:

delete the lastly transmitted message of the plurality of previous chats with the first chat party from the chat content input region when at least one new text message is input in the chat content input region;

or

edit the lastly transmitted message of the plurality of previous chats with the first chat party when an editing function is selected.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the display unit to display identification information of at least one party that may be selected as the at least one chat party under control of the controller; and

process a selection of the second chat party on the display unit using the displayed identification information.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display unit to display the content of the lastly transmitted message of the plurality of previous chats with the first chat party in the chat content input region of the second chat window such that the content of the lastly transmitted message of the plurality of previous chats is distinguishable from content of the chat with the second chat party.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display unit to switch the first chat window to the second chat window on a same region of the display unit if the second chat party is selected while the chat with the first chat party is ongoing.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display unit to display the transmitted content of the lastly transmitted message of the plurality of previous chats with the first chat party, the transmitted new chat content or the transmitted edited chat content on the chat content display region of the second chat window.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

process an external signal to add a third chat party to receive the content of the lastly transmitted message of the plurality of previous chats with the first chat party; and

control the wireless communication unit to transmit the content of the lastly transmitted message of the plurality of previous chats with the first chat party to the added third chat party.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display unit to display content of a specific one of a plurality of previous chats with the first chat party that also included at least one additional chat party as content of the chat with the second chat party.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the user input unit is further configured to receive an input via a direction key manipulation and wherein the controller is further configured to:

process the input received via the direction key manipulation in order to select at least one specific previous chat content from a displayed list of previous chat contents with at least one chat party; and

control the display unit to display the selected at least one specific previous chat content as content of a chat with each of the first and second chat parties according to the received input.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory configured to store content of the chat with the first and second chat parties.

11. A method for performing a chat in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying at least one chat window including a chat content display region and a chat content input region on a display while a chat with at least one chat party is ongoing, wherein the chat content display region displays at least one message previously transmitted to the at least one chat party and the chat content input region displays at least one new message that is to be transmitted to the at least one chat party;

performing the chat with a first chat party;

displaying a first chat window on the display when the first chat party is selected;

performing the chat with a second chat party when the second chat party is selected;

displaying a second chat window including a chat content display region and a chat content input region while the chat with the second chat party is ongoing;

displaying a lastly transmitted message of a plurality of previous chats with the first chat party in the chat content input region of the second chat window for transmission to the second party; and

searching at least one transmitted message of the chat with the first chat party via initial character search based on a text data and displaying a result of the search in the chat content input region of the second chat window instead of displaying the lastly transmitted message when the text data is received via a user input unit by typing input.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

deleting the lastly transmitted message of a plurality of previous chats with the first chat party from the chat content input region when at least one new text message is input in the chat content input region;

or

editing the lastly transmitted message of a plurality of previous chats with the first chat party when an editing function is selected.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying identification information of at least one party on the display that may be selected as the at least one chat party; and

processing a selection of the second chat party using the displayed identification information.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying the content of the lastly transmitted message of the plurality of previous chats with the first chat party in the chat content input region of the second chat window such that the content of the lastly transmitted message of the plurality of previous chats is distinguishable from content of the chat with the second chat party.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising switching the first chat window to the second chat window on a same region of the display if the second chat party is selected while the chat with the first chat party is ongoing.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying the transmitted content of the lastly transmitted message of the plurality of previous chats with the first chat party, the transmitted new chat content or the transmitted edited chat content on the chat content display region of the second chat window.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

processing an external signal to add a third chat party to receive the content of the lastly transmitted message of the plurality of previous chats with the first chat party; and

transmitting the content of the lastly transmitted message of the plurality of previous chats with the first chat party to the added third chat party.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying content of a specific one of a plurality of previous chats with the first chat party that also included at least one additional chat party as content of the chat with the second chat party.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an input via a direction key manipulation to select at least one specific previous chat content from a displayed list of previous chat contents with at least one chat party; and

displaying the selected at least one specific previous chat content as content of a chat with each of the first and second chat parties according to the received input.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing content of the chat with the first and second chat parties.