KR101179891B1 - method of sending automatic answering message in portable communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for transmitting an auto-response message in a portable communication terminal capable of informing a counterpart of a user's current status as well as the available time. According to the present invention, after storing the auto-answer setting information set in various situations of a user who cannot receive a call, when receiving an incoming call from the outside, the caller information is detected and displayed from the incoming call. Subsequently, an input of the user context and the available time is sensed, and an auto response message corresponding to the input user context and the available time is transmitted. The auto-answer setting information may include key setting information for assigning at least two or more user situations to different keys, and further comprising entering an auto-answer mode by menu selection or a specific key input before and after receiving a call. can do. The user context may be input by pressing a key to which the user context is assigned or by selecting one of the user contexts displayed as a list, and the callable time may be input by pressing a numeric key.

Answering machine, user status, available call time, key setting information, answering call type, entering answering mode

Description

Method of sending automatic answering message in portable communication terminal

1 is a block diagram of a portable communication terminal in which an automatic response message transmission method according to the present invention is performed.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for transmitting an autoresponse message according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3A to 3G are exemplary views of execution screens of the automatic response message transmission method shown in FIG.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for transmitting an auto-reply message according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for transmitting an autoresponse message according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention relates to an automatic answering service technology of a portable communication terminal, and more particularly, to a method for transmitting an automatic response message in a portable communication terminal that can notify a counterpart of a user's current situation as well as the available time.

Portable communication terminals, which have developed remarkably over the past decade, are now firmly established as necessities of modern life. Moreover, as the demands of users vary and the competition among manufacturers to meet them becomes more intense, portable communication terminals are equipped with various additional functions in addition to the basic functions.

The auto answering service is a part of such an additional function, which automatically sends a response message to the caller when the user does not answer the incoming call. By the way, the conventional automatic answering service was limited only to the function of notifying the other party of the situation in which the user did not answer the call or allowing the other party to leave a voice recording. That is, the caller can only recognize that the user is not currently receiving a call, but there is no way to know when the call is available.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for transmitting an auto-reply message in a portable communication terminal that not only informs a user that he or she is in a situation of not receiving a call but also informs about when the call is possible.

Another object of the present invention is to improve user convenience of a portable communication terminal.

In order to achieve these objects, the method for transmitting an autoresponder message in a portable communication terminal according to the present invention includes storing autoresponse setting information in which various situations of a user who cannot answer a call are set, and receiving an incoming call from an external device. Detecting and displaying caller information from an incoming call; detecting an input of a user situation; detecting an input of a call availability time; And sending the response message.

In the automatic response message transmission method of the present invention, the automatic response setting information preferably includes key setting information for assigning at least two or more user situations to different keys. In this case, the key to which the user context is assigned may be a numeric key.

In the automatic response message transmission method of the present invention, the automatic response setting information may include answering call type information, and the answering call type is, for example, a slide open method, a call key press method, an arbitrary key press method, and the like.

The automatic response message transmission method of the present invention may further include entering an automatic response mode. The step of entering the auto answer mode may be both before and after the call reception step and may be performed by menu selection or by a specific key input.

In the automatic response message transmission method of the present invention, the input of the user context may be to press a key to which the user context is assigned or to select one of the user contexts displayed in a list. In addition, it is preferable to press the numeric keys for input of the talkable time.

In the automatic response message transmission method of the present invention, the automatic response setting information may include message type information, and the message type is, for example, a voice message and a text message.

Example

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In describing the embodiments, descriptions of technical contents which are well known in the technical field to which the present invention belongs and are not directly related to the present invention will be omitted. This is for the sake of clarity of the present invention without omitting the unnecessary explanation.

Prior to describing the automatic response message transmission method according to the present invention, a schematic configuration of a portable communication terminal capable of performing the method will be briefly described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, the portable communication terminal 10 includes a conventional wireless communication unit 11, a voice communication unit 12, a key input unit 13, a screen display unit 14, a storage unit 15, and a control unit 16. Has a phosphorus configuration.

The wireless communication unit 11 performs a normal wireless communication function with the base station. In particular, the wireless communication unit 11 includes a function for transmitting an auto-response message.

The voice transceiver 12 performs a typical function of transmitting and receiving voice / sound signals.

