KR101544213B1 - Portable terminal and using method of effect emoticon in it - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a memory for storing an effect emoticons having an item, a method of expressing the item, or a vibration pattern; A control unit for generating or using the effect emoticons; An output unit expressing the effect emoticons; And a user input unit receiving a user instruction for creating or using the effect emoticons, and a method for creating / using the effect emoticons.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION [0002] PORTABLE TERMINAL AND USING METHOD OF EFFECT EMOTICON IN IT [

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal using effect emoticons including a presentation method for items such as messages and multimedia contents and a vibration pattern.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a mobile terminal is a portable device that is portable and has one or more functions of voice and video communication, information input / output, and data storage.

Each mobile terminal carries the mobile terminal directly. When the mobile terminal is paged, the mobile terminal generates a ringing tone signal to inform the call reception state. The ringing tone signal is relatively high in level because it is an alarm signal.

Accordingly, the use of the incoming ringing tone signal is restricted in order to maintain the public order and to prevent harm to a neighboring place, such as meeting place, theater, office, etc., public places where many people gather, , There is a problem that opportunity loss is caused due to failure to confirm an important state of appeal. In order to solve the above problem, the personal communication mobile terminal used in such a place has implemented a predetermined vibration instead of the incoming call bell signal.

As the functions of the mobile terminal are diversified, for example, the mobile terminal has complicated functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of music or video file, reception of a game and broadcasting, and the like in the form of a multimedia player .

In order to implement complex functions in multimedia devices, various new attempts have been made in terms of hardware or software. For example, a touch screen that combines a display device and a pointing device is applied to a user interface (UI) environment in which a user can easily and conveniently search for or select a function.

On the other hand, even in the case of the vibration generated by the mobile terminal, new information transmission methods using the tactile sense by the vibration pattern or the like can be used to increase the convenience and aesthetics to the user, by moving away from the limited purpose of the conventional noise prevention.

In addition, the user may want to give the special effect desired by himself / herself rather than reproducing the multimedia contents or the message according to the conventional method.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal that uses an effect emoticons including a presentation method and vibration pattern for an item such as a message or a multimedia content.

Alternatively, the present invention provides a mobile terminal capable of giving a desired additional effect to an item such as a message or a multimedia content.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal including: a memory for storing an effect emoticons having items, a method of expressing the items, or vibration patterns; A control unit for generating or using the effect emoticons; An output unit expressing the effect emoticons; And a user input unit for receiving a user instruction for creation or use of the effect emoticons.

Here, the control unit may add an additional effect to each function of the mobile terminal or contents stored in the memory, using the emotion emoticon stored in the storage unit.

Here, the control unit may attach the effect emoticons stored in the memory to each function or content of the mobile terminal.

Here, the controller may reproduce the contents after expressing the attached effect emoticons upon receipt of a reproduction instruction for the contents attached with the effect emoticons. Alternatively, upon receiving an instruction to perform the function to which the effect emoticons are attached, the function may be performed after expressing the attached effect emoticons.

Here, the controller may attach the effect emoticons to each item of the indicator region, and when the event related to the item to which the effect emoticons are attached, expresses the emotion emoticon.

Here, the mobile terminal may further include a vibration generator for vibrating the mobile terminal according to a vibration pattern constituting the effect emoticons.

Here, the mobile terminal may further include a display unit for displaying the item according to a method of expressing the item constituting the effect emoticons.

Here, the control unit generates an effect emoticons by attaching a selected expression method and / or a vibration pattern to a selected item according to an instruction of a user. In this case, the storage unit may store a plurality of emoticons And / or selectable vibration patterns.

Here, the mobile terminal may further include a wireless communication unit for forming a data communication channel, and upon receiving the effect emoticons through the data communication channel, the control unit may determine whether or not the effect emoticons are displayed according to a setting of the user have.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of generating an effect emoticons for use in a mobile terminal, the method comprising: selecting an item; Selecting a vibration pattern to be output when the item is expressed; And storing the item, the representation method or the vibration pattern.

Here, the selecting method or the vibration pattern may include: selecting a presentation method in which the item is displayed; And selecting the vibration pattern to be generated in the mobile terminal when the item is executed according to the expression method.

Here, the method of generating emoticon may further include determining expression methods that can be given according to the type of the selected item.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of using an effect emoticons in a mobile terminal, the method comprising: receiving an instruction to perform a function of a mobile terminal to which an effect emoticon is attached, ; Expressing an effect emoticon attached to an object of the performance instruction or reproduction instruction; And performing a function according to the performance instruction or reproducing the content according to a playback instruction.

Here, the step of expressing the effect emoticons may display the items constituting the effect emoticons according to a presentation method constituting the effect emoticons.

Here, the step of expressing the effect emoticons may vibrate the mobile terminal according to a vibration pattern constituting the effect emoticons while displaying the items constituting the effect emoticons.

The mobile terminal according to the present invention has the advantage of improving the emotional satisfaction and / or convenience of the mobile terminal user.

For example, the mobile terminal of the present invention can enhance emotional satisfaction of a user by using effect emoticons including a presentation method for a message and multimedia contents and a vibration pattern.

For example, the mobile terminal of the present invention can conveniently provide an effect desired by a user to an item such as a message or a multimedia content, thereby enhancing user convenience.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The suffix "module" and " part "for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role.

The mobile terminal described in this specification 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), navigation and the like. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art 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 the configuration is applicable only to a mobile terminal.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an audio / video input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, A controller 170, a controller 180, a power supply 190, and the like. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, and a mobile terminal having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components 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 range communication module 114, and a location information module 115 .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals and / or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may refer to a server for generating and transmitting broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information, or a server for receiving broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information generated by the broadcast management server and transmitting the generated broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information. The broadcast signal may include a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a data broadcast signal, and a broadcast signal in which a data broadcast signal is combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast-related information may refer to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or information related to a broadcast service provider. The broadcast-related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast-related information may exist in various forms. For example, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) of DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) or an ESG (Electronic Service Guide) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

For example, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), a Media Forward Link Only And a Digital Broadcasting System (ISDB-T) (Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be adapted to other broadcasting systems as well as the digital broadcasting system described above.

The broadcast signal and / or 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. The wireless signal may include various types of data depending on a voice call signal, a video call signal or a text / multimedia message transmission / reception.

The wireless Internet module 113 is a module for wireless Internet access, and may be built in or externally attached to the mobile terminal 100. WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies.

The short-range communication module 114 refers to a module for short-range communication. Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used as a short range communication technology.

