KR20130087866A - Mobile terminal and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A mobile terminal and a control method thereof are provided to display a plurality of contact items having the same data. CONSTITUTION: A user input unit (130) receives an output command about a contact list. A control unit (180) detects a plurality of contact items having the same data in response to the output command. The control unit integrates the detected contact items as one contact item. A display unit (151) displays the contact list including the contact item. The contact list includes a plurality of contact lists. [Reference numerals] (110) Wireless communications unit; (111) Broadcasting receiving unit; (112) Mobile communications module; (113) Wireless internet module; (114) Short distance communications module; (115) Location information module; (120) A/V input module; (121) Camera; (122) Microphone; (130) User input module; (140) Sensing unit; (141) Adjoining sensor; (150) Output unit; (151) Display unit; (152) Sound output module; (153) Notifying module; (154) Heptic module; (160) Memory; (170) Interface unit; (180) Control unit; (181) Multimedia module; (190) Power supplying unit

Description

[0001] MOBILE TERMINAL AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF [0002]

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal capable of displaying a plurality of contact items having the same data as one contact item and a control method thereof.

A terminal can be divided into a mobile or portable terminal and a stationary terminal depending on whether the terminal is movable or not. The mobile terminal may be further classified into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether a user can directly carry it.

As the functions of such terminals are diversified, they are implemented in the form of a multimedia player having complex functions such as photographing and photographing of movies, reproduction of music and video files, games, and broadcasting reception . Further, in order to support and enhance the function of the terminal, it may be considered to improve the structural and software parts of the terminal.

Thanks to these improvements, mobile terminals are evolving to be synchronized with various databases. Thus, various address books (hereinafter referred to as "contact lists") managed in respective databases are synchronized in the mobile terminal, and duplicate contacts (hereinafter referred to as "contact entries") for the same person may exist. Thus, there is a need for unified control over duplicate contact entries.

The present invention is to provide a mobile terminal and a control method thereof capable of displaying a plurality of contact items having the same data as one.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal capable of merging them and displaying them as one contact item when a plurality of contact items distributed in a plurality of contact lists have the same data. .

One embodiment of the invention relates to a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal may include a user input unit receiving an output command for a contact list, detecting a plurality of contact items having the same data in response to the output command, and merging the detected contact items into one contact item. And a display unit for displaying a contact list including the one contact item.

As an example related to the present invention, the contact list may include a plurality of contact lists, and each of the plurality of contact lists may be synchronized with a different database. The output command may be an output command for at least one of the plurality of contact lists. In addition, the one contact item may include a source of each data.

As another example related to the present invention, the same data range may correspond to at least one data field received using the user input unit. The data field may be at least one of an email field, a telephone number field, and an address field.

As another example of the present invention, a name field may be excluded from the search target of the same data.

As yet another example associated with the present disclosure, in the merging of the plurality of contact items into one contact item, the controller may include lower data fields of the specific data field when merging different data into a specific data field. It is available.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention relates to a control method of a mobile terminal. The control method of the mobile terminal may include receiving an output command for a contact list, detecting a plurality of contact items having the same data in response to the output command, and merging the plurality of contact items into one contact item. And displaying a contact list including the one contact item on a display unit.

The mobile terminal and its control method according to the present invention can merge a plurality of contact items when the same data is found in a plurality of contact items, and display the merged contact item on the display unit. As such, in the mobile terminal and its control method according to the present invention, since duplicate contact items are integrated into one contact and provided to the user, the user can use a unified contact and further increase the efficiency of using the contact list. .

1 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
2A and 2B are perspective views showing an appearance of a mobile terminal according to the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile terminal synchronized with databases according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a conceptual diagram showing contacts as one contact according to an embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the technical idea of the present invention. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the specification.

The mobile terminal described herein may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), a navigator, have. However, it should be understood that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may be applied to a fixed terminal such as a digital TV, a desktop computer, and the like, unless it is applicable only to a mobile terminal. It will be easy to see.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1, a mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an A / V input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, A controller 160, an interface unit 170, a controller 180, and a power supply unit 190. The components shown in Fig. 1 are not essential, so that a mobile terminal having more or fewer components can be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components 110 to 190 of the mobile terminal 100 will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules for enabling wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and the network in which the mobile terminal 100 is located. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short distance communication module 114, and a location information module 115.

