Message display unit and message display method for mobile communication terminal

• US 20060158460A1
• Filed: 01/12/2006
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Uh, Soo-Ji
• Application Number:
  US11/331,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20060158460A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

A message display method for a mobile communication terminal comprising changing either a color of letters of a message displayed on a screen or a color of a background of the message or both to be similar to or the same as each other.

Claims

1. A message display method for a mobile communication terminal, comprising:

displaying a message on a displaying unit; and

displaying the displayed message only in a display region set by a user.

2. A message display method for a mobile communication terminal, comprising a first step of displaying a message on a displaying unit;

and

a second step of displaying the message so that the message can be better read in a display region set by a user than in a display region that has not been set by the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the display region set by a user comprises a region preset based on at least one of lines, letters, words, and cursors.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein in the second step, a color of letters or a color of a background of a region excluding the display region set by the user is changed, or the color of letters of the region excluding the display region set by the user is lightly changed.

5. A message display apparatus for a mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a displaying unit for displaying a color of letters of a message and a color of a background of the message; and

a controlling unit for controlling the displaying unit so that the message can be better read in a display region set by a user than in a display region that has not been set by the user.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the display region set by the user comprises a region preset based on at least one of lines, letters, words, and cursors.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controlling unit changes a color of letters or a color of a background of a region excluding the display region set by the user, or lightly changes the color of letters of a region excluding the display region set by the user.

8. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a display screen to display information;

an input device to allow a user to input information and move a cursor on the display screen; and

a processor cooperating with the display screen and the input device to perform the steps of,

detecting a position of the cursor on the display screen, and

processing the displayed information based upon the detected position of the cursor, such that at least a portion of the displayed information cannot be easily recognized.

9. The terminal of claim 8, wherein the detecting and processing steps are part of a private viewing option that is selectable by the user.

10. The terminal of claim 9, wherein the private viewing option is performed while the user inputs a text message or while the user reads a received text message or both.

11. The terminal of claim 8, wherein the displayed information comprises text and background.

12. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the processing is performed by graphically changing the text, the background, or both, such that the text cannot be easily discerned.

13. The terminal of claim 12, wherein a text color, a background color, or both are changed to be similar or the same with each other.

14. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the processing is performed on the entire display screen excluding the entire line of text where the cursor is located or excluding a certain number of text characters located before the cursor.

15. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the cursor is moved by the user when the user inputs a text message or when the user reads a received text message.

16. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the cursor moves automatically to select each line of text to allow the user to read a received text message in a line-by-line manner, while other portions of text cannot be easily discerned.

17. The terminal of claim 16, wherein a speed of the cursor movement is selectable by the user.

18. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the processing is performed by graphically changing the text, the background, or both, such that the text is obscured except for a window region in which the text can be easily discerned.

19. The terminal of claim 18, wherein a size of the window region is within a range from one character length up to an entire line of the display screen.

20. The terminal of claim 18, wherein a size of the window region is adjustable by the user.

21. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the processing is achieved by graphically concealing the displayed information such that only portions thereof can be visually recognized.