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

Referring to FIG. 1, an A / V (Audio / Video) input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame can be displayed on the display unit 151. [

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. [ Two or more cameras 121 may be provided depending on the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal through a microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like, and processes it as electrical voice data. The processed voice data can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 when the voice data is in the call mode, and output. Various noise reduction algorithms may be implemented in the microphone 122 to remove noise generated in receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for a user to control the operation of the terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 senses the current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as the open / close state of the mobile terminal 100, the position of the mobile terminal 100, the presence or absence of user contact, the orientation of the mobile terminal, And generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it is possible to sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. It is also possible to sense whether the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141.

The output unit 150 is for generating output related to the visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes 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 is in the call mode, a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with a call is displayed. When the mobile terminal 100 is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the photographed and / or received video or UI and GUI are displayed.

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, and a 3D display.

Some of these displays may be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This can be referred to as a transparent display, and a typical example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparent OLED) and the like. 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 of 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 one another or may be disposed integrally with each other, or may be disposed on different surfaces.

(Hereinafter, referred to as a 'touch screen') in which a display unit 151 and a sensor for sensing a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as 'touch sensor') form a mutual layer structure, It can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in a pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or a capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor can be configured to detect not only the position and area to be touched but also the pressure at the time of touch.

If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. Thus, the control unit 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched or the like.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is surrounded by the touch screen. The proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or a nearby object without mechanical contact using the force of an electromagnetic field or infrared rays. The proximity sensor has a longer life span than the contact sensor and its utilization is also high.

Examples of the proximity sensor 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. And to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field along the proximity of the pointer when the touch screen is electrostatic. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of recognizing that the pointer is positioned on the touch screen while the pointer is not in contact with the touch screen is referred to as "proximity touch" The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch. &Quot; The position where the pointer is proximately touched on the touch screen means a position where the pointer is vertically corresponding to the touch screen when the pointer is touched.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (e.g., a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, a proximity touch movement state, and the like). Information corresponding to the detected proximity touch operation and the proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The audio 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 mode, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, The sound output module 152 also outputs sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. [ The audio 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 that occur in the mobile terminal include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, touch input, and the like. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in a form other than the video signal or the audio signal, for example, vibration. The video signal or the audio signal may be output through the display unit 151 or the audio output module 152 so that they may be classified as a part of the alarm unit 153.

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

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 154 may include a pin arrangement vertically moving with respect to the contact skin surface, a spraying force or suction force of the air through the injection port or the suction port, a touch on the skin surface, contact with an electrode, And various tactile effects such as an effect of reproducing a cold sensation using an endothermic or exothermic element can be generated.

The haptic module 154 can be implemented not only to transmit the tactile effect through the direct contact but also to allow the user to feel the tactile effect through the muscular sensation of the finger or 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 / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, etc.). The memory 160 may store data on vibration and sound of various patterns outputted when a touch is input on the touch screen.

The memory 160 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM A disk, and / or an optical disk. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function 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 or supplies power to each component in the mobile terminal 100 or transmits data to the external device. For example, 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, an audio I / O port, A video input / output (I / O) port, an earphone port, and the like may be included in the interface unit 170.

The identification module is a chip storing various information for authenticating the use right of the mobile terminal 100 and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identity module (SIM), a universal user authentication module A Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), and the like. Devices with identification modules (hereinafter referred to as "identification devices") 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 may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100, or various command signals input by the user to the cradle may be transmitted It can be a passage to be transmitted to the terminal. The various command signals or the power source input from the cradle may be operated as a signal for recognizing that the mobile terminal is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, 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 controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process for recognizing handwriting input or drawing input performed on the touch screen as characters and images, respectively.

The power supply unit 190 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 180 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

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

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays May be implemented using at least one of a processor, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and other electronic units for performing other functions. In some cases, The embodiments described may be implemented by the control unit 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 can be implemented in a software application written in a suitable programming language. The software code is stored in the memory 160 and can be executed by the control unit 180. [

Hereinafter, one of the components of FIG. 1 will be described in connection with the implementation of the idea of the present invention.

The haptic module 154 may be implemented as a vibrating element for mechanically vibrating a mobile terminal, which vibrator is selected to have a size and performance suitable for being embedded in a mobile terminal among various commercially available products .

According to the embodiment, the oscillation element can receive a simple turn-on potential as a power for driving, and can input a clock-shaped signal. In the former case, it is easy to implement and can reduce costs, but the number of vibration patterns that can be generated by the vibration generating unit is reduced, and it is difficult to transmit complex information. In the latter case, a complicated and expensive component is required, but the number of vibration patterns that can be generated by the vibration generating unit is large, so that it is possible to transmit more complex information. In the latter case, the frequency of the clock may be adjusted to adjust the oscillation frequency of the oscillation element.

At least two or more vibration elements may be provided according to the implementation. For example, two or more vibration elements having different natural vibration frequencies may be provided so that the user can differentiate the difference in response by the frequency difference, / Or two or more vibrating elements having different positions may be provided so as to discriminate the difference in response to the vibration direction and / or vibration position felt when the user holds the mobile terminal.

The control unit 180 may be a program for receiving / sending a text message, a program for reproducing multimedia data such as a picture or a moving picture, etc., in addition to a call function using a wireless communication network, as in the case of a general mobile terminal Can be executed accordingly.

Various implementations of the present embodiment can be achieved by changing the algorithm executed by the controller 180 and / or the program executed.

For example, the control unit 180 attaches an effect emoticons according to the spirit of the present invention to a message or a multimedia content stored in the memory 160 according to an instruction of a user, and transmits the effect emoticons to the counterpart Lt; / RTI >

The sensing unit 140 may further include a motion sensing device, and the controller 180 may generate a vibration pattern corresponding to a movement pattern of the mobile terminal input to the motion sensing device.

The sensing unit 140 may further include a pointing receiving device such as a touch screen, and the controller 180 may generate a vibration pattern according to a pointing pattern input by the pointing receiving device.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, The display unit (151 in Fig. 1)  Let's look at how the touch pads work together.

2 and 3 are front views of a mobile terminal for explaining one operation state of the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

On the display unit 151,  Various kinds of visual information can be displayed. These pieces of information can be displayed in the form of letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons.

To input such information, the letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, Icons  May be realized in the form of a keypad by being displayed in a predetermined arrangement. Such a keypad may be called a so-called " soft key ".

2, Of the body  And receives a touch applied to the soft key through the front side.

The display unit 151 displays  It can be operated as a whole area or divided into a plurality of areas and operated. In the latter case, the plurality of areas can be configured to operate in association with each other.

E.g, The display unit 151  And an output window 151a and an input window 151b are displayed on the upper and lower sides, respectively. The output window 151a and the input window 151b are areas allocated for outputting or inputting information, respectively. In the input window 151b, a soft key 151c in which a number for inputting a telephone number or the like is displayed is output. If the softkey 151c When it touches , Touched  And the number corresponding to the soft key are displayed on the output window 151a. When the first operation unit 131 is operated, call connection to the telephone number displayed on the output window 151a is attempted.