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals and broadcast related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel. Here, the broadcast-related information means information related to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or a broadcast service provider. The broadcast-related information can also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, the broadcast-related information may be received by the mobile communication module 112. The broadcast signal and the broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives radio signals to at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. Such wireless signals may include various types of data depending on a voice call signal, a video call signal, a text message, or a multimedia message transmission / reception.

The wireless Internet module 113 is a module for wireless Internet access, and may be embedded in the mobile terminal 100 or externally. Wireless Internet technologies may include Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), Wireless Broadband (Wibro), World Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), and the like.

The short range communication module 114 refers to a module for short range communication. As a short range communication technology, Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used.

The position information module 115 is a module for acquiring the position of the mobile terminal 100, and a representative example thereof is a Global Position System (GPS) module.

1, an A / V (Audio / Video) input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal and a video signal, and may include a camera 121, a microphone 122, and the like. The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images and moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. The image frame processed by the camera 121 can be displayed on the display unit 151. [ The image frame may be stored in the memory 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. [ More than two cameras 121 may be provided depending on the use environment.

The microphone 122 processes the sound signal input from the outside in the communication mode, the recording mode, the voice selection mode, and the like as electrical voice data. The voice data processed by the microphone 122 in the communication mode can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 and output. The microphone 122 may be implemented with various noise reduction algorithms for eliminating noise generated when an external sound signal is input.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100 by a user. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad, a dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure and static electricity), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 senses the current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as presence or absence of a user, the open / close state of the mobile terminal 100, position, orientation, acceleration, deceleration, And generates a sensing signal. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, the sensing unit 140 may detect whether the slide phone is opened or closed. The sensing unit 140 may sense whether the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141. The sensing unit 140 may include a touch sensor (not shown) for sensing a touch operation with respect to the display unit 151.

The touch sensor may have the form of a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like. The touch sensor may be configured to convert a pressure applied to a specific portion of the display portion 151 or a change in capacitance generated at a specific portion of the display portion 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor may be configured to detect a touch pressure as well as a touched position and area.

When the touch sensor and the display unit 151 have a mutual layer structure, the display unit 151 can be used as an input device in addition to the output device. The display unit 151 may be referred to as a 'touch screen'.

If there is a touch input via the touch screen, signals corresponding thereto are sent to a touch controller (not shown). The touch controller processes the signals transmitted from the touch sensor, and then transmits data corresponding to the processed signals to the controller 180. Thus, the control unit 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched.

In the case where the touch screen is electrostatic, it can be configured to detect the proximity of the sensing object by a change of the electric field along the proximity of the sensing target. Such a touch screen may be classified as proximity sensor 141. [

The proximity sensor 141 refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object to be sensed without mechanical contact using an electromagnetic force or infrared rays. The proximity sensor 141 has a longer life than the contact type sensor and its utilization is also high. Examples of the proximity sensor 141 include a transmission type photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection type photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection type photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation type proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, a proximity action is referred to as " proximity touch " while an object to be sensed does not touch the touch screen, and an action of touching the sensing object on the touch screen is called & touch ".

The proximity sensor 141 detects the presence or absence of a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (for example, a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, The information corresponding to the presence / absence of proximity touch and the proximity touch pattern can be output to the touch screen.

The output unit 150 generates an output related to visual, auditory, tactile, and the like. The output unit 150 may include a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, and a haptic module 154.

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 operates in the call mode, the display unit 151 displays a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) related to the call. When the mobile terminal 100 operates in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the display unit 151 displays the photographed image, the received image, the UI, the GUI, and the like.

The display unit 151 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display display, a 3D display, and an e-ink display.

At least one display (or display element) included in the display unit 151 may be configured to be transparent or light transmissive so that the display can see the outside through it. This can be referred to as a transparent display. A typical example of such a transparent display is TOLED (Transparent OLED). The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be of a light transmission type. With this structure, the user can see an object located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the display unit 151 in the terminal body.

There may be two or more display units 151 according to the embodiment of the mobile terminal 100. [ For example, in the mobile terminal 100, a plurality of display portions may be spaced apart from each other or positioned integrally with one another, and may be located on different surfaces.

