Method and Mobile Communication Terminal For Providing Function of Integration Management of Short Message Service

• US 20080167058A1
• Filed: 06/15/2006
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Eunbok, Kim, Hoojong, Park, Youngmin, Yi, Chaeyong
• Application Number:
  US11/910,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20080167058A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

Disclosed is a mobile communication terminal having a function for integrated management of SMS messages, which including the steps of: (a) allowing a user to input a text message through a text message editor and select one or more options for message transmission in order to input option data and message transmission settings; (b) sending the inputted text message to a counterpart terminal, and receiving a reply text message from the counterpart terminal; and (c) detecting when the user selects a specific phone number or integrated management group name from a list of received messages stored in the message inbox, and displaying messages sent to or received from the selected phone number or integrated management group name altogether on one screen in chronological order

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal capable of outputting messages sent to or received from a counterpart terminal altogether in chronological order from oldest to newest, which comprises:

a key input unit provided with a plurality of alphanumeric keys, a send key, an end key and other function keys for dialing, selecting a menu or inputting a request, and serving as a data input means for selecting a text message integrated management mode and activating a text message editor to input a text message and to select and store message transmission settings;

a display unit for displaying the operational status of the mobile communication terminal, including radio signal strength, battery charge level and current date/time, and displaying a user interface for entering the text message integrated management mode, outputting the messages sent to or received from the counterpart terminal altogether and inputting the message transmission settings;

a memory having a text message integrated management program that enables a user to input and store a text message and message transmission settings, including a sender and at least one recipient, using the text message editor in the text message integrated management mode and to send the inputted text message to the at least one recipient, and that outputs messages sent to or received from the at least one recipient altogether in chronological order when a reply text message is received from the at least one recipient and added to a list of received messages stored in a message inbox; and

a microprocessor for controlling the mobile communication terminal to process data transmission or reception according to a defined communication protocol, implementing the text message integrated management program stored in the memory so as to output an integrated history of messages sent to or received from the counterpart terminal.

2. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said list of received messages includes phone numbers and integrated management group names.

3. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein a specific one of said phone numbers is inputted in a recipient item of message transmission settings in the text message editor when the text message is sent to one recipient.

4. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein a specific one of said integrated management group names is inputted in a recipient item of message transmission settings in the text message editor when the text message is sent to one or more recipients under the specific integrated management group name.

5. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said text message editor includes a message edit item, a sender item, a recipient item and an integrated management group name item.

6. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said microprocessor adds any further messages sent to or received from a specific phone number or integrated management group name stored in the message inbox to the previous history of messages sent to or received from the specific phone number or group name so that all the messages can be integrated and outputted altogether to the display unit.

7. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said microprocessor detects when the user selects two or more phone numbers or an integrated management group name stored in the message inbox and presses a key to send an inputted text message, and controls the mobile communication terminal to send the text message simultaneously to the multiple recipients of the selected phone numbers or integrated management group name.

8. A method for integrated management of text messages in a mobile communication terminal, which comprises the steps of:

(a) allowing a user to input a text message through a text message editor and select one or more options for message transmission in order to input option data and message transmission settings;

(b) sending the inputted text message to a counterpart terminal, and receiving a reply text message from the counterpart terminal; and

(c) detecting when the user selects a specific phone number or integrated management group name from a list of received messages stored in the message inbox, and displaying messages sent to or received from the selected phone number or integrated management group name altogether on one screen in chronological order.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of:

(d) adding any further messages sent to or received from a specific phone number or integrated management group name stored in the message inbox to the previous history of messages sent to or received from the specific phone number or group name so that all the messages can be integrated and outputted altogether.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step (b) includes:

detecting when the user selects two or more phone numbers or an integrated management group name stored in the message inbox and presses a key to send an inputted text message; and

sending the text message simultaneously to the multiple recipients of the selected phone numbers or integrated management group name.