Apparatus for controlling a multimedia message in a user equipment of a wireless communication system and method thereof

• US 9,300,785 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2011
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Joowoo, Seo, Kyunghye, Chang, Minkyoung, Baek, Songyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Harris, Dorothy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shapiro, Leonid
• Application Number:
  US13/205,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20120306774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/55, 345/690
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling a multimedia message in a user equipment of a wireless communication system and method thereof are disclosed. The present invention includes a touchscreen configured to display at least one first region corresponding to each message exchange unit and a second region for displaying an information of a content exchanged via the first region and a controller, if the information of the content displayed on the second region is selected, controlling the selected content information to be displayed on the at least one first region. In this case, the message exchange unit includes a group comprising at least two message exchange targets which are identified by at least one identification information.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touchscreen; and

a controller configured to;

cause the touchscreen to display a first message interface displaying simultaneously messages transmitted from the mobile terminal to a first device and displaying simultaneously messages received at the mobile terminal from the first device;

cause the touchscreen to display a second message interface displaying simultaneously messages transmitted from the mobile terminal to a second device and displaying simultaneously messages received at the mobile terminal from the second device;

cause the touchscreen to display a queue region, wherein the displayed messages of the first message interface, the displayed messages of the second message interface, and the queue region, are all displayed simultaneously during a period of time;

cause the touchscreen to display in the queue region a first item representative of content associated with a selected message displayed in the first message interface; and

cause the touchscreen to display in the queue region a second item representative of content associated with a selected message displayed in the second message interface;

wherein the queue region is displayed to be directly adjacent to the first and second message interfaces;

wherein the first and second message interfaces and the queue region are each independently scrollable in first and second opposing directions; and

wherein the first and second items in the queue region are displayed chronologically according to when they are copied from a respective one of the first or second message interface to the queue region, regardless of which of the first or second message interface they are copied from, wherein

the received and displayed messages of the first message interface and the received and displayed messages of the second message interface each include text displayed adjacent to timing information indicating when a respective message was received at the mobile terminal, wherein

the first item displayed in the queue region includes the text of a respective message of the first message interface and does not include the timing information of the respective message of the first message interface; and

wherein

the second item displayed in the queue region includes the text of a respective message of the second message interface and does not include the timing information of the respective message of the second message interface.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein

the first item displayed in the queue region includes only a partial portion of the text of a respective message of the first message interface.

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

a transmitter operatively coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is further configured to;

transmit a message to the first device, wherein the message comprises information which is displayed in the first message interface.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein each of the first message interface and the second message interface corresponds to one of a message menu, a social network service (SNS) menu, or an email menu.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the queue region is displayed to be below each of the first and second message interfaces.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein

one of the displayed messages of the first message interface and one of the displayed messages of the second message interface each include text displayed adjacent to a status indicator, wherein

the first item displayed in the queue region includes the text of the one of the displayed messages of the first message interface and does not include the status indicator of the one of the displayed messages of the first message interface;

and wherein

the second item displayed in the queue region includes the text of the one of the displayed messages of the second message interface and does not include the status indicator of the one of the displayed messages of the second message interface.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein

the displayed messages of the first message interface and the displayed messages of the second message interface each include text displayed adjacent to information generated by the mobile terminal, wherein

the first item displayed in the queue region includes the text of a respective message of the first message interface and does not include information generated by the mobile terminal of the respective message of the first message interface;

and wherein

the second item displayed in the queue region includes the text of a respective message of the second message interface and does not include information generated by the mobile terminal of the respective message of the second message interface.

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

a memory that stores images and is operatively coupled to the controller which is further configured to;

cause the touchscreen to display a first image of the images at the first message interface, wherein the first image is associated with the first device.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, the first message interface and the second message interface correspond to the same menu.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein a first user of the first device includes a group comprising at least two users, wherein each of the at least two users is identifiable by at least one identification information.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first message interface comprises a right side, a left side, and a bottom side;

and wherein

the second message interface comprises a right side, a left side, and a bottom side; and

wherein

the right side of the first message interface is adjacent to the left side of the second message interface.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the queue region is adjacent to the bottom side of both the first message interface and the second message interface, and wherein a width of the queue region extends from a left side of the first message interface to a right side of the second message interface.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the queue region permits content associated with selected messages of any of the messages of the first message interface and any of the messages of the second message interface to be virtually copied to the queue region.

14. A method performed at a mobile terminal having a touchscreen, the method comprising:

displaying, on the touchscreen, a first message interface displaying simultaneously messages transmitted from the mobile terminal to a first device and displaying messages received at the mobile terminal from the first device;

displaying, on the touchscreen, a second message interface displaying simultaneously messages transmitted from the mobile terminal to a second device and displaying messages received at the mobile terminal from the second device;

displaying, on the touchscreen, a queue region, wherein the displayed messages of the first message interface, the displayed messages of the second message interface, and the queue region, are all displayed simultaneously during a period of time;

displaying in the queue region a first item representative of content associated with a selected message displayed in the first message interface; and

displaying in the queue region a second item representative of content associated with a selected message displayed in the second message interface;

