Mobile communication terminal and method for warning a user of a low-voltage state of the same

• US 7,099,693 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2004
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Dong-Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, David Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/822,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20040214613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 455/523, 455/562, 455/522, 455/412.2, 455/524, 455/402, 455/412.1, 455/413, 455/418, 455/425, 455/552
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile communication terminal and a method for warning a user of a low-voltage state of the terminal. The method includes the steps of pre-storing a low-voltage alarm message in a memory, checking a voltage level of a battery in a call connection mode, and if the voltage level of the battery is lower than a predetermined voltage, reading the low-voltage alarm message from the memory and transmitting the read low-voltage alarm message to a called terminal communicating with the mobile communication terminal. A caller mobile communication terminal can thus inform a called mobile communication terminal that the breaking of a call connection state was caused by a low-voltage state of a battery of the caller terminal.

Claims

1. A method for warning a user of a low-voltage state of a mobile communication terminal, comprising the steps of:

a) pre-storing a Short Message Service (SMS) or Out-Going Message (Voice OGM) low-voltage alarm message in a memory;

b) checking a voltage level of a battery in a call connection mode; and

c) if the voltage level of the battery is lower than a predetermined voltage, reading the low-voltage alarm message from the memory, transmitting the read low-voltage alarm message to a called terminal communicating with the mobile communication terminal, and selecting one of the SMS message and the Voice OGM;

if the SMS message is selected, transmitting the low-voltage alarm message to the called mobile communication terminal using the SMS message; and

if the Voice OGM is selected, transmitting the Voice OGM to the called terminal through a traffic channel.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein step (c) includes the steps of:

recognizing a phone number of the called terminal; and

transmitting the low-voltage alarm message using an SMS message.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the low-voltage alarm message is a Voice OGM.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein step (c) further includes the steps of:

recognizing a phone number of the called terminal; and

if the phone number of the called terminal is not recognized, selecting the Voice OGM to be the low-voltage alarm message.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1,

wherein step (c) includes the steps of:

recognizing a phone number of the called terminal;

determining whether the phone number of the called terminal is a mobile communication phone number or a fixed line phone number; and

if the phone number of the called terminal is a mobile communication phone number, transmitting the SMS message to the called terminal as the low-voltage alarm message.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5, wherein step (c) further includes the step of:

if the phone number of the called terminal is determined to be a fixed line phone number, transmitting the Voice OGM as the low-voltage alarm message to the called terminal through a traffic channel.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

d) after transmitting the low-voltage alarm message, cutting off a voltage received from the battery.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

previously preparing a Voice OGM written in languages of a plurality of countries as the low-voltage alarm message, and

wherein step (c) includes the steps of;

recognizing a phone number of the called terminal;

determining whether the phone number of the called terminal is a domestic phone number or an international phone number; and

if the phone number of the called terminal is an international phone number, reading from the memory a Voice OGM in a language of a country corresponding to the international phone number as the low-voltage alarm message, and transmitting the read Voice OGM over a traffic channel.

9. A mobile communication terminal apparatus, comprising:

a voltage detector for detecting a battery voltage;

a message storage unit for storing a low-voltage alarm message therein; and

a controller for transmitting the low-voltage alarm message to a called terminal when the battery voltage is lower than a predetermined voltage, wherein

the controller determines whether a phone number of the called terminal is a mobile communication phone number or a fixed line phone number, transmits a Short Message Service (SMS) message as the low-voltage alarm message when the phone number of the called terminal is a mobile communication phone number, and transmits a Out-Going Message (Voice OGM) as the low-voltage alarm message when the phone number of the called terminal is a fixed line phone number.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein

the low-voltage alarm message is an SMS message.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein

the low-voltage alarm message is a Voice OGM.

12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein

the message storage unit stores a Voice OGM written in languages of a plurality of countries prior to a call, and

the controller determines whether the phone number of the called terminal is a domestic phone number or an international phone number, reads a Voice OGM of a corresponding country from the memory storage unit if the phone number of the called terminal is determined to be an international phone number, and transmits the read Voice OGM as the low-voltage alarm message.

13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the controller transmits a Voice OGM as the low-voltage alarm message when a phone number of the called terminal is not recognized.