3, Of the body  Indicates that a touch is applied to the soft key through the rear surface. 2, Body  Vertically Placed  Occation( portrait 3, Body  Horizontally Placed  Occation( landscape ). The display unit 151 displays  terminal Of the body  And the output screen is converted according to the placement direction.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart Mode is  . On the display unit 151,  Output window 151 a ' ) And an input window 151 b ' ) Is displayed. Input window 151 b ' ) Includes a soft key 151 (at least one of letters, symbols, and numbers) c ' Can be arranged in plural. Soft keys 151 c ' ) Of the QWERTY key  . ≪ / RTI >

Through the touchpad Soft keys 151c '  When touched, Touched  The letters, numbers, symbols corresponding to the soft keys are displayed in the output window 151 a ' ). As described above, the touch input through the touch pad The display unit 151  Compared with the touch input via the touch key 151 c ')  There is an advantage that it can be prevented from being blocked by the finger. disrespect Play part ( 151) and  When the touch pad is formed to be transparent, Of the body  Since the fingers located on the back can be visually confirmed, More accurate  Touch input Possible All.

ideal In embodiments  In addition to the disclosed input method, Display portion (151) or the touch pad On the scroll  And receives the touch input. The user Display portion (151) or the touch pad scroll  by doing On the display unit 151  A cursor or a pointer located on the displayed object, for example, an icon or the like, can be moved. Further, Display portion (151) or the touch pad, the path along which the finger moves On the display unit 151  It may be displayed visually. this is On the display unit 151  It will be useful for editing the displayed image.

Display portion (Touch screen) 151 and the touch pad are operated together within a predetermined time range Touched  In response to the case, one function of the terminal may be executed. Touch together The  In the case where the user uses the thumb and index, Body  House ( clamping ) There may be cases. The above-  The function, for example, Display portion (151) or activation or deactivation of the touch pad.

FIG. 4 shows a data structure of an effect emoticons according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The illustrated effect emoticons may be composed of items, expression methods, and vibration patterns. Additionally, in order to identify each effect emoticons, the effect emoticons may further include file names stored as names and / or effect emoticons that the user may call.

As the items, audio data such as characters, emoticons, images, flashes, pictures, moving pictures, MP3s / voice / sounds, documents, links, URLs, phone number floating items, messages, memos, / LCD backlight / camera flash, etc.).

The presentation method may specify how the item is represented in a corresponding component (e.g., LCD, LED, etc.) of the mobile terminal.

The vibration pattern can designate a pattern for vibrating the mobile terminal when the item of the effect emoticons is represented according to a method of expressing the effect emoticons.

The effect emoticons can be executed on their own, or in a manner attached to other items. Most of the items to which the effect emoticons can be attached can be the items that make up the effect emoticons. Hereinafter, in order to prevent confusion, the item to which the effect emoticons are attached will be referred to as " object ".

Let's take a look at the implementation process of the emoticon.

When the control unit of the mobile terminal receives the execution instruction of the object to which the effect emoticons are attached from the user, the control unit first performs a procedure of expressing the effect emoticons. The above procedure can be performed according to the execution of a dedicated application for expression of effect emoticons.

For example, a method of expressing an effect emoticon of a kind that can be displayed on a display is as follows.

In order to express the effect emoticons, the control unit first loads the item data of the effect emoticons to be displayed. Next, the display unit is controlled so that the item is displayed on the screen according to the expression method of the effect emoticons.

For example, display image data (e.g., display frame data) including images in which the item at each time is present on the screen can be created according to the expression method.

FIG. 5 shows a process of loading effect emoticons after loading the item data of the effect emoticons (S20) and reading the method of expressing the effect emoticons (S30).

As shown in the figure, when creating the display frame data for each unit time, the item image is included in the display frame data so as to conform to the expression method for the unit time (S40). Next, it is determined whether or not the expression time for the effect emoticons has elapsed (S50). If the expression time has elapsed, the expression of the effect emoticons is terminated (S70). If not, The item image is included so as to conform to the expression method for the item image (S60).

The storage and transmission modes of the effect emoticons are as follows.

The effect emoticons according to the present invention may be stored in the memory 160 of FIG. 1 as a general multimedia content.

The effect emoticons can be stored separately, or they can be stored with the object to which they are attached. The former type is advantageous to be applied to the mobile terminal for using the effect emoticons, and the latter form is advantageous to be applied to the mobile terminal to which the subject having the effect emoticons are transmitted.

In an area for storing items constituting each effect emoticons, the item data itself may be stored, or a pointer indicating an area where the item is stored or a file name of the item may be stored. On the other hand, if the item is a single character or a short phrase, it can always be stored directly in the form of an ASCI code or the like.

In the area for storing the expression method of the items constituting each effect emoticon, an identifier for each expression method and a special code for specifically describing the expression method may be recorded. This is useful when the mobile terminal already has information on how to represent the item.

In the area for storing the vibration pattern, a pointer or an identifier indicating a vibration pattern on the vibration information storage area of the mobile terminal memory 160 may be recorded, or the vibration pattern itself may be expressed by an image or a special code and recorded. For example, the vibration pattern may be specified in the form of a graph on the coordinate axis, where the abscissa is time and the ordinate is the intensity of vibration.

The effect emoticons according to the present invention may be transmitted to the counterpart mobile terminal to transmit the data of the storage form together with the object data. However, the item of the effect emoticons to be transmitted is preferably transmitted as item data itself, but in some cases, the identifier may be transmitted. For example, in the case of an item commonly stored in a mobile terminal of the same model, an identifier can be transmitted without transmitting separate item data.

FIG. 6 illustrates a storage structure of contents and the like, to which effect emoticons and effect emoticons are attached, in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown, the memory 160 of the mobile terminal includes a message storage area 161 for storing TXT and / or MMS messages; An icon storage area 162 for storing icon files; An image storage area 163 for storing image files; A moving picture storage area 164 for storing moving picture files; A presentation method storage area 166 for storing information on the presentation method of the effect emoticons; A vibration information storage area 167 for storing vibration patterns constituting the effect emoticons; An item type-expression method matching mask 165 that indicates expression methods that can be given according to the type of the item constituting the effect emoticons; And an effect emoticons storage area 168 for storing the generated effect emoticons.

The items stored in the message storage area 161, the icon storage area 162, the image storage area 163, and the moving picture storage area 164 may be used to construct an effect emoticons according to the spirit of the present invention. Although not shown, other types of multimedia content may also be used to construct effect emoticons according to the teachings of the present invention.

The four storage areas may be formed similar to the case of a general mobile terminal.

