KR20090023853A - Method and apparatus for managing of the character message - Google Patents

Abstract

A message managing method and an apparatus thereof are provided to delete an existing message having contents overlapped with a received message, automatically, thereby efficiently managing the memory space. If a message is received(401), it is determined whether a template mode is activated(403). In case the template mode is in a idle state, a controller stores a received message(413). If the template mode is in an activated state, the controller parses the received message(405) and traces a template corresponding to the message(407). The controller whether the template corresponding to the received message exists(409). If so, the controller traces and deletes the existing message corresponding to the template(411) and then stores the received message(415).

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING OF THE CHARACTER MESSAGE}

The present invention relates to a message management method and apparatus, and particularly, when a mobile terminal receives a message of the same type as a message stored in a memory unit, a message management method capable of deleting a message stored in the memory unit and storing only the received message. And to an apparatus.

In general, a mobile terminal represented by a mobile phone has a function of transmitting and receiving a message in addition to a voice call function as a basic communication function. The message transceiving function is capable of exchanging short / long sentences between mobile terminals without additional equipment, and is commonly known as a message service. The message service includes a short message service (SMS), a multimedia messaging service (MMS) and an e-mail service.

Recently, as the spread of mobile terminals has spread rapidly, the population of message service users has been increasing rapidly. The message service is easy to use, quick to deliver, and can repeatedly send messages even when voice calls are not available. For this reason, the message service is firmly established as one of the communication means comparable to the current voice call.

However, when the message service as described above receives a new message, the message service stores the received message unconditionally. As a result, even in the case of messages of the same type, there is a problem of unnecessarily occupying the space of the memory unit as it is continuously stored in the memory unit. In addition, when receiving the same kind of message, the user has to find and delete previously received messages one by one.

Accordingly, the embodiment of the present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the prior art.

An object of the present invention is to provide a message management method and apparatus capable of deleting a message of the same type as the specific message and storing only the specific message when the specific message is received.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a message management method and apparatus which can prevent memory waste due to duplicate messages.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a message management method and apparatus that can be set as a template by editing the content of a message that does not need to maintain existing information.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a message management method and apparatus capable of tracking and deleting a message corresponding to the template among stored meshes and storing only the received message when the received message corresponds to a set template.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of managing a message, the method comprising: determining whether to activate a template mode when a message is received, and registering a message corresponding to the received message when the template mode is activated. Checking whether a template exists, and searching for and deleting an existing message matching the template when a template corresponding to the message exists.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of managing a message includes: receiving a specific message, comparing the at least one template pre-registered at the time of receiving the specific message; If there is a template matching the received specific message, deleting the existing message corresponding to the template, and storing the specific message.

An apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, in the message management apparatus, a radio frequency unit for processing the transmission and reception of a message, at least one message received through the radio frequency unit and the template is set And a memory unit for storing a message, and a control unit for controlling transmission and reception of a message, registration of a template, and message management using a template.

As described above, according to the message management method and apparatus proposed by the present invention, when receiving a message of the same type as a stored existing message, the message can be efficiently managed by deleting the existing message and storing only the newly received message. have. In addition, by automatically deleting the existing message of the overlapping content of the received message, it is possible to efficiently manage the space of the memory.

In addition, the user may improve the user convenience by automatically deleting the duplicated message according to the setting method without the user finding and deleting the message.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, only the parts necessary for understanding the operation according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described, it should be noted that the description of other parts will be omitted so as not to distract from the gist of the present invention.

The terms or words used in the specification and claims described below should not be construed as being limited to ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be construed as meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical spirit of the present invention. And the embodiments described in the specification and the configuration shown in the drawings are only one of the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, not representing all of the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modifications that can substitute for them at the time of the present application.

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal for providing a message service. In an embodiment of the present invention, upon receiving a message of the same type as a stored existing message, the existing message is automatically deleted according to a setting method, thereby efficiently managing the message and the memory.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, other portions of the message having the same type of contents except for the unchanged portion are edited and stored as a template in the mobile terminal. Then, when a message having the same pattern as that of the template (a message whose unchanged part is the same) is received, the previously stored message may be deleted and only the latest message may be stored. Therefore, when a message having the same type of content is continuously received, the message and the memory can be managed efficiently.

