Apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving message in mobile communication terminal with touch screen

• US 8,855,688 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2010
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Yun-Ri, Choi, Pil-Sik
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US12/897,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20110086648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,464 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/412.1, 455/458, 455/459, 455/466, 455/566, 715/165, 715/773, 715/769, 715/700, 715/733, 715/752, 709/220, 709/222, 709/223, 709/225, 709/226, 345/156
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device

Abstract

An apparatus and method for transmitting/receiving a message in a mobile communication terminal with a touch screen are provided. The method includes generating a Simple Contact Object (SCO) mapped to at least one contact and a Simple Inputbox Object (SIO) for message composition, displaying the generated SCO and SIO on an idle screen in a widget format, composing a message using the displayed SIO, and storing the composed message in the SIO, and, when a contact between the SIO storing the message therein and the SCO is detected, transmitting the stored message to the contact mapped to the SCO.

Claims

1. A method in a mobile communication terminal with a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of widgets on a first screen of the touch screen, wherein the plurality of widgets are mapped to a respective plurality of contacts;

receiving a message;

if the received message is from a contact mapped to a first widget of the plurality of widgets, displaying the first widget with an indication on the first screen, the indication informing of the reception of the received message; and

displaying at least a portion of the received message on a second screen of the touch screen according to a touch on the first widget having the indication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first widget includes a profile picture of the corresponding contact.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, whether the received message is from the contact corresponding to the first widget is determined based on information included in the received message.

4. A mobile communication terminal with a touch screen, the terminal comprising:

a communication unit configured to receive a message;

a controller configured to control to display a plurality of widgets on a first screen of the touch screen, wherein the plurality of widgets are mapped to a respective plurality of contacts, to display, if the received message is from a contact mapped to a first widget of the plurality of widgets, the first widget with an indication on the first screen, the indication informing of the reception of the received message, and to display at least a portion of the received message on a second screen of the touch screen according to a touch on the first widget having the indication; and

the touch screen, for displaying the first screen including the plurality of widgets and the first widget having the indication, and the second screen including the at least a portion of the received message.

5. The terminal of claim 4, wherein the first widget includes a profile picture of the corresponding contact.

6. The terminal of claim 4, wherein, whether the received message is from the contact corresponding to the first widget is determined based on information included in the received message.