Each object stored in the four storage areas may be an element constituting the effect emoticons, and the created effect emoticons may be attached. For example, in the drawing, it can be seen that an effect emoticon is attached to the m2.msg message, the i2.ico icon, the sky.jpg file, the me.jpg file, and the movie3.mpg file.

An item is selected to create an effect emoticon, which may already have another effect emoticon attached to the selected item. In this case, only the original item selected is used in the generated effect emoticons, and information on the effect emoticons attached thereto may be ignored.

In the expression method storage area 166, an identifier related to a method of expressing an item included in the effect emoticons may be stored. As a method for expressing the item, a method represented in particular on a display may be usefully applied, but is not limited thereto. Also, in the expression method storage area 166, a specific stream of the instruction codes (of the mobile terminal) for performing the expression method may be recorded.

The expression method may be any one of execution, enlargement, reduction, rotation, random movement display, highlight display, highlight display, blinking, flying (display moving left / right), blind display and the like.

In the vibration information storage area 167, a vibration pattern included in the effect emoticons can be recorded.

A different data structure such as a table having matching information for the 'item type-expression method' may be used instead of the 'item type-expression method' matching mask 165 according to the implementation.

In the case where the applicable item type is recorded for each representation method in the expression method storage area 166, the item type-expression method matching mask 165 may be omitted.

In the effect emoticons storage area 168, effect emoticons generated according to the ideas of the present invention may be stored.

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of the 'Item Type-Expression Method' matching mask 165.

In the table shown, the horizontal axis represents the item type and the vertical axis represents the representation methods. In the intersection area where each item type and each expression method meet, it is expressed as o / x whether the corresponding item type can be expressed by the corresponding expression method.

The mobile terminal of this embodiment can determine the presentation methods that can be given to the selected item using the 'item type-expression method' matching mask 165 after selecting the item to configure the effect emoticons.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method of generating an effect emoticons according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the effect emoticons are intended to be used in a mobile terminal.

The method of generating an emotion icon includes: selecting an item (S110); Determining (S120) expression methods that can be assigned according to the type of the selected item; (S130) notifying the user of the presentation methods that can be given; Selecting an expression method in which the item is displayed according to a user's instruction (S140); When the item is represented according to the presentation method, notifying a user of vibration patterns that can be given to output from the mobile terminal (S150); Selecting the vibration pattern according to a user's instruction (S160); And storing information about the item, information on a presentation method to be imparted to the item, or a vibration pattern (S170).

The generated emoticon may be performed under the control of the control unit 180 of the mobile terminal of FIG. 1 with respect to the user's instruction. As a result, the effect emoticon storage area 168 of FIG. Emoticons can be stored.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a method of using an effect emoticons according to the present invention will be described with reference to a display screen of a mobile terminal.

9 is a display screen for managing effect emoticons according to an embodiment of the present invention in a mobile terminal.

As shown in the figure, as one of the management functions of the effect emoticons, it is possible to display a list of the stored effect emoticons.

If you press the menu button (B1) on the illustrated emoticon list screen, you can add, delete, edit, rename, delete all, and select all of the emoticon.

When the user touches one effect emoticons on the effect emoticons list screen, an item, a presentation method, and a vibration pattern constituting the selected emoticon are displayed according to the touch.

In the drawing, the effect emoticon is selected by the touch operation on the touch screen, but the cursor can be moved by using the arrow keys and the user can select the emoticon by pressing the OK key. Such a method of selecting a specific item is the same for other drawings and / or other functions.

The selected effect emoticons can be edited on the display screen of the item, the expression method and the vibration pattern. In order to edit the effect emoticons, the user can touch the item area AI, the expression method area AC, and the vibration information area AB shown by the user.

10 is a display screen for managing groups of effect emoticons according to an embodiment of the present invention in a mobile terminal.

As shown in the figure, for convenience of management / use, effect emoticons are grouped and a list screen for each group can be provided.

When the menu button B2 is pressed on the group list screen, functions such as addition, deletion, editing, name modification, deletion, and selection of effect emoticons can be performed.

When one effect emoticons are touched on the group list screen, a list of effect emoticons belonging to the selected group can be displayed.

When one effect emoticon is touched on the effect emoticons list screen, a detailed view / edit screen for the emoticon indicating the items, the expression method, and the vibration pattern constituting the selected emoticon is displayed according to the touch.

11 is a display screen showing selection of an item in the detailed view / edit screen for the effect emoticons.

As shown in the figure, when the item area AI1 is touched on the detail view / edit screen, a pop-up screen P1 for selecting the type of item to constitute the emotion emoticon can be displayed.

As for the types of the items, there are various types of items such as letters, icons, images, flashes, pictures, movies, audio data such as MP3s, voice / sounds, documents, links, URLs, Camera flash, lamp, or unspecified. The letters may include numbers, Hangul, English, words, phrases, sentences, single syllables, and single syllables.

On the pop-up screen P1, when a user selects (touches) one, a list screen (not shown) made up of the selected kind of items can be displayed. The user can finally select an item to constitute an effect emoticons on the list screen.

FIG. 12 is a display screen showing selection of the expression method in the detail view / edit screen for the effect emoticons.

As shown in the drawing, when the expression method area AC1 is touched on the detail view / edit screen, a pop-up screen P2 for selecting the expression method for composing the effect emoticons can be displayed.

Among the illustrated methods of expression, 'execution' is to execute the object after expressing the item of the effect emoticons when the execution of the object to which the effect emoticons are attached is instructed.

When enlargement is instructed to execute the object to which the effect emoticons are attached, the enlarged items are gradually enlarged and displayed, and then the object is executed.

When 'reduction' is instructed to execute an object to which the effect emoticons are attached, the items of the effect emoticons are gradually reduced, and then the object is executed.

'Rotation' is an instruction to execute an object to which the effect emoticons are attached, and after rotating the items of the emotion emoticon, the object is executed.

When the execution of the object to which the effect emoticons are attached is instructed, the 'random move' is performed by randomly moving the items of the effect emoticons and then executing the object.

When emphasis is instructed to execute an object to which the effect emoticons are attached, the emphasis emphasizes the items of the effect emoticons and then executes the objects.

'Highlight' is to highlight an item of the emotion emoticon and execute the object when the execution of the object to which the effect emoticon is attached is instructed.

'Blink' means that when the execution of the object to which the effect emoticons are attached is instructed, the items of the effect emoticons are blinked, and then the object is executed.

When the execution of the object to which the effect emoticons are attached is instructed, each character or syllable constituting the character, which is an item of the emoticon of the effect, is expressed in the form of being added one by one from the left side, and then the target is executed .

The 'blind', when instructed to execute the object to which the effect emoticons are attached, expresses the items of the effect emoticons in a state in which the blind effect is given, and then executes the object.