The sound output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory 160 in a call signal reception, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice selection mode, a broadcast reception mode, and the like. The sound output module 152 may also output a sound signal related to a function (eg, a call signal reception sound, a message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. The sound output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event of the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events generated in the mobile terminal 100 include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, touch input, and the like. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying occurrence of an event by vibration, in addition to a video signal or an audio signal. Since the video signal or the audio signal may be output through the display unit 151 or the sound output module 152, the display unit 151 and the sound output module 152 may be classified as part of the alarm unit 153.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. Vibration is a representative example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154. The intensity, pattern, and the like of the vibration generated by the haptic module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to vibration, the haptic module 154 may be configured to provide a pin array that vertically moves with respect to the contact skin surface, a jetting force or suction force of air through the jetting or suction port, grazing to the skin surface, contact of the electrode, electrostatic force, and the like. Various tactile effects can be generated, such as effects due to endothermic or reproducing a sense of cold using a heat generating element.

The haptic module 154 may not only deliver a haptic effect through direct contact, but may also be configured to allow the user to feel the haptic effect through a muscle sense such as a finger or an arm. At least two haptic modules 154 may be provided according to the configuration of the mobile terminal 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and temporarily store input and output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, etc.). The memory 160 may store data related to vibrations and sounds of various patterns that are output upon touch input on the touch screen.

The memory 160 may be a flash memory, a hard disk, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), a random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM) And may include at least one storage medium. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs storage functions of the memory 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path for communication with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device, receives power, transfers the power to each component inside the mobile terminal 100, or transmits data inside the mobile terminal 100 to an external device. For example, the interface unit 170 may include a wired / wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, Input / output ports, video I / O ports, earphone ports, and the like.

The identification module is a chip for storing various information for authenticating the usage right of the mobile terminal 100 and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identity module (SIM), a general user authentication module Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM)). A device equipped with an identification module (hereinafter referred to as "identification device") can be manufactured in a smart card format. Accordingly, the identification device can be connected to the terminal 100 through the port.

When the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit 170 may be a passage through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100, or various command signals input from the cradle by a user may be input to the mobile terminal. It may be a passage that is delivered to (100). The various command signals or power supplied from the cradle may also act as a signal for recognizing that the mobile terminal 100 is correctly mounted in the cradle.

The controller 180 controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, control and processing related to voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. The control unit 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for multimedia playback. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the control unit 180 or may be implemented separately from the control unit 180. [ The control unit 180 may perform pattern selection processing for selecting handwriting input and drawing input on the touch screen as characters and images, respectively.

The power supply unit 190 receives an external power source and an internal power source under the control of the controller 180 to supply power for operation of each component.

The various embodiments described herein may be implemented in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may be applied to various types of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays Microprocessors, microprocessors, and other electronic units for performing other functions, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. In some cases, the embodiments described herein may be implemented by the controller 180 itself.

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as the procedures and functions described herein may be implemented with separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more of the functions and operations described herein. Software code may be implemented in a software application written in a suitable programming language. Such software code may be stored in the memory 160 and executed by the controller 180.

Hereinafter, a method of processing user input to the mobile terminal 100 will be described.

The user input unit 130 is operated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100, and may include a plurality of operation units. The operating units may also be referred to as manipulating portions and may be employed in any manner as long as they are operated in a tactile manner by the user's tactile sense.

Various kinds of time information can be displayed on the display unit 151. [ Such visual information can be displayed in the form of letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, icons, and the like, and can be formed as a three-dimensional stereoscopic image. At least one of a character, a number, a symbol, a graphic, and an icon may be displayed in a predetermined arrangement for inputting time information, thereby being implemented as a keypad. Such a keypad may be referred to as a so-called " soft key ".

The display unit 151 may operate as an entire area or may be divided into a plurality of areas and operated. In the latter case, the plurality of areas can be configured to operate in association with one another. For example, an output window and an input window may be displayed on the upper and lower portions of the display unit 151, respectively. The output window and the input window are areas allocated for outputting or inputting information, respectively. In the input window, a soft key with a number for inputting a telephone number may be output. When the soft key is touched, the number corresponding to the touched soft key is displayed in the output window. When the operating unit is operated, a call connection to the telephone number displayed in the output window may be attempted, or the text displayed in the output window may be entered into the application.