wherein the queue region is displayed to be directly adjacent to the first and second message interfaces;

wherein the first and second message interfaces and the queue region are each independently scrollable in first and second opposing directions; and

wherein the first and second items in the queue region are displayed chronologically according to when they are copied from a respective one of the first or second message interface to the queue region, regardless of which of the first or second message interface they are copied from, wherein

the received and displayed messages of the first message interface and the received and displayed messages of the second message interface each include text displayed adjacent to timing information indicating when a respective message was received at the mobile terminal, wherein

the first item displayed in the queue region includes the text of a respective message of the first message interface and does not include the timing information of the respective message of the first message interface; and

wherein

the second item displayed in the queue region includes the text of a respective message of the second message interface and does not include the timing information of the respective message of the second message interface.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein

the first item displayed in the queue region includes only a partial portion of the text of a respective message of the first message interface.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting a message to the first device, wherein the message comprises information which is displayed in the first message interface.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the messages exchanged of the first message interface are SMS messages, and the messages exchanged of the second message interface are email messages.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the queue region is displayed to be below each of the first and second message interfaces.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein

one of the displayed messages of the first message interface and one of the displayed messages of the second message interface each include text displayed adjacent to a status indicator, wherein

the first item displayed in the queue region includes the text of the one of the displayed messages of the first message interface and does not include the status indicator of the one of the displayed messages of the first message interface;

and wherein

the second item displayed in the queue region includes the text of the one of the displayed messages of the second message interface and does not include the status indicator of the one of the displayed messages of the second message interface.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein

the displayed messages of the first message interface and the displayed messages of the second message interface each include text displayed adjacent to information generated by the mobile terminal, wherein

the first item displayed in the queue region includes the text of a respective message of the first message interface and does not include information generated by the mobile terminal of the respective message of the first message interface;

and wherein

the second item displayed in the queue region includes the text of a respective message of the second message interface and does not include information generated by the mobile terminal of the respective message of the second message interface.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing images in a memory of the mobile terminal; and

cause the touchscreen to display a first image of the images at the first message interface, wherein the first image is associated with the first device.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the first message interface and the second message interface corresponds to one of a message menu, a social network service (SNS) menu, or an email menu.

23. The method of claim 14, the first message interface and the second message interface correspond to the same application.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein a first user of the first device includes a group comprising at least two users, wherein each of the at least two users is identifiable by at least one identification information.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the first message interface comprises a right side, a left side, and a bottom side;

and wherein

the second message interface comprises a right side, a left side, and a bottom side; and

wherein

the right side of the first message interface is adjacent to the left side of the second message interface.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the queue region is adjacent to the bottom side of both the first message interface and the second message interface, and wherein a width of the queue region extends from a left side of the first message interface to a right side of the second message interface.

27. The method of claim 14, wherein the queue region permits content associated with selected messages of any of the messages of the first message interface and any of the messages of the second message interface to be virtually copied to the queue region.

28. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touchscreen; and

a controller configured to;

cause the touchscreen to display a first text message interface displaying simultaneously text messages transmitted from the mobile terminal to a first device and displaying simultaneously text messages received at the mobile terminal from the first device

cause the touchscreen to display a second text message interface displaying simultaneously text messages transmitted from the mobile terminal to a second device and displaying text messages received at the mobile terminal from the second device;

cause the touchscreen to display a queue region, wherein the displayed messages of the first text message interface, the displayed messages of the second text message interface, and the queue region, are all displayed simultaneously during a period of time;

cause the touchscreen to display in the queue region a first text representative of content associated with a selected text message displayed in the first text message interface; and

cause the touchscreen to display in the queue region a second text representative of content associated with a selected text message displayed in the second text message interface;

wherein the queue region is displayed to be directly adjacent to the first and second text message interfaces;

wherein the first and second text message interfaces and the queue region are each independently scrollable in first and second opposing directions; and

wherein the first text and the second text in the queue region are displayed chronologically according to when they are copied from a respective one of the first or second message text message interface to the queue region, regardless of which of the first or the second text message interface they are copied from, wherein

the received and displayed text messages of the first text message interface and the received and displayed text messages of the second text message interface are displayed adjacent to timing information indicating when a respective text message was received at the mobile terminal, wherein

the first text displayed in the queue region includes the text of a respective message of the first text message interface and does not include the timing information of the respective text message of the first text message interface; and

wherein

the second text displayed in the queue region includes the text of a respective message of the second text message interface and does not include the timing information of the respective text message of the second text message interface.

29. The mobile terminal of claim 28, further comprising:

a transmitter operatively coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is further configured to;

transmit a text message to the first device, wherein the text message comprises information which is displayed in the first text message interface.

30. The mobile terminal of claim 28, further comprising:

a memory that stores images and is operatively coupled to the controller which is further configured to;

cause the touchscreen to display a first image of the images at the first text message interface, wherein the first image is associated with a user of the first device.

31. The mobile terminal of claim 28, wherein the first text message interface comprises a right side, a left side, and a bottom side;

and wherein

the second text message interface comprises a right side, a left side, and a bottom side; and

wherein

the right side of the first text message interface is adjacent to the left side of the second text message interface.