The 'arbitrary trajectory', when instructed to execute the object to which the effect emoticons are attached, moves and expresses the items of the effect emoticons according to an arbitrary locus (for example, a touch pattern) that the user applies and then executes the object.

When the execution of the object to which the effect emoticons are attached is instructed, the 'proximity pattern' moves the items of the emotion emoticon according to the proximity pattern applied by the user and expresses the items, and then executes the object.

The 'voice pattern', when instructed to execute the object to which the effect emoticons are attached, adjusts the position of the item of the emotion emoticon according to the externally applied voice pattern, and then executes the object.

FIG. 13 is a display screen showing a case where 'random trajectory' is selected as an expression method in the detailed view / edit screen for effect emoticons.

As shown in the figure, when the expression method area AC1 is touched on the detail view / edit screen and the 'random trajectory' is touched on the popup screen P2 for selecting the expression method, a popup screen Is displayed.

When the effect emoticons are represented, the items of the emoticons are displayed while moving according to the inputted 'random trajectory'.

Fig. 14 is a display screen showing selection of a vibration pattern in the detail view / edit screen for the effect emoticons.

When the user touches the vibration pattern area AB1 of the screen shown in the figure, a new vibration pattern input screen is displayed or a screen for recalling one of the previously generated vibration patterns can be displayed.

In the second screen of the drawing, a pop-up window P3 consisting of a menu for selecting one of the 'direct input' and the 'select from list' of the new vibration pattern is displayed. Thereafter, when the user selects the 'select from list' menu, the visual form of the vibration patterns on the stored list is displayed one by one, as shown in the third screen.

On the other hand, a method of editing a new vibration pattern by the user is as follows.

15A shows an example of a vibration pattern editing method using a touch screen. As shown in the figure, a new vibration pattern can be created by drawing a vibration pattern between 0 second and 1 second on the touch screen. In the drawings, a description has been given of the creation of a vibration pattern between 0 second and 1 second. However, a vibration pattern of 1 second or more can be created in accordance with the implementation.

15B shows an example of a vibration pattern editing method using a movement pattern that a user applies to a mobile terminal.

The control unit of the mobile terminal can determine the strength of the operation of shaking the mobile terminal by the motion detection unit installed in the mobile terminal. The controller can continuously grasp the intensity of the shaking motion over time and store the intensity pattern of the continuous shaking motion as a vibration pattern.

The motion pattern applied by the user in the human body structure has a somewhat irregular sinusoidal shape (as shown in the time axis) as shown in the figure, and it is preferable that the envelope of the sine wave shape is taken as a vibration pattern.

16 to 18 show methods for executing a screen for attaching an effect emoticons according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 shows a screen (second screen) on which an effect emoticon can be attached by pressing an effect emoticon attaching button B3 provided on each function performing screen of the mobile terminal by a general method. An effect emoticons list (AL) in which effect emoticons are arranged in the horizontal direction is displayed in the lower area of the screen to which the effect emoticons can be attached.

On the other hand, the menu provided by the application can also have menu items for managing the effect emoticons.

FIG. 17 illustrates displaying a screen to which an effect emoticon can be attached when a predetermined condition is satisfied during a call or the like. For example, when a call sound during a voice / video call is higher than a predetermined level, an effect emoticons list (AL) can be displayed so that an effect emoticon can be attached.

FIG. 18 shows displaying an effect emoticons list AL by attaching an effect emoticon by applying a movement pattern when the mobile terminal has a motion sensing means (for example, a gyro sensor).

FIGS. 19A through 19D illustrate methods of selecting and attaching desired effect emoticons on a screen in which attachable effect emoticons are displayed.

As shown in FIG. 19A, different numeric keys are assigned to the respective emoticons of the effect emoticons AL1, and when the user presses a numeric key, the assigned emoticon is attached to an appropriate object in the job in which the emoticon is being executed do. In the drawing, a marking (MN) representing a numeric key assigned to each effect emoticon is represented.

In the drawing, the emoticon assigned to the pressed numeric key is transmitted to the partner terminal of the video call because the user is in a video call. This is useful in a mobile terminal without a touch screen.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 19B, when one of the effect emoticons displayed on the effect emoticons list AL2 is touched (or double-touched), the effect emoticons are attached to an appropriate object on the basis of the work being executed To the other terminal of the video call)

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 19C, a specific effect emoticon of the effect emoticons list AL3 can be attached to a desired object by using drag and drop.

Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 19D, the voice recognition function can be used. For example, when the user shouts 'first effect' while using the messenger function, the mobile terminal that has performed the voice recognition for the user can select the leftmost effect emoticons among the effect emoticons displayed on the bottom effect emoticons list (AL4) To the other terminal. It is useful for functions like voice messaging messenger as shown in the figure. In order to instruct to display the effect emoticons list AL4 during messenger execution, the user can utter an 'effect list' and voice command.

FIG. 20 shows a preview function for effect emoticons on a screen displaying affirmative effect emoticons.

As shown in the figure, when the user touches a specific effect emoticon proximately (or touches one time), the user can express how the effect emoticons are executed in the reduced area (the area AR near the point where the effect emoticons are located in the drawing) have. At this time, the vibration pattern provided in the effect emoticons can also be outputted together.

Alternatively, when a predetermined time (preferably a minimum time for preview recognition such as 0.5 seconds to 1 second) elapses after the preview starts, information on items, expression methods, and vibration patterns constituting the effect emoticons Can be displayed in a pop-up window (PW).

Alternatively, at the time of previewing, a 'visual' cue (MD) can be displayed, which displays a 'transfer' button at the lower part of the preview area and indicates that drag and drop is possible to an image.

21A and 21B may be performed as a method of attaching an effect emoticon to the other party's screen during the video call. That is, in the case shown, the object to which the effect emoticons are attached becomes the video call function itself.

When the user executes the menu for attaching the effect emoticons during the video call, an effect emoticons list AL composed of effect emoticons that can be attached to the lower end of the screen can be displayed.

If the number of available effect emoticons is larger than the number that can be displayed, the effect emoticons displayed in the effect emoticons list AL can be changed to other ones using the left and right direction keys KA.

For example, in order to display the effect emoticons list AL during the video call, the user may press a button for instructing 'attach an effect emoticon' The pattern can be applied to the mobile terminal.

Next, as shown in FIG. 21A, the user drags and drops one of the effect emoticons at the bottom of the screen into the opposite screen region of the video call, or the user moves the effect emoticons And press the 'Transfer' button, the emoticon is attached to the other party's screen of the video call. Here, the 'transfer' button may be a physical key or a virtual button.

And an effect emoticon according to an aspect of the present invention is attached to another object. However, in other implementations, the effect emoticons according to the principles of the present invention may be implemented by themselves.