The display unit 151 or the touch pad may be configured to detect touch scrolling. The user can move the cursor or the pointer positioned on the displayed object, for example, the icon, on the display unit 151 by scrolling the display unit 151 or the touch pad. Further, when the finger is moved on the display unit 151 or the touch pad, the path along which the finger moves may be visually displayed on the display unit 151. [ This will be useful for editing the image displayed on the display unit 151. [

One function of the mobile terminal 100 may be executed in response to a case where the display unit 151 and the touch pad are touched together within a predetermined time range. In the case of being touched together, there may be a case where the user clamps the main body of the mobile terminal 100 using the thumb and index finger. At this time, one function of the mobile terminal 100 to be executed may be activation or deactivation for the display unit 151 or the touch pad, for example.

2A and 2B are perspective views showing an appearance of a mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention. FIG. 2A shows a front side and one side of the mobile terminal 100, and FIG. 2B shows a rear side and the other side of the mobile terminal 100. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the mobile terminal 100 includes a bar-shaped terminal body. However, the mobile terminal 100 is not limited thereto, and may be realized in various forms such as a slide type, a folder type, a swing type, and a swivel type in which two or more bodies are movably coupled to each other.

The terminal body includes a case (a casing, a housing, a cover, and the like) that forms an appearance. In the embodiment, the case may be divided into a front case 101 and a rear case 102. A variety of electronic components are embedded in the space formed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The cases may be formed by injection molding of a synthetic resin or may be formed to have a metal material such as stainless steel (STS), titanium (Ti) or the like.

The display unit 151, the sound output unit 152, the camera 121, the user input unit 130 (see FIG. 1), the microphone 122, the interface 170, can do.

The display unit 151 occupies a main portion of the front case 101. [ The audio output unit 152 and the camera 121 are located in a region adjacent to one end of the display unit 151 and the first user input unit 131 and the microphone 122 are located in a region adjacent to the other end. The second user input unit 132 and the interface 170 may be located on the sides of the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The user input unit 130 is operated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. [ The user input unit 130 may include a plurality of operation units 131 and 132.

The first or second operating units 131 and 132 can receive various commands. For example, the first operation unit 131 can receive commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like. The second operation unit 132 can receive commands such as adjusting the size of the sound output from the sound output unit 152, switching to the touch selection mode of the display unit 151, and the like.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a rear camera 121 'may be additionally mounted on the rear surface of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 102. The rear camera 121 'has a photographing direction opposite to that of the front camera 121 (see FIG. 2A), and may be configured to have pixels different from those of the front camera 121.

For example, the front camera 121 may be configured to have a low pixel, and the rear camera 121 'may be configured to have a high pixel. Accordingly, when the front camera 121 is used during a video call, the size of the transmission data may be reduced when the user's face is photographed and transmitted to the counterpart in real time. On the other hand, the rear camera 121 'can be used for the purpose of storing a high-quality image.

Meanwhile, the cameras 121 and 121 'may be installed in the terminal body so as to be rotated or popped up.

The flash 123 and the mirror 124 may be further positioned adjacent to the rear camera 121 '. The flash 123 emits light toward the subject when the user photographs the subject with the rear camera 121 '. The mirror 124 illuminates the user's face when the user photographs himself (self-photographing) using the rear camera 121 '.

A rear sound output unit 152 'may be additionally disposed on the rear surface of the terminal body. The rear sound output unit 152 'may perform a stereo function together with the front sound output unit 152 (see FIG. 2A), and may perform a speakerphone function during a call.

In addition to the antenna for communication, an antenna 116 for receiving broadcast signals may be additionally provided on the side surface of the terminal body. The antenna 116 constituting a part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1) can be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the mobile terminal 100 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 190 may be built in the main body of the terminal or may be detachable from the outside of the main body of the terminal.

The rear case 102 may further include a touch pad 135 for sensing a touch. The touch pad 135 may be of a light transmission type like the display unit 151 (see FIG. 2A). Further, a back display unit for outputting time information can be additionally mounted on the touch pad 135. [ At this time, information output from both sides of the front display unit 151 and the rear display unit can be controlled by the touch pad 135. [

The touch pad 135 operates in correlation with the display unit 151. [ The touch pad 135 may be positioned parallel to the rear of the display unit 151. The touch pad 135 may have a size equal to or smaller than that of the display unit 151.

