Mobile terminal and method for managing phone book data thereof

• US 8,515,398 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2010
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Song, Jiyoung, Chung, Youngseung
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US12/826,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20110053570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/566, 455/550.1, 346/14.02, 346/14.14, 715/810, 715/838, 715/716, 382/118, 382/305
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27457 Management thereof, e.g. manual editing of data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A mobile terminal and a method for managing various phone book data of the mobile terminal are disclosed. A file name of a photo received from the external source or a captured photo are compared with the phone book information and automatically stored in the phone book, thereby minimizing the user manipulation and the process of storing the photo data of the phone book. Also, when a photo of a particular user is selected, a phone book photo is requested from a corresponding user according to a certain requesting method, and when the phone book photo is received from the counterpart user, the corresponding photo is added or updated as a phone book photo, thus improving user convenience.

Claims

1. A method for managing phone book data of a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying a phone book search screen;

comparing a file name of a photo to be stored with a record name of a phone book when photo storage is executed in the phone book search screen; and

automatically designating a photo having the same file name as the record name of the phone book in a photo field of the phone book,

wherein the automatically designating of the photo comprises;

updating information of the photo field with a photo received from an external source or a captured image when a different photo is designated in the photo field of the phone book, and

wherein the updating of the information of the photo field comprises;

recognizing a face from a received photo or a captured image;

recognizing a face of a designated photo in the photo field of the phone book;

calculating a similarity between the recognized face of the received photo or the captured photo and the face of the designated photo; and

updating the information of the photo field of the phone book with the recognized face of the received photo or the captured photo when the calculated similarity is higher than a certain threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically designating of the photo further comprises:

storing a photo having the same file name as the record name of the phone book in a memory; and

storing access path information of the stored photo in the photo field of the phone book.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the automatically designating of the photo further comprises:

storing the photo with a plurality of record names of the phone book in the memory; and

simultaneously designating the photo in the photo field of each record.

4. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a memory configured to display a phone book search screen;

a camera configured to capture a photo;

an interface unit configured to receive a photo from an external source; and

a controller configured to;

compare a file name of a photo received via the interface unit or captured by the camera with a record name of the phone book,

automatically designate a photo having the same file name as the record name of the phone book in a photo field of the phone book,

update information of the photo field with a received photo or a captured image when a different photo is designated in the photo field of the phone book,

store a photo having the same file name as the record name of the phone book in the memory and store access path information of the stored photo in the photo field of the phone book,

recognize a face in the received photo or the captured photo,

recognize a face of a designated photo in the photo field of the phone book,

calculate a similarity between the recognized face of the received photo or the captured photo and the face of the designated photo, and

update the information of the photo field with the recognized face of the received photo or the captured photo having the highest similarity with respect to the designated photo in the photo field of the phone book.