Call connection method and apparatus in mobile terminal

• US 9,344,541 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2010
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Je Min
• Primary Examiner(s): CHUANG, JUNG-MU T
• Application Number:
  US12/927,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,009 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863, 455/566
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• 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 call connection method and apparatus of a portable terminal capable of reducing errors due to automatic call connection using a user gesture and recognition of the user gesture are provided. The call connection method of a portable terminal includes providing a list according to a user request, sequentially sensing a first event and a second event according to a user gesture performed after a specific object in the list is selected, and performing automatic call connection based on the specific object when the first event and the second event are sensed.

Claims

1. A call connection method of a portable terminal, the method comprising:

providing and displaying a contact list based at least partly upon a request of a user of the portable terminal;

activating a first sensor for sensing movement of the portable terminal,

determining whether an object is selected in the contact list within a first predefined time period after the first sensor is activated,

in response to a determination that the object is selected in the contact list within the first predefined time period after the first sensor is activated, detecting a change in at least one of position information, acceleration information, or tilt information of the portable terminal;

in response to detecting the change using the first sensor and the selection of the object in the contact list, extracting a telephone number associated with the object;

activating a second sensor for sensing whether the portable terminal is moved proximate to a user'"'"'s face when the portable terminal extracts the telephone number with respect to the object; and

,

in response to a determination that the portable terminal is present within the predefined proximity of the user'"'"'s face within the second predefined period of time after the second sensor is activated, performing an automatic call connection to another portable terminal corresponding to the telephone number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

detecting the change in at least one of position information, acceleration information, or tilt information of the portable terminal comprises sensing a first event based on whether the portable terminal has been moved by the first sensor according to variation in a first information comprising at least one of position information, acceleration information, and tilt information; and

acquiring the telephone number comprises sensing a second event based on whether the portable terminal is proximate to the user'"'"'s face by the second sensor according to variation in a second information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting the change in at least one of position information, acceleration information, or tilt information of the portable terminal further comprises sensing the first event by the first sensor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein performing an automatic call connection comprises processing a call connection to the extracted telephone number in response to the second event being sensed by the second sensor.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein processing the call connection comprises performing a transmission of a signal for the call connection using the extracted telephone number in response to the second event being sensed, the second event indicating that a second information set stored in the portable terminal varies.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second information is a reference value used to measure proximity to the user'"'"'s face based on at least one of proximity information variation and luminance information variation of the portable terminal.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the first event indicates that a first information set stored in the portable terminal varies.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first information set is a reference value used to measure movement of the portable terminal based on at least one of position information variation, acceleration information variation, and tilt information variation of the portable terminal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the list comprises at least one object with an associated telephone number, and is one of a call log list, a phone book list, and a message list.

10. A portable terminal comprising:

a display unit configured to display a screen of a contact list corresponding to a request of a user of the portable terminal, the list comprising one or more objects; and

a storage unit configured to store the contact list composed of the one or more objects with a corresponding telephone number for each object and a reference value corresponding to an automatic call connection function;

a sensing unit configured to sense movement of the portable terminal and proximity of the portable terminal to a user'"'"'s face; and

a controller configured to;

activate a first sensor in the sensor unit for sensing movement of the portable terminal;

determine whether an object is selected in the contact list within a first predefined time period after the first sensor is activated;

in response to a determination that the object is selected in the contact list within the first predefined time period after the first sensor is activated, detect a change in at least one of position information, acceleration information, or tilt information of the portable terminal;

in response to detecting of the change using the first sensor and the selection of the object in the contact list, extracting a telephone number associated with the object;

activate a second sensor in the sensor unit for sensing whether the portable terminal is moved proximate to the user'"'"'s face when the portable terminal extracts the telephone number with respect to the object, and,

in response to a determination that the portable terminal is present within the predefined proximity of the user'"'"'s face within the second predefined period of time after the second sensor is activated, process a call connection to a telephone number of the selected object.

11. The portable terminal of claim 10, wherein:

the first sensor is configured to sense a first event indicating that a first information set comprising at least one of position information, acceleration information, and tilt information of the portable terminal varies; and

the second sensor is configured to sense a second event indicating that a second information set of the portable terminal varies.

12. The portable terminal of claim 11, wherein the first event indicates that the first information set stored in the storage unit varies, and the first information set is a reference value used to measure movement of the portable terminal based on at least one of position information variation, acceleration information variation, and tilt information variation of the portable terminal.

13. The portable terminal of claim 11, wherein the second event indicates that the second information set stored in the storage unit varies, and the second information set is a reference value used to measure proximity to the user'"'"'s face based on at least one of proximity information variation and luminance information variation of the portable terminal.

14. A portable terminal comprising:

a display unit configured to display a screen of a contact list corresponding to a request of a user of the portable terminal, the contact list comprising one or more objects; and

an input unit configured to receive a selection of an object from the contact list;

a storage unit configured to store a list composed of the one or more objects with a corresponding telephone number for each object;

a sensing unit configured to sense, by a first sensor, at least one of position information variation, acceleration information variation, and tilt information variation of the portable terminal and to sense, by a second sensor, proximity of the portable terminal to a user'"'"'s face; and

a controller configured to;

activate the first sensor in the sensor unit for sensing movement of the portable terminal;

determine whether an object is selected in the contact list within a first predefined time period after the first sensor is activated;

in response to a determination that the object is selected in the contact list, detect a change in at least one of position information, acceleration information, or tilt information of the portable terminal;

in response to detecting of the change using the first sensor and the selection of the object in the contact list, extracting a telephone number associated with the object;

activate the second sensor for sensing whether the portable terminal is moved proximate to the user'"'"'s face when the portable terminal extracts the telephone number with respect to the object, and,

in response to a determination that the portable terminal is present within the predefined proximity of the user'"'"'s face within the second predefined period of time after the second sensor is activated, process a call connection to a telephone number of the selected object.

15. The portable terminal of claim 14, wherein a first information set is stored in the storage unit, and the first information set is a reference value used to measure movement of the portable terminal based on at least one of position information variation, acceleration information variation, and tilt information variation of the portable terminal, and

wherein a second information set is stored in the storage unit, and the second information set is a reference value used to measure proximity to the user'"'"'s face based on at least one of proximity information variation and luminance information variation of the portable terminal.