The self-execution of the effect emoticons can be generated in the other mobile terminal when the effect emoticons are transmitted from the mobile terminal to the counterpart mobile terminal performing voice / video call / messenger.

For example, when the effect emoticon itself consisting of a photo file (item), an enlargement (expression method) and a vibration pattern is executed, the image of the photo file is gradually enlarged and the vibration pattern can be output.

FIG. 22 shows the screen of the mobile terminal using the emotion emoticon, and FIG. 23 shows the screen of the counterpart mobile terminal when the emoticon according to the present invention is used in the video call function.

As shown in the first screen of FIG. 22, when the user attaches an effect emoticons to the other party's screen AO during the video call, the effect emoticons are executed on the partner's screen AO of the mobile terminal. That is, the item is displayed according to the expression method of the attached effect emoticons, and the vibration pattern of the attached effect emoticons is output.

In Fig. 22, "enlargement" is designated as the expression method, and the icon of the emotion icon of the effect emoticon is displayed increasingly larger on the second / third screen of Fig.

FIG. 23 shows a screen of a counterpart terminal in a video call with the mobile terminal of FIG. 22, in which the counterpart screen AO2 is displayed largely and the self-screen AS is displayed small. The mobile terminal of FIG. 23 having received the effect emoticons attached thereto according to the effect emoticon attaching operation of the mobile terminal of FIG. 22 executes the effect emoticons on the self view AS.

24 illustrates the use of effect emoticons during a multiparty video call.

When the effect emoticon button is activated on the multi-screen video call execution screen of the mobile terminal, an effect emoticons list AL7 composed of effect emoticons attachable to the lower end of the screen is displayed as shown in the second screen.

As shown in the third screen, when a user selects one effect emoticons and applies a predetermined action (e.g., double touch, shake, etc.) on the screen on which the effect emoticons are displayed, The selected effect emoticons may be transmitted to the terminal.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 25, when a user selects one effect emoticons and drags and drops them into a video call window AW, the selected emoticon is transmitted only to the partner terminal of the video call window .

FIG. 26 shows a processing method for the effect emoticons transmitted in the mobile terminal having received the emoticons according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the mobile terminal having received the emoticon (S1010) checks whether the execution of the emoticon transmitted by the user is currently blocked (S1020). If the emoticon is blocked, the mobile terminal ignores the transmitted emoticon (S1030). If not blocked, the emoticon transmitted to the main screen is executed (S1040).

FIG. 27 shows that, during the execution of the effect emoticons, the user applies a predetermined motive pattern to stop execution of the effect emoticons.

That is, when the illustrated mobile terminal receives the effect emoticon attached to the other party during the video call and executes the effect emoticon, the user wants to end the execution of the effect emoticon, and when the mobile terminal taps the mobile terminal, The mobile terminal can stop execution of the effect emoticons. In the case of the illustrated mobile terminal, the tapping operation is preset in response to the interruption of execution of the effect emoticons.

28 shows a processing method when two or more effect emoticons are received. As shown in the figure, when the mobile terminal receives two or more effect emoticons, the mobile terminal can set to be executed sequentially one by one as a default.

On the other hand, a processing method of two or more effect emoticons can be set according to an instruction of the user. For example, execution methods such as sequential execution of two or more effect emoticons, simultaneous execution, execution only of randomly selected, and simultaneous execution of semitransparent emotion can be specified in advance.

29 is a display screen showing a state in which an effect emoticon executes an object (content) set therein.

On the list screen of the illustrated photo file, the photo file with the effect emoticons attached thereto can be displayed in the form of an asterisk. In the drawings, the attached effect emoticons are composed of an item image, a presentation method, and a vibration pattern.

When the user executes a picture file attached with the effect emoticons on the list screen, as shown in the figure, the item images IM of the effect emoticons are first displayed according to the expression method of the effect emoticons, and then the corresponding picture files are displayed . When the item image IM is displayed, the vibration pattern can also be output.

30 is a display screen showing a state in which a message in which the effect emoticons are set is executed.

On the list screen for the message item shown on the first screen, the message (ME) to which the effect emoticons are attached can be displayed in the form of an asterisk. In the drawing, the attached effect emoticons are composed of an item character ("How are you?"), "Expression" as an expression method, and a vibration pattern.

When the user executes the message with the effect emoticons attached thereto on the list screen, as shown in the figure, the item character of the effect emoticons, "How are you doing well?" Is first expressed in a highlighted form according to the expression method of the effect emoticons, The content of the message ("I'll be fine and see you once, contact me") can be displayed. When the item character is displayed, the vibration pattern can also be output.

When executing an item such as a content with an effect emoticon attached thereto as shown in Figs. 29 and 30, the same process as the flowchart shown in Fig. 31 can be performed. That is, when it is instructed to execute the specific contents according to the user's operation (S1110), it is checked whether or not the effect emoticons are attached to the specific contents (S1120). After expressing the effect emoticons (S1130) (S1140).

FIG. 32 is a display screen showing a process of using an effect emoticon according to an embodiment of the present invention attached to each menu of the mobile terminal.

In the screen displaying various menus of the mobile terminal, when the effect emoticon button is pressed, the effect emoticons that can be attached to the bottom of the screen are displayed as shown in Fig.

Thereafter, when the user selects one effect emoticons and drags and drops them to the area of the specific menu DM, the selected emoticons are attached to the specific menu DM.

Thereafter, when the user executes the menu with the effect emoticons attached thereto, the task designated in the menu may be performed after the effect emoticons are executed first.

For example, when an effect emoticon is attached to the electronic dictionary menu DM of the mobile terminal, if the electronic dictionary menu is executed as shown in Fig. 33, the item (IP) of the emotion emoticon is displayed on the display screen After being displayed, the electronic dictionary program can be executed.

Here, the effect emoticons are composed of an icon item, a random motion presentation method, and a predetermined vibration pattern. Accordingly, when the electronic dictionary menu is executed (first screen), the electronic dictionary program can be executed after the icon is randomly moved for a predetermined time (preferably the loading time for the electronic dictionary program) (second screen) Third screen).

Meanwhile, recently, a mobile terminal supports a 'shortcut menu' as a menu that a user can arbitrarily designate. That is, it is possible to designate a function frequently used by the user such as access to an internet site, frequent station setting of a subway map, execution of a My Menu, and a favorite channel at the time of broadcasting as the 'shortcut menu' item.

In another embodiment, an effect emoticon attached to each item constituting the shortcut menu may be attached in a manner similar to that shown in Fig. 32, and the effect emoticons attached thereto may be expressed in a manner similar to Fig.

In another implementation, an effect emoticon according to the principles of the present invention may be attached to a widget, which is an optional additional service useful for a user of the mobile terminal.