The key input unit 13 includes a plurality of numeric keys and a plurality of function keys for inputting information or controlling functions. In particular, some of the keys are mapped to user contexts. In other words, it assumes a number of situations where the user can not answer the call and assigns each situation to a different key to store the auto-answer setting information. In addition, certain keys may be mapped to the auto answer mode entry function.

The screen display unit 14 displays user input information and various information related to performance of a terminal. In particular, the screen display unit 14 displays caller information and autoresponder setting information.

The storage unit 15 stores various programs and data related to the operation of the terminal. In particular, the storage unit 15 includes an automatic response information storage unit 15a and a message storage unit 15b. The auto-answer information storage unit 15a stores auto-answer setting information such as key setting information, call answering type information, and message type information, and the message storage unit 15b stores a voice message indicating that the user cannot receive a call. And the format of the text message.

The controller 16 controls the overall operation of the terminal 10. In particular, the controller 16 stores the auto-answer setting information in which the user cannot receive a call in the auto-answer information storing unit 15a, and detects caller information from the call received by the wireless communication unit 11. It is displayed on the screen display part 14. In addition, the controller 16 detects an input of a user situation and a callable time through the key input unit 13, and substitutes an auto-response message corresponding to the message format stored in the message storage unit 15b into the wireless communication unit 11. Send through).

Hereinafter, a method for transmitting an autoresponder message according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. 2 is a flowchart showing a method for transmitting an auto-reply message according to the present embodiment.

First, an auto answer key is set (S21). There may be a number of situations where a user cannot answer a call when a call is made (in this specification, such a situation is referred to as a 'user situation'). This step S21 assumes various situations of user situations and assigns each to a different key (e.g., a numeric key). In this specification, this mapping information between the user context and the key is referred to as 'key setting information'. The key setting information may be set as an initial value at the time of manufacture of the terminal, or may be registered, changed, added, or deleted by the user.

3A is an exemplary execution screen illustrating the auto-response key setting step S21. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, a user's situation may be assumed to be a personal matter during a meeting, driving, watching a movie, during a class, and assigned to numeric keys 0 to 4, respectively. However, the key setting information of FIG. 3A is merely illustrated for ease of understanding.

The key setting information is part of the autoresponse setting information necessary for implementing the present invention, and is stored in the autoresponder information storage unit 15a.

Subsequently, a call answering type may be selected (S22). The call answering type may be a slide open method, a call key press method, an arbitrary key press method, and the like, as illustrated in FIG. 3B. However, this type of answering is merely illustrative for the sake of understanding. In addition, the call answer type illustrated in FIG. 3B is, for example, a slide type terminal, and a different call answer type is used in other types of terminals. In the present specification, the information on the call answer type is referred to as 'call answer type information'.

The answering call type information is stored in the answering machine information storage unit 15a as part of the answering machine setting information (S22a).

Subsequently, a message type may be selected (S23). As illustrated in FIG. 3C, the message type may be a method of sending one of a voice message and a text message alone, or a method of sending both messages simultaneously. This message type is referred to herein as 'message type information'.

The message type information is stored in the autoresponder information storage unit 15a as part of the autoresponder setting information (S23a).

The above-mentioned answer type selection step S22 and the message type selection step S23 described above are preferably executed to implement the present invention, but are not necessarily required steps.

Subsequently, it enters the auto answer mode (S24). The entry of the answering machine mode may allow the user to select after displaying the answering machine setting menu as illustrated in FIG. 3D.

After receiving the call while in the incoming call receiving state through the wireless communication unit 11 (S25).

The controller 16 extracts caller information from the incoming call and displays it on the screen display unit 14 (S26). 3E is an exemplary view of a screen on which caller information is displayed.

When the call is received and the caller information is displayed, the user reports the call and sequentially inputs the first key and the second key through the key input unit 13 (S27 and S28). 3F illustrates an example of a screen on which first and second key inputs are executed. The first key input is for informing the counterpart of the user's situation, and when '1' is input in the example of FIG. 3F, the user's situation is 'driving'. The second key input is for informing the other party of the available call time, and when '60' is input in the example of FIG. 3F, the available call time is '60 minutes', that is, the call is possible after 60 minutes.

The controller 16 detects the first and second key inputs and extracts a user context corresponding thereto from the key setting information of the automatic response information storage unit 15a. Subsequently, the automatic response message is transmitted through the wireless communication unit 11 by substituting the user situation and the available call time into the message format stored in the message storage unit 15b (S29). 3G is an exemplary view of a screen on which message transmission is performed.