Referring back to the controller 180 of the present invention, the controller 180 can control an operation related to the contact list. A contact list is a database of contacts from several different people, and contacts may refer to information you have set up to contact you.

The controller 180 may search for contact items included in the contact list. In addition, data between contact items may be compared, and some or all of the contact items may be displayed on the display unit 151. In addition, when a control command to display a specific contact item is input using the user input unit 130, some or all of the data of the specific contact item may be displayed on the display unit 151.

A method of displaying duplicate contact items in the mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, step S100 of receiving an output command for a contact list is performed. The output command may be received by the controller 180 using the user input unit 151. For example, an output command may be received that retrieves and outputs similar contact entries that include specific data.

As another example, an output command for outputting a part or all of a contact item included in a contact list to the display unit 151 may be received. As another example, an output command for a contact list may be received based on unlocking a screen of the mobile terminal 100 using the user input unit 130.

Next, a step (S110) of searching for a plurality of contact items having the same data as each other may be performed. The controller 180 may search for all contact items included in the contact list. In addition, a plurality of contact items having the same data may be detected.

The contact item may include one or more data fields, and each data field may again include subordinate data fields.

As an example of the data field, the data field may be one of a name field, an email field, a phone number field, an address field, a tweeter field, a memo field, a work field, a source field, an anniversary field, and a messenger field.

In addition, the lower data field is to further specify the data included in the data field. For example, 'name field' among data fields may include lower data fields including 'name1 field', 'name2 field' and 'name3 field'. As another example, the 'first name' field of the data fields may include sub-data fields composed of 'last name', 'first name', 'title', 'work', 'title', 'title' and 'nickname' fields. It may be. As another example, the 'phone number field' of the data fields may include sub data fields composed of 'home', 'work', 'fax' and 'pager' fields.

The data fields can be used to classify the data contained in the contact entry. That is, for contacts, data having a common property may be classified using respective data fields.

Thus, data fields can be used to compare a plurality of contact items. For a plurality of contact items, it is possible to compare whether the same or mutually identical data fields contain the same data. Therefore, all lower data fields included in a specific data field may correspond to a comparison object.

For example, referring to FIG. 5, when comparing the first row 301 and the second row 302, 'min Min Ah' and 'Min Ah' corresponding to the 'name' field may be compared. In addition, 'minA@gmail.com' and 'minA@gmail.com' and 'minA@naver.com' corresponding to the 'mail' field may be compared. In the 'mail' field, since the second row 302 includes a plurality of data in the lower fields, each of the plurality of data may be compared with the data of the first row 301.

As another example, as an example of comparing data of a first contact and a second contact, the first contact includes 'A' in the name field and the second contact includes 'B' in the mail field. In this case, the first contact and the second contact cannot be compared with each other since there is no common or mutually corresponding data field.

For another example, if the first contact contains 'abc' in the name field and the second contact contains 'abcd' in the name field, the name fields are common so that they can be compared to each other. This is the case when other data is included.

In this case, the same data means the same data, but the same data, but within the range that can be determined to be the same data based on the skilled person can be said to be the same data. Therefore, in order to be the same data, a plurality of contact items must include exactly the same data in a specific data field that is common or correspond to each other.

In particular, for a plurality of contact entries, the first name field is a sub-data field of the first name field and contains exactly the same data as the Korean first name, English first name, Korean first name including last name, English first name and last name field including last name, etc. Can be compared.

However, when a plurality of contact items include the same data in the name field, other data fields may be compared. However, if the plurality of contact items contain the same data in the name field and do not contain the same data in the other data field, the plurality of contact items cannot be merged into one contact item.

That is, whether a plurality of contact items have the same data with each other, the name field may be excluded from the comparison. This is because there may be someone of the same name.

If the plurality of contact items include the same data only in the name field, the plurality of contact items may not be merged into one contact item. However, the user may be notified through a pop-up to change each name data differently. You can be notified whether or not you want to modify the name of each contact entry, and you can enter the data to modify the data in the name field. This is because the user can be given an opportunity to edit contact items corresponding to the same person.

Next, merging the plurality of contact items into one contact item may be performed (S120). In operation S130, a contact list including the one contact item may be displayed on the display unit 151.

