Displaying received message with icon

• US 8,984,444 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: O, Mi Kyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Levy, Amy M
• Application Number:
  US12/014,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20080201664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,618 Days
• Field of Search: 841/69, 379/374, 455/466, 707912-922, 709204-206, 835/837, 835/864, 835/865, 715/198, 715/810, 345/326, 345/339, 345/348, 345/589, 345/629
• US Class Current: 715/837
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging

Abstract

A method for displaying a received message on a terminal. The method includes receiving messages, displaying on a display unit of the terminal different icons according to a type of the received messages, and displaying on the display unit of the terminal information indicating a number of unread received messages among the received messages.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a received message on a terminal, the method comprising:

storing, in a memory of the terminal, a library of icons including message icons having different shapes for representing different types of messages, contents icons having different shapes for representing different types of a plurality of contents of files attached to the message, and number icons for indicating numbers of the files,

wherein the message icons include an e-mail icon, a short message icon, a multimedia message icon, and an integrated message icon,

wherein the integrated message icon indicates all of the e-mail icon, the short message icon and the multimedia message icon in an overlapping manner as a single icon,

wherein the contents icons include an audio contents icon, an image contents icon, a video contents icon, and a combined contents icon, and

wherein the combined contents icon indicates all of the audio content icon, the image contents icon and the video contents icon in an overlapping manner as a single icon;

receiving, via a wireless communication unit, at least one message;

determining, via a controller of the terminal, a type of each of the received at least one message, and a number of the at least one file attached to a multimedia message and a type of contents of each of at least one file attached to the multimedia message when the type of each of the received at least one message is the multimedia message including the at least one file;

searching the library of icons for at least one message icon, a number icon and at least one contents icon, based on the type of each of the received at least one message, the number of the at least one file attached to the multimedia message, and the type of contents of each of the at least one file;

displaying, on an indicator area of a display unit of the terminal, the searched at least one message icon corresponding to the type of each of the received at least one message and when the received at least one message is the multimedia message, further displaying the searched number icon and the searched at least one contents icon in an overlapping manner and the combined contents icon is displayed instead of each of the audio contents icon, the image contents icon and the video contents icon when the received multimedia message includes all of an audio file, image file, and video file,

wherein the displaying step displays two or more different shapes of message icons in an overlapping manner when the received at least one message includes two or more different types of messages and displays the integrated message icon when the received at least one message includes all of an e-mail, a short message, and a multimedia message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the searched at least one message icon includes a character corresponding to the type of each of the received at least one message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the contents icons has a color for representing the different types of the plurality of contents.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the searched at least one message icon is displayed in a blinking manner according to the different types of messages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed contents icons corresponding to the different types of the plurality of contents of files attached to the multimedia message comprise at least one particular indicator, the shape of the at least one particular indicator corresponding to the different types of the plurality of contents of files attached to the multimedia message such that a user can determine the type of the plurality of contents by viewing the displayed contents icons.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the shape of the at least one particular indicator comprises a camera shape or camera image, a musical note shape or musical note image, or a video shape or video image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed message icon disappears from the display unit when there are no unread messages for the corresponding displayed message icon.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying step further displays the icons in the combined contents icon overlapping each other to indicate the different types of the plurality of contents of files attached to the multimedia message, respectively.

9. A mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a memory configured to store a library of icons including message icons having different shapes for representing different types of messages, contents icons having different shapes for representing different types of a plurality of contents of files attached to the message, and number icons for indicating numbers of the files,

wherein the message icons include an e-mail icon, a short message icon, a multimedia message icon, and an integrated message icon,

wherein the integrated message icon indicates all of the e-mail icon, the short message icon and the multimedia message icon in an overlapping manner as a single icon,

wherein the contents icons include an audio contents icon, an image contents icon, a video contents icon, and a combined contents icon and

wherein the combined contents icon indicates all of the audio content icon, the image

contents icon and the video contents icon in an overlapping manner as a single icon;

a wireless communication unit configured to receive at least one message;

a controller configured to;

determine a type of each of the received at least one message, and a number of the at least one file attached to a multimedia message and a type of contents of each of at least one file attached to the multimedia message when the type of each of the received at least one message is the multimedia message including the at least one file, and

search the library of icons for at least one message icon, a number icon and at least one contents icon, based on the type of each of the received at least one message, the number of the at least one file attached to the multimedia message, and the type of contents of each of the at least one file; and

a display unit configured to;

display, on an indicator area of a display unit of the terminal, the searched at least one message icon corresponding to the type of each of the received at least one message and when the received at least one message is the multimedia message, further displaying the searched number icon and the searched at least one contents icon in an overlapping manner and the combined contents icon is displayed instead of each of the audio contents icon, the image contents icon and the video contents icon when the received multimedia message includes all of an audio file, image file, and video file,

wherein the display step displays two or more different shapes of message icons in an overlapping manner when the received at least one message includes two or more different types of messages and displays the integrated message icon when the received at least one message includes all of an e-mail, a short message, and a multimedia message.

10. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, wherein each of the message icons includes a character corresponding to the type of the at least one message.

11. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, wherein the displayed contents icons corresponding to the different types of the plurality of contents of files attached to the multimedia message comprise at least one particular indicator,

wherein the at least one particular indicator has a color for representing the different types of the plurality of contents, and

wherein the controller is further configured to display the message icons in a blinking manner according to the different types of messages.

12. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, wherein the shape of the at least one particular indicator comprises a camera shape or camera image, a musical note shape or musical note image, or a video shape or video image.

13. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, wherein the display unit displays the icons in the combined contents icon overlapping each other to indicate the different types of the plurality of contents of files attached to the multimedia message, respectively.