In order to use the automatic response message transmission method according to the present embodiment, the user must be familiar with key setting information. In other words, the user needs to know in advance which user situation is assigned to which key so that when the call is received, the user can be notified of the appropriate user situation by key input.

Another embodiment of the present invention, which will be described below, takes this into consideration, and it is characterized by displaying a list of user situations when a call is received. Therefore, it is easy to use even if the user does not know which user situation is assigned to which key.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for transmitting an auto-reply message according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the auto answer key is set in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment (S31) and the auto answer mode is entered (S32). When the call is received (S33) and the caller information is displayed (S34), a user context list corresponding to FIG. 3A appears on the screen display. Even if the user does not know the key setting information, the user can view the list and select an appropriate user situation (S35). Subsequently, as in the above-described embodiment, a time available for a call is input through the key input unit (S36), and an automatic response message is sent (S37).

To apply the two embodiments described above, the user must select the auto answer mode before the call is made. In addition, in the case of a slide type or a folder type terminal, in order to apply the above-described two embodiments, the answering call type should not be set to slide open (or folder open).

On the other hand, another embodiment to be described later is characterized in that the answering call type is set to the slide open and the automatic response message can be sent even if the answering mode has not been entered in advance.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for transmitting an autoresponse message according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, after setting the auto answering key as in the above-described embodiment (S41), a slide open (folder in the case of a folder type) is selected as the answering call type (S42). Then, when the call is received (S43) and the caller information is displayed (S44), the user presses a specific key to enter the answering machine mode (S45). In this case, the specific key may be, for example, a volume control button. If the user enters the auto answer mode by pressing a specific key, the device will operate in the auto answer mode without making a call even if the slide is opened. Subsequently, as in the first embodiment, the user context and the available time are input through the key input unit (S46), and the auto response message is sent (S47).

As described above, the present specification and drawings have been described with respect to preferred embodiments of the present invention, although specific terms have been used, these are merely used in a general sense to easily explain the technical contents of the present invention and to help the understanding of the present invention. It is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It is to be understood by those skilled in the art that other modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention are possible in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

In the method for transmitting an auto-answer message in a portable communication terminal according to the present invention, not only a situation in which the user does not receive a call but also an information on when the call is available can be informed to the other party. Elimination can be eliminated, and the receiver side can easily communicate to the other party through a simple key operation.

In addition, the automatic response message transmission method of the present invention can be applied even if the user knows the key setting information in advance or not, and if the telephone does not enter the automatic response mode or the slide or folder type This can also be applied if the Receive Type is selected as Slide Open or Folder Open.

Therefore, the automatic response message transmission method of the present invention has the effect of maximizing user convenience.

Claims (14)

Storing the answering machine setting information in which the situations of the user who cannot answer the call are set; Receiving a call from an outside; A system for detecting and displaying caller information from the incoming call; Detecting an input of any of the above situations; Detecting an input of a talkable time; And Transmitting an auto-response message corresponding to the input situation and the input available call time; Automatic response message transmission method in a portable communication terminal comprising a. The method of claim 1, The auto-response setting information includes key setting information for assigning at least two or more user situations to different keys. 3. The method of claim 2, And said key to which a user context is assigned is a numeric key. The method of claim 1, The answering machine setting information includes a call answering type information. 5. The method of claim 4, The answering call type may include a slide open method, a call key press method, and an arbitrary key press method. The method of claim 1, Entering an auto answer mode; Automatic response message transmission method in a portable communication terminal, characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 6, And the step of entering the auto answer mode is before or after the call reception step. The method of claim 6, The step of entering the auto-response mode is a method for transmitting an auto-response message in a portable communication terminal, characterized in that performed by the menu selection. The method of claim 6, The step of entering the auto-response mode is a method for transmitting an auto-response message in a portable communication terminal, characterized in that performed by a specific key input. The method of claim 1, And the input of the user context is to press a key to which the user context is assigned. The method of claim 1, And the input of the user context selects one of the user contexts displayed as a list. The method of claim 1, And the input of the available call time is to press a numeric key. The method of claim 1, The auto-response setting information includes message type information. 14. The method of claim 13, The message type includes a voice message and a text message.

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