If the plurality of contact items include the same data, the controller 180 may merge the data included in the plurality of contact items and display the same as one contact item on the display unit 151. The method of displaying one contact item will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

As described above, according to the present invention, the controller 180 may merge the plurality of contact items including the same data and display them on the display unit 151 as one contact item. Therefore, in the mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention, since duplicate contact items are displayed as one contact item, user convenience can be achieved. In addition, according to the present invention, since the stored contact items are not modified or a new contact is created, the usage of the internal memory can be reduced.

Hereinafter, the contact list of the mobile terminal 180 includes a plurality of contact lists synchronized with external databases.

4 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile terminal synchronized with databases according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the mobile terminal 100 may include a display unit 151, a user input unit 130, and a controller 180.

The display unit 151 may display some or all of the data of the contact items. This may have the same meaning as the expression that the contact list is displayed on the display unit 151.

The controller 180 may receive an output command for a contact list by using the user input unit 130. In addition, the controller 180 may also receive an output command for at least one of the plurality of contact lists using the user input unit 130.

Referring to FIG. 4, the mobile terminal 100 may be synchronized with at least one database 200 managing a contact list. For example, the database 200 may be a social networking service server 210, a portal site server 220, a universal subscriber identity module (USIM, 230), or the like.

As an example of the database 200, the social networking service server 210 may be at least one of facebook, metoday, twitter, myspace, and the like. As an example of the database 200, the portal site 220 may be at least one of naver, google, daum, and the like.

In the mobile terminal 100, a contact list may be stored in the memory unit 160. In addition, the mobile terminal 180 may be synchronized with at least one database 200, and when synchronized, the memory unit 180 may include a plurality of contact lists.

When the mobile terminal 100 and the database 200 are synchronized, the data of the contact list stored in the database 200 may be updated to the contact list of the mobile terminal 100. The synchronization may be performed while data of the contact list stored in the database 200 is copied to the memory unit 160 of the mobile terminal 100.

In this case, the plurality of contact lists may mean a source of each contact item. For example, when the mobile terminal 200 is synchronized with google, the mobile terminal 100 may include two contact lists of the memory unit 160 and a contact list of Google.

As described above, when the contact lists of the mobile terminal 100 and each database 200 are synchronized, a plurality of duplicate contact items may exist in the mobile terminal 100. This is because the contact list is individually managed for each database 200. Duplicate contact entries are contact entries for which information (eg, a telephone number, an e-mail, etc.) designated to communicate with each other is common.

Whether the contact items are duplicates may be determined by comparing an email field, a phone number field, an address field, and the like among data fields constituting the contact items. This is because the data included in the data field as described above may be unique data that cannot exist more than one. Therefore, in the plurality of contact items, if at least one of the email, telephone number, and address data fields are identical to each other, the plurality of contact items may be regarded as duplicate contact items.

Hereinafter, a method of merging a plurality of contact items and displaying them as one contact will be described in more detail.

5 is a conceptual diagram of merging contact items into one contact item according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5A illustrates an embodiment of a contact list including contact items, and FIG. 5B illustrates a contact list in which contact items having the same data are merged in FIG. 5A. One embodiment is shown.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the contact list may include a total of five contact items. As shown in FIG. 5A, contact items may include a 'order' field, a 'name' field, a 'mail' field, a 'messenger' field, a 'number' field, and a 'source' field. Since this corresponds to an embodiment, other data fields may further include data.

The 'source' field may refer to the database 200 in which the contact item was originally stored. For example, the first row 301 is a contact item stored in the mobile terminal 100 in synchronization with Google. In addition, as shown in the fifth row 305, a contact item whose source is not described may correspond to a contact item that is not synchronized with external storage.

Meanwhile, the controller 180 may detect a plurality of contact items including the same data in response to the output command.

Referring to FIG. 5A, a plurality of contact items including the same data may be a first row 301, a second row 302, and a third row 303. This is because the first to third rows 301-303 contain the same data ('minA@gmail.com') in the mail field. Although the third row 303 is not exactly the same data ('mina@gmail.com'), the difference between 'a' and 'A' is the same data based on a person skilled in the art since the difference between uppercase and lowercase letters is used.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, the controller 180 may merge the detected first through third rows 301-303.

In merging a plurality of contact entries, three cases can occur. First, there may be cases where each contact entry contains different data in a specific data field. Second, there may be a case where only one contact item includes data in a specific data field. Third, there may be a case where contact items to be merged include the same data in a specific data field.