For example, in a mobile terminal having widgets provided based on information such as weather, stock price, GPS, etc., an effect emoticons may be attached to each widget according to the idea of the present invention. Then, the mobile terminal displays an effect emoticons when an event set by the user is generated in each of the widgets.

FIG. 34 is a display screen showing a process of using an emoticon according to an embodiment of the present invention attached to each item in the indicator area of the mobile terminal.

On the screen where the indicator area is displayed, such as the idle screen of the mobile terminal, when the effect emoticon button is pressed, an effect emoticons list AL8 composed of effect emoticons that can be attached to the bottom of the screen are displayed.

When the user selects one effect emoticons on the screen and then drags and drops the selected emoticons to a specific item area on the indicator area, the selected effect emoticons are attached to the specific items. If an emoticon is attached to an item in the indicator area, a marker such as an asterisk may be added. Thereafter, when an event related to the specific item to which the effect emoticons are attached occurs, the effect emoticons can be executed.

In view of the fact that the items in the indicator area are closely related to hardware, an emoticon having hardware items is attached thereto.

For example, when an effect emoticon is attached to the battery item IB in the indicator area of the mobile terminal and a related event such as a battery remaining amount is generated, the attached effect emoticon is executed.

That is, the effect emoticons attached to the battery icon IB are composed of an LCD backlight item, a method of expressing three blinks, and a predetermined vibration pattern.

As shown in FIG. 35, when the charged amount of the battery drops below a predetermined level, the LCD backlight flickers three times and outputs the predetermined vibration pattern. Then, as shown in the third screen, a general pop-up window (PW) is warned that the battery is insufficient in accordance with an event processing procedure when the remaining battery level is low.

In another implementation, if an antenna emoticon is attached to an antenna item in an indicator region of the mobile terminal, and an antenna related event such as a communication deviation occurs, the attached effect emoticon can be executed.

FIG. 36 shows a screen of the mobile terminal using the emotion emoticon, and FIG. 37 shows a screen of the counterpart mobile terminal when the effect emoticons according to the idea of the present invention are used in the messenger (e.g., instance message) Respectively.

In FIG. 36, when a user selects (touches) a specific effect emoticon on the effect emoticons list and presses the transmission button B7, an effect emoticon is attached to the messenger window WM1.

As shown in the figure, when the effect emoticons are attached to the messenger window WM1 during the messenger operation using the mobile terminal, the attached effect emoticons are displayed on the messenger window WM2 of the other party's terminal.

At this time, the item is displayed according to the expression method of the attached effect emoticons, and the vibration pattern of the attached effect emoticons is outputted.

The attached effect emoticons are composed of a character (a "wonderful man") item, a method of expressing 'flying', and a predetermined vibration pattern.

Accordingly, the character "wonderful man" as an item of the attached effect emoticon is represented by a separate pop-up window (PP) on the messenger window WM2 of the other party's terminal on the messenger, . This is due to the way of expressing the emoticon.

Another method of attaching an effect emoticon to the other party's screen during messenger execution is similar to the case of the video call described above, so a detailed description will be omitted.

FIG. 38 shows a screen of a mobile terminal using the emotion emoticon, and FIG. 39 shows a screen of a counterpart mobile terminal when an effect emoticon according to an embodiment of the present invention is used in a text message transmission function.

In FIG. 38, when the user selects (touches) a specific effect emoticon on the effect emoticons list and presses the attachment button B8, the effect emoticons are attached to the message edit window EW.

As shown in the figure, when an effect emoticon is attached to a message editing window (EW) during message creation using the mobile terminal, and the message is transmitted to the counterpart terminal, a message is stored in the counterpart terminal with an effect emoticon attached thereto.

Thereafter, when the user of the other terminal instructs to read the message with the effect emoticons attached thereto, the attached effect emoticons are displayed on the message reading screen of the counterpart terminal. At this time, the item is displayed according to the expression method of the attached effect emoticons, and the vibration pattern of the attached effect emoticons is outputted.

The attached effect emoticons are composed of a character (a "wonderful man") item, a method of expressing 'flying', and a predetermined vibration pattern.

Accordingly, the character "wonderful man" as an item of the attached effect emoticon is represented by a separate pop-up window (PP) on the messenger terminal screen. This is due to the way of expressing the emoticon.

Another method of attaching an effect emoticon during message creation is similar to the case of the video call described above, so a detailed description will be omitted.

40 is a message viewing screen of the mobile terminal receiving the MMS message with the effect emoticons attached thereto.

As shown in the figure, when an example of the MMS message with the effect emoticons is displayed, the multimedia contents constituting the MMS message can be executed after the items of the effect emoticons are first displayed.

In another implementation, the task of presenting effect emoticons according to the present invention may be performed differently depending on the mode state of the mobile terminal.

For example, in the normal mode, the effect emoticons are expressed as described above. However, in the power saving mode, the output of the vibration patterns having high power consumption can be omitted when expressing the effect emoticons. On the other hand, when an effect emoticon is expressed in the manner mode, the expression of the item may be omitted or the output of the vibration pattern may be omitted.

The above-described embodiments of the mobile terminal for effect emoticons are not limited to the configuration and method of the above-described embodiments, but the embodiments may be modified so that all or some of the embodiments are selectively As shown in FIG.

In addition, although the technical idea of the present invention has been specifically described according to the above preferred embodiments, it should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. In addition, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various embodiments are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, in the above description, the effect emoticons according to the principles of the present invention are described once. However, according to the implementation, the task of expressing the effect emoticons may be performed a plurality of times, Or periodically.

For example, in the above description, a special condition is not added to the partner terminal to which the effect emoticons are transmitted. Accordingly, the counterpart terminal may be a terminal on a mobile communication network of the mobile terminal, a terminal on a wired communication network connected to the mobile communication network, or a message transmission service using Bluetooth communication (or zigbee communication) And may be a counterpart terminal on the used message delivery service.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 and 3 are front views of a mobile terminal for explaining one operating state of the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

4 is a table showing a data structure of an effect emoticons according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of expressing an effect emoticons according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a storage structure of an effect emoticons and contents attached with effect emoticons in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a table showing an embodiment of the 'item type-expression method' matching mask of FIG. 6;

8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating an effect emoticons according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a display screen for managing effect emoticons in a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a display screen for managing effect emoticons in a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a display screen showing selection of an item in a detailed view / edit screen for the emoticons of FIG. 9; FIG.

FIG. 12 is a display screen illustrating selecting an expression method on a detailed view / edit screen for the emotion of FIG. 9; FIG.

13 is a display screen showing a case in which 'random trajectory' is selected as an expression method in the detailed view / edit screen for effect emoticons.

