Method and apparatus for managing message history data for a mobile communication device

• US 9,020,470 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kang, Ji Eun
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US14/197,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20140187209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 4554121-4122, 455/415, 455/466, 455566-567
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing history data of messages received from and transmitted to other users by a user of a mobile communication device is provided. Message history data is extracted from received and transmitted messages and stored such that a user of the mobile communication device may easily input a conditional request to the device and view message history data associated with a specific other user or message history data identified by conditional data input to the device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying information related to messages, the apparatus comprising:

a display configured to display a list of identifiers, each identifier associated with a corresponding message history; and

a controller configured to cause the display to display a message history associated with an identifier selected from the list in response to an input for selecting the identifier from the list,

wherein the message history associated with the selected identifier is displayed in a first portion of a display screen of the display, and the selected identifier is displayed in a second portion of the display screen,

wherein the displayed message history associated with the selected identifier comprises;

at least one message that was received;

time information associated with the received at least one message;

at least one message that was transmitted;

time information associated with the transmitted at least one message; and

status information indicating whether each of the received at least one message and the transmitted at least one message is a received message or a transmitted message, and

wherein the received and transmitted at least one messages comprise a short message service (SMS) message and a multimedia message service (MMS) message.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the list of identifiers includes only identifiers for which message history data are available.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter controlled by the controller and configured to transmit the message history associated with the selected identifier to another device when a menu item for transmitting the message history is selected from a menu.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause the display to display a password input area in response to the input when the message history associated with the selected identifier is password protected; and

cause the display to display the message history associated with the selected identifier and the selected identifier in response to a password received via the password input area.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises a name or a nickname associated with a specific communication target.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received at least one message and the transmitted at least one message are sorted in chronological order when the message history associated with the selected identifier is displayed.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display content of a file attached to the received or transmitted at least one message in response to an input for selecting the received or transmitted at least one message from the displayed message history associated with the selected identifier.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to include only messages received or transmitted during a specific period of time in the displayed message history in response to an input for specifying the specific period of time.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received or transmitted at least one message is selectively deletable from the displayed message history associated with the selected identifier.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises a phone number associated with a specific communication target.

11. A method for displaying information related to messages in an apparatus configured to communicate messages, the method comprising:

displaying a list of identifiers on a display screen, each identifier associated with a corresponding message history;

receiving an input for selecting an identifier from the list;

displaying a message history associated with the selected identifier in a first portion of the display screen in response to the input; and

displaying the selected identifier in a second portion of the display screen in response to the input,

wherein the displayed message history associated with the selected identifier comprises;

at least one message that was received;

time information associated with the received at least one message;

at least one message that was transmitted;

time information associated with the transmitted at least one message; and

status information indicating whether each of the received at least one message and the transmitted at least one message is a received message or a transmitted message, and

wherein the received and transmitted at least one messages comprise a short message service (SMS) message and a multimedia message service (MMS) message.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the list of identifiers includes only identifiers for which message history data are available.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting the message history associated with the selected identifier to another device when a menu item for transmitting the message history is selected from a menu.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying a password input area in response to the input when the message history associated with the selected identifier is password protected; and

displaying the message history associated with the selected identifier and the selected identifier in response to a password received via the password input area.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the identifier comprises a name or a nickname associated with a specific communication target.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the received at least one message and the transmitted at least one message are sorted in chronological order when the message history associated with the selected identifier is displayed.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying content of a file attached to the received or transmitted at least one message in response to an input for selecting the received or transmitted at least one message from the displayed message history associated with the selected identifier.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein only messages received or transmitted during a specific period of time are included in the displayed message history in response to an input for specifying the specific period of time.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the received or transmitted at least one message is selectively deletable from the displayed message history associated with the selected identifier.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the identifier comprises a phone number associated with a specific communication target.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a processing program stored thereon, wherein the processing program is configured to cause a processor of an apparatus to perform:

displaying a list of identifiers on a display screen, each identifier associated with a corresponding message history;

displaying a message history associated with a selected identifier in a first portion of the display screen in response to an input for selecting the identifier from the list; and

displaying the selected identifier in a second portion of the display screen in response to the input,

wherein the displayed message history associated with the selected identifier comprises;

at least one message that was received;

time information associated with the received at least one message;

at least one message that was transmitted;

time information associated with the transmitted at least one message; and

status information indicating whether each of the received at least one message and the transmitted at least one message is a received message or a transmitted message, and

wherein the received and transmitted at least one messages comprise a short message service (SMS) message and a multimedia message service (MMS) message.

22. The storage medium of claim 21, wherein the list of identifiers includes only identifiers for which message history data are available.

23. The storage medium of claim 21, wherein the processing program is further configured to cause the processor of the apparatus to perform:

transmitting the message history associated with the selected identifier to another device when a menu item for transmitting the message history is selected from a menu.

24. The storage medium of claim 21, wherein the processing program is further configured to cause the processor of the apparatus to perform:

displaying a password input area in response to the input when the message history associated with the selected identifier is password protected; and

displaying the message history associated with the selected identifier and the selected identifier in response to a password received via the password input area.

25. The storage medium of claim 21, wherein the identifier comprises a name or a nickname associated with a specific communication target.

26. The storage medium of claim 21, wherein the processing program is further configured to cause the processor of the apparatus to perform:

sorting the received at least one message and the transmitted at least one message in chronological order when the message history associated with the selected identifier is displayed.

27. The storage medium of claim 21, wherein the processing program is further configured to cause the processor of the apparatus to perform:

displaying content of a file attached to the received or transmitted at least one message in response to an input for selecting the received or transmitted at least one message from the displayed message history associated with the selected identifier.

28. The storage medium of claim 21, wherein only messages received or transmitted during a specific period of time are included in the displayed message history in response to an input for specifying the specific period of time.

29. The storage medium of claim 21, wherein the received or transmitted at least one message is selectively deletable from the displayed message history associated with the selected identifier.