In the first case, the controller 180 can use the lower data fields of the specific data field to merge the different data. The different data may be included in lower data fields, and when there is an output command for the specific data field, data included in all lower data fields may be displayed together. For example, referring to (a) and (b) of FIG. 5, since the data of the first to third rows 301-303 are all different in the 'name' field, the lower name of the 'name' field The fields may be merged to include the data of the first to third rows 301-303, respectively.

Alternatively, in a specific data field, a list of different data may be notified to a pop-up window, and the user may be selected to select specific data to display. When the user selects at least one of different data, only at least one selected data may be displayed in a specific data field in displaying merged contact items.

Alternatively, for a specific data field, a list of different data may be notified to a pop-up window, and the user may be selected to represent representative data. For example, if the phone number field of a specific contact entry contains data 'a', 'b' and 'c' and 'c' is selected as the representative data by the user, the call for the specific contact entry Functions such as b and character can be tried for 'c' by default.

In the second case, since only one contact entry contains data in a particular data field, there is no conflicting data. Therefore, in displaying the merged contact item, data included in the one contact item may be displayed. For example, referring to (a) and (b) of FIG. 5, since only the third row 303 includes data in the 'messenger' and 'number' fields, the merged contact item 307 is included in the merged contact item 307. The data of the third row 303 may be displayed.

In the third case, since the contact items to be merged contain the same data in a specific data field, the same data can be merged as it is. For example, referring to (a) and (b) of FIG. 5, in the 'email' field, the first to third rows 301-303 include the same data 'minA@gmail.com'. Therefore, even when merged, the same data may be displayed 307.

In addition, when a plurality of contact items are merged and displayed on the display unit 151, the controller 180 may display the source for each data constituting the contact items in parallel. In displaying the source, the source name may be displayed as it is, or a trademark, logo, thumbnail, or the like may be used. For example, referring to FIG. 5B, in the 'mail' field of the first row 307, 'minA@gmail.com' corresponds to a contact synchronized with 'Google' and 'minA @' naver.com 'corresponds to a contact synchronized with' Naver '.

Hereinafter, FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrating a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the contact list illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B.

6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

An embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 6A is a case where an output command for a list of contacts synchronized with 'naver' is received in the mobile terminal 100. For this reason, referring to FIG. 5A, since the only source includes the neighbor in the second line 302, one contact item 302 may be displayed on the display unit 151.

When a control command is input using the user input unit 130, a menu configuration 410 for selecting a contact list to be displayed on the display unit 151 may be displayed on the display unit 151.

In this case, one or more contact lists may be displayed in the menu configuration 410, and names of databases synchronized with the mobile terminal may be displayed as a database corresponding to the contact list. In addition, as an address book to be displayed on the display, the selected contact list may be displayed differently from other contact lists. For example, referring to FIG. 6B, since 'NAVER' is displayed differently from other contact lists, the address book displayed on the display unit 151 is a contact list synchronized with 'NAVER'.

The user may select at least one contact list to be displayed on the display unit 151 using the user input unit 130. Referring to FIGS. 6B and 6C, not only a contact list of 'NAVER', which is already selected, but also a contact list of 'GOOGLE' may be additionally selected.

In this case, when the user touches 'OK', the controller 180 may receive an output command for contact lists of 'NAVER' and 'GOOGLE'. In this case, the display unit 151 may display contact items corresponding to the contact list of 'NAVER' and 'GOOGLE'. The user may change the contact list to be displayed on the display unit 151 in the above manner.

Since 'NAVER' and 'GOOGLE' are selected as the address book to be displayed, referring to FIG. 5 (a), the 'source' field corresponds to 'Google' as well as the second row 302 corresponding to 'naver'. The first row 301 may be displayed on the display unit 151.

However, since the first and second rows 301 and 302 include the same data in the 'mail' field, referring to FIG. 6D, the first and second rows 301 and 302 are merged to display the display unit. It may be displayed as one contact point in 151.

In this case, some or all of the contact item data may be displayed on the display unit 151. In displaying the contact list, the menu list 400 displayed together may be changed in various ways for the convenience of the user.

