Mobile terminal and group chat controlling method thereof

• US 8,667,403 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2010
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kwon, Yeaeun, Gong, Yongmun, Suh, Wonyong, Yi, Suhjin, Sohn, Sungmin, Kim, Yunghee
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Velez-Lopez, Mario M
• Application Number:
  US12/824,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20110296320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 715/758, 715/752, 715/753, 379/88.17
• US Class Current: 715/758
• 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 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1854 with non-centralised forwarding system, e.g. chaincast
• 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 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

A mobile terminal and group chat controlling method thereof are disclosed, by which a chat content transceived in an performed group chat after a join-impossible state can be received in the course of performing the group chat if impossible to join the group chat. The present invention includes performing a group chat with a plurality of counterparts, displaying a chat window of the performed group chat, if the mobile terminal is impossible to join the group chat (i.e., if the mobile terminal enters a join-impossible state) in the course of performing the group chat, receiving chat contents transceived among a plurality of the counterparts in the performed group chat after the join-impossible state, and displaying the received chat contents.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to perform a group chat with a plurality of counterparts;

a display configured to display multiple chat windows of the performed group chat, the multiple chat windows including an upper instant message chat window and a lower non-instant message chat window,

the lower non-instant message chat window including a text message chat window, an email chat window, or a short range wireless communication chat window; and

a processor configured to;

before the group chat is terminated in response to an intentional withdrawal from the group chat, or before the wireless communication unit is terminated from a first communication network and is newly connected to a second communication network, receive via the first communication network a first message including chat contents transmitted by at least one of the plurality of counterparts in the group chat, and control the display to display the chat contents of the received first message in the upper instant message chat window only,

determine whether the group chat is terminated in response to the intentional withdrawal from the group chat, or whether the wireless communication unit is terminated from the first communication network and is newly connected to the second communication network,

when the wireless communication unit is terminated from the first communication network and is newly connected to the second communication network, control the display to display an inquiry message for disconnecting from the group chat, and when an input is received via the inquiry message to disconnect from the group chat, control the wireless communication unit to not transmit any chat contents of any messages, and after the wireless communication unit is terminated from the first communication network and is newly connected to the second communication network, and an input is received via the inquiry message to not disconnect from the group chat, receive via the second communication network an unrequested second message including chat contents transmitted by the at least one counterpart in the performed group chat and control the display to display the chat contents of the received second message in the lower non-instant message chat window only.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the display distinguishably displays the chat contents of the second message, after the wireless communication unit is terminated from the first communication network and is newly connected to the second communication network.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the processor sets a reception environment of the chat contents of the second message to receive, after the wireless communication unit is terminated from the first communication network and is newly connected to the second communication network, and wherein the wireless communication unit receives the chat contents of the second message to correspond to the set reception environment under control of the processor.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit receives the chat contents of the second message to correspond to a transmission environment set by each of the plurality of counterparts in association with the chat contents of the second message to receive, after the wireless communication unit is terminated from the first communication network and is newly connected to the second communication network.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein,

when the wireless communication unit is reconnected to the first communication network, the processor is further configured to:

receive via the first communication network a third message including chat contents transmitted by the at least one counterpart,

transmit a fourth message including input message content to the plurality of counterparts, and control the display to display the input message content included in the fourth message within the multiple chat windows.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein,

when the wireless communication unit is reconnected to the first communication network, the wireless communication unit rejoins the performed group chat via the first communication network, under control of the processor and the display displays the multiple chat windows of the rejoined group chat under the control of the processor.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein after the wireless communication unit is reconnected to the first communication network, the wireless communication unit receives via the first communication network a third message including chat contents transmitted by the at least one counterpart, and

wherein the multiple chat windows of the rejoined group chat include the chat contents of the third message transmitted by the at least one counterpart.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein after the wireless communication unit is reconnected to the first communication network, a transmission time of the third message is enumerated with reference to an input time of the third message.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein,

when the wireless communication unit is reconnected to the first communication network, the processor is further configured to:

transmit a fourth message including input message content to the plurality of counterparts, set a transmission environment of the input message content of the fourth message to transmit after the wireless communication unit is reconnected to the first communication network, and transmit the input message content of the fourth message to correspond to the set transmission environment under control of the processor.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein if a transmission of the fourth message is granted by a remaining chatter of the group chat, the wireless communication unit transmits the input message content of the fourth message after the wireless communication unit is reconnected to the first communication network.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the wireless communication unit transmits the input message content of the fourth message to remaining chatters of the group chat under control of the processor after the wireless communication unit is reconnected to the first communication network.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the wireless communication unit transmits the input message content of the fourth message to chatters remaining in the group chat by real time or with a predetermined time interval under control of the processor after the wireless communication unit is reconnected to the first communication network.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the display is further configured to display a normal join-impossible state or an abnormal join- impossible state for each of the plurality of counterparts based on whether the group chat is terminated in response to the intentional withdrawal from the group chat, or whether the wireless communication unit is terminated from the first communication network and is newly connected to the second communication network, respectively.

14. A method of controlling a group chat in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

performing a group chat with a plurality of counterparts;

displaying, via a display in the mobile terminal, multiple chat windows of the performed group chat, the multiple chat windows including an upper instant message chat window and a lower non-instant message chat window, the lower non-instant message chat window including a text message chat window, an email chat window, or a short range wireless communication chat window;

before a wireless communication unit of the mobile terminal is terminated in response to an intentional withdrawal from the group chat, or before the wireless communication unit is terminated from the first communication network and is newly connected to the second communication network, receiving via the first communication network a first message including chat contents transmitted by at least one of the plurality of counterparts in the performed group chat, and displaying, via the display, the chat contents of the received first message in the upper instant message chat window only;

determining, via a processor in the mobile terminal, whether the group chat is terminated in response to an intentional withdrawal from the group chat, or whether the wireless communication unit is terminated from the first communication network and is newly connected to the second communication network;

when the wireless communication unit is terminated from the first communication network and is newly connected to the second communication network, displaying, via the display, an inquiry message for disconnecting from the group chat, and when an input is received via the inquiry message to disconnect from the group chat, controlling the wireless communication unit to not transmit any chat contents of any messages; and

after the wireless communication unit is terminated from the first communication network and is newly connected to the second communication network, contents, and an input is received via the inquiry message to not disconnect from the group chat, receiving via the second communication network an unrequested second message including chat contents transmitted by the at least one counterpart in the performed group and displaying, via the display, the chat contents of the received second message in the lower non- instant message chat window only.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

setting a reception environment of the chat contents of the second message to receive after the wireless communication unit is terminated from the first communication network and is newly connected to the second communication network; and

receiving the chat contents of the second message to correspond to the set reception environment.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

when the wireless communication unit is reconnected to the first communication network, receiving via the first communication network a

third message including chat contents transmitted by the at least one counterpart;

transmitting a fourth message including input message content to the plurality of counterparts; and

displaying, via the display, the input message content of the fourth message within the multiple chat windows.