14 shows display screens illustrating selecting a vibration pattern on a detail view / edit screen for effect emoticons.

15A is a display screen showing an example of a vibration pattern editing method using a touch screen.

15B is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a vibration pattern editing method using a movement pattern that a user applies to a mobile terminal.

FIG. 16 is a display screen showing displaying an effect emoticons list by pressing an effect emoticon attachment button of the mobile terminal.

17 is a display screen showing displaying an effect emoticons list when a predetermined condition is met during a call or the like.

18 is a display screen showing displaying an effect emoticons list when the specified movement pattern is applied;

Figures 19a-19d show display screens illustrating methods for selecting and attaching a desired effect emoticon on a screen in which attachable effect emoticons are displayed.

20 is a display screen showing a preview function for an effect emoticons on a screen displaying an effect emoticons list;

21A and 21B are display screens illustrating methods of attaching effect emoticons to a partner screen during a video call.

22 is a display screen of a mobile terminal for transmitting an effect emoticons according to an embodiment of the present invention during a video call.

FIG. 23 is a display screen of a mobile terminal receiving an effect emoticons according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention during a video call; FIG.

FIG. 24 is a display screen showing that an effect emoticons are transmitted to all the parties during a multi-party video call.

25 is a display screen showing transmission of effect emoticons to only a specific party during a multi-party video call.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating a method of processing an effect emoticons transmitted from a mobile terminal that receives an effect emoticons according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a display screen showing that a user applies a predetermined animation pattern during execution of an effect emoticons to stop execution of the effect emoticons.

28 is a flowchart showing a processing method when two or more effect emoticons are received;

29 is a display screen showing a state in which an effect emoticon executes an object (content) set therein;

30 is a display screen showing a state in which a message in which an effect emoticons are set is executed.

31 is a flowchart showing a process of executing an item such as a content attached with an effect emoticons.

32 is a display screen illustrating a process of using an emoticon according to an embodiment of the present invention attached to each menu of the mobile terminal.

FIG. 33 is a display screen showing that an electronic dictionary program is executed after an effect emoticon is displayed when an electronic dictionary menu is executed when an effect emoticon is attached to the electronic dictionary menu DM of the mobile terminal.

34 is a display screen illustrating a process of attaching an effect emoticon according to an embodiment of the present invention to each item in the indicator area of the mobile terminal.

FIG. 35 is a display screen showing that an effect emoticons having an LCD backlight item are expressed when the charged amount of the battery drops below a predetermined level.

FIG. 36 is a display screen of a mobile terminal for transmitting an effect emoticons according to an embodiment of the present invention during execution of a messenger function; FIG.

FIG. 37 is a display screen of a mobile terminal which receives an emotion icon according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention during execution of a messenger function; FIG.

38 is a display screen of a mobile terminal for transmitting a text message by attaching an effect emoticons according to an embodiment of the present invention.

39 is a display screen of a mobile terminal to which a text message with an effect emoticone attached thereto is transmitted according to an embodiment of the present invention.

40 shows display screens for a message view of a mobile terminal receiving an MMS message with an effect emoticone attached thereto.

Claims (16)

A storage unit for storing an emoticon having an item, a method of expressing the item, or a vibration pattern; A control unit for generating or using the effect emoticons; An output unit expressing the effect emoticons; And And a user input unit for receiving a user instruction for creating or using the effect emoticons, The item may include: An object provided to be manipulated by a user in relation to a function executed in the mobile terminal, The effect emoticons include: Wherein the control unit is attached to a function executed in the mobile terminal and is expressed according to the expression method or the vibration pattern upon execution of the function, Wherein the item, the expression method, Wherein the emoticons are separately set according to a user's instruction for generation of the emoticon and stored in the storage unit. The method according to claim 1, Wherein, And adds an additional effect to a function or content executed in the mobile terminal by using the effect emoticons stored in the storage unit. delete delete The method according to claim 1, Wherein, And when the execution instruction for the function having the effect emoticons is received, the effect emoticons are attached to the effect emoticons after expressing the attached effect emoticons. The method according to claim 1, Wherein, Attaching the effect emoticons to each item of the indicator area, And displaying the emoticon when the event related to the item to which the effect emoticons are attached occurs. The method according to claim 1, A vibration generator for vibrating the mobile terminal according to a vibration pattern constituting the effect emoticons, Further comprising: The method according to claim 1, A display unit for displaying the item according to a method of expressing the item constituting the effect emoticons, Further comprising: The method according to claim 1, Wherein, Generating the emotion emoticon by attaching a selected expression method or a selected vibration pattern to the selected item according to an instruction of the user, Wherein, To store selectable presentation methods or selectable vibration patterns to create each effect emoticon Wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising a wireless communication unit forming a data communication channel, Wherein, Upon receipt of the effect emoticons through the data communication channel, it is determined whether or not the effect emoticons are represented according to the setting of the user Wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal. Selecting an item; Selecting a vibration pattern to be output when the item is expressed; And Storing the item, the expression method or the vibration pattern to generate an effect emoticons, The item may include: An object provided to be manipulated by a user in relation to a function executed in the mobile terminal, The effect emoticons include: And a control unit, attached to a function executed in the mobile terminal, Wherein the item, the expression method, Wherein the emoticon is selected and stored separately according to a user's instruction to generate the effect emoticons. 12. The method of claim 11, Wherein the selecting method or vibration pattern comprises: Selecting a presentation method in which the item is displayed; And When the item is executed according to the expression method, selecting a vibration pattern to be generated in the mobile terminal / RTI > 13. The method of claim 12, Judging expression methods that can be given according to the kind of the selected item And generating the emoticon of the effect emoticon. Receiving an instruction to perform a function of a mobile terminal to which an effect emoticon is attached or a reproduction instruction of a content to which an effect emoticon is attached; Expressing an effect emoticon attached to an object of the performance instruction or reproduction instruction; And Performing the function according to the performance instruction after the emoticon of the effect is expressed or reproducing the content according to a reproduction instruction, The effect emoticons include: An item, a method of expressing the item, or a vibration pattern, The item may include: An object provided to be operated by a user in relation to a function performed in the mobile terminal or the content, The effect emoticons include: A function performed on the mobile terminal or attached to the content, wherein, when performing the function or reproducing the content, Wherein the item, the expression method, Wherein the effect emoticons are individually set according to a user instruction for creation of the effect emoticons. 15. The method of claim 14, Wherein the step of expressing the effect emoticons comprises: And displaying an item constituting the effect emoticons according to a presentation method constituting the effect emoticons. 15. The method of claim 14, Wherein the step of expressing the effect emoticons comprises: And vibrate the mobile terminal according to a vibration pattern constituting the effect emoticons while displaying the items constituting the effect emoticons.

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