7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 7A, a plurality of contact items including the same data are not merged, and all contact items are shown on the display unit 151. Therefore, the display unit 151 may display all the contact items shown in FIG. 5A.

However, the user may select at least one data field as a range for detecting a plurality of contact items having the same data through the user input unit 130. In addition, by selecting 'Merge', all data fields may be selected as the data field for merging.

When merging is performed, representative data to be displayed first on the display unit 151 may be selected in a data field including a plurality of data. For example, when a name field is merged, a representative name may be designated by a user. For example, if the first name field is merged, all the data the first name field contains, such as Korean first name, English first name, Korean first name with last name, English first name and last name, etc. The list may be provided to the display unit 151 as a list, and one of them may be selected as a representative name.

Referring to FIG. 7B, a menu 500 for selecting data fields to be merged may be displayed on the display unit 151. 'Merge not' is selected, but the 'mail' field may be selected as a range for detecting a plurality of contact items having the same data.

Referring to FIG. 7C, an 'mail' field is selected as a data field to be merged and a contact list is displayed on the display unit 151. Accordingly, the first to third rows 301-303 of FIG. 5A including the same data in the 'mail' field among the plurality of contact items are merged to form a single contact item 307. It may be displayed at 151. In contrast, the fourth and fifth rows 304 and 306 of FIG. 5A, which do not include the same data in the 'mail' field, may be displayed on the display unit 151 without being merged.

Referring to FIG. 7C, all data included in the lower data fields included in the 'name' field may be displayed on the display unit 151. Meanwhile, if the representative name is selected by the user, only the representative name may be displayed on the display unit 151 instead of displaying all data included in the 'name' field.

In this case, the user may select one contact item 307 displayed on the display unit 151 through the user input unit 130.

Referring to FIG. 7D, an example in which one contact item 307 is selected and data included in the one contact item 307 is displayed on the display unit 151 is illustrated. When one contact item 307 is selected, all data included in one contact item 307 may be displayed on the display unit 151.

In this case, when different data are included in the lower data fields of the specific data field, the lower data fields may be displayed when the specific data field is displayed on the display unit 151. For example, in the case of the 'name' field 510, data of 'name1', 'name2' and 'name3', which are sub-data fields of the 'name' field 510, are displayed on the display unit 151. can do.

In addition, the source corresponding to each data may be displayed together on the display unit 151. For example, the 'minA@naver.com' data included in the lower data field of the 'email' field 520 may be a contact item synchronized from a database of 'Naver'.

As described above, according to the present invention, in the contact lists synchronized to various databases, the controller 180 detects contact items including the same data and merges them to include the same data. Can be displayed on the display unit 151. Therefore, since duplicate contact items are displayed as one contact item, user convenience can be achieved. In addition, the contact list of the mobile terminal 100 may be efficiently used.

In addition, according to the present invention, since a new contact item is not generated or a contact item stored in the memory unit 160 is not corrected or deleted, independence of the contact items stored in the respective databases can be maintained. In addition, according to the present invention, since the source of the contact is displayed together on the display unit, user convenience may be achieved in the mobile terminal 100 synchronized with various databases.

While the above has been shown and described with respect to preferred embodiments and applications of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments and applications described above, the invention without departing from the gist of the invention claimed in the claims Various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or the prospect of the present invention.

Claims (9)

A user input unit for receiving an output command for a contact list;
A controller for detecting a plurality of contact items having the same data in response to the output command and merging the detected plurality of contact items into one contact item; And
And a display unit for displaying a contact list including the one contact item. The method of claim 1,
The contact list comprises a plurality of contact lists,
And each of the plurality of contact lists is synchronized with a different database. 3. The method of claim 2,
And the output command is an output command for at least one of the plurality of contact lists. 3. The method of claim 2,
And said one contact item comprises a source of each data. The method of claim 1,
The same data range corresponds to at least one data field received using the user input unit. The method of claim 5, wherein
And the data field is at least one of an email field, a telephone number field and an address field. The method of claim 1,
And the name field is excluded from the same data range. The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
In the merging of the plurality of contact items into one contact item, when merging different data into a specific data field, the mobile terminal of the specific data field is used. Receiving an output command for a contact list;
Detecting a plurality of contact items having the same data as each other in response to the output command;
Merging the plurality of contact items into one contact item; And
And displaying a contact list including the one contact item on a display unit.

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