In this example, in the case of the prepaid mobile terminal, a message indicating the time used, the usage fee, and the remaining amount of information is received immediately after the call, which is generally received in the same format. Therefore, if a message is received each time the call ends, the same kind of message is accumulated. Therefore, the user has a hassle to delete a message every time, and it takes a long time to search for a message desired by the user in addition to the message. In addition to the above example, the same problem may occur in a message according to card payment information and a message according to weather information.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, in the message as described above, the template is set using a portion that does not change, and when a specific message is received, the template corresponding to the specific message is tracked, and the template corresponding to the specific message is If present, the existing message having the same format as the template can be searched for and deleted. That is, according to the present invention, upon receipt of a message, if a condition of a template previously set by a user is satisfied, the original message may be deleted and only a new message may be stored.

1 is a view schematically showing an example of a configuration of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. In particular, although FIG. 1 illustrates the case where the portable terminal of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal as an example, the portable terminal of the present invention is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a radio frequency (hereinafter referred to as RF) unit 110, an input unit 120, and a memory unit 130. , A display unit 140, a controller 150, and the like.

Referring to FIG. 1, the RF unit 110 performs communication of the mobile terminal 100. The RF unit 110 forms a communication channel with a mobile communication system to perform voice communication and data communication. The RF unit 110 may include an RF transmitter for upconverting and amplifying a frequency of a transmitted signal, and an RF receiver for low noise amplifying and downconverting a received signal.

The input unit 120 receives various text information, and transmits a key signal input in connection with setting various functions and controlling a function of the mobile terminal 100 to the controller 150. The input unit 120 may be formed of any one or a combination of a touch pad, a keypad of a general key arrangement, and a QWERTY keypad according to the provision form of the portable terminal 100. The input unit 120 may further include function keys such as a direction key, a volume key, and a hot key set to perform a specific function. In particular, the input unit 120 generates a key signal according to a template setting, a message composition, etc., and transmits the generated key signal to the control unit 150.

The memory unit 130 stores at least one application, data generated by a user or received from the outside, required for operating a function according to an embodiment of the present invention. The data may be data such as a photo file, an MP3 file, a video file, or a message. The memory unit 130 stores a message written by a user through the input unit 120 and a message received from another mobile terminal. The memory unit 130 stores a template according to a user setting. In particular, the memory unit 130 includes a message storage unit 131 for storing various messages (transmission message, received message, etc.) as described above, and a template storage unit 133 for storing at least one registered template. can do.

The application may include an application related to a message function. In particular, the application may be an application for tracking a template corresponding to a received message, an application for tracking a message corresponding to a set template, an application for deleting or maintaining the tracked message according to a setting method, an application for storing a received message, and the like. have. The memory unit 130 may include one or more buffers for temporarily storing data generated during the execution of the application.

The display unit 140 displays screen data generated during application execution, and displays a user's key operation state and function setting information. The display unit 140 may be formed of a liquid crystal display (LCD). The LCD may be formed as a touch screen. In this case, the display unit 140 may be included in the input means. In particular, the display unit 140 displays the content of the requested message (received message, originated message, etc.) including the template.

The controller 150 controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal 100 and a signal flow between internal blocks of the mobile terminal 100. The controller 150 controls a signal flow between components such as the RF unit 110, the input unit 120, the memory unit 130, and the display unit 140. The controller 150 may include a data processor consisting of a codec and a modem.

In particular, the controller 150 controls template setting. The controller 150 controls the generation of a template by editing the received and stored message according to a user request. The editing may be generated by dividing the message content into an unchanging part and a changing part, and replacing the changing part with a predetermined identifier (eg, *, &, #, etc.). When the controller 150 receives a message corresponding to a condition of a template to be set, the controller 150 searches for an existing message corresponding to the template, deletes or maintains the message according to a user setting, and stores the received message. To control. The operation of the controller 150 will be described in detail later in the description.

In addition, when searching for the existing message, the controller 150 may search based on any one of a preset search method and a full search method. In particular, the controller 150 may sequentially search the stored messages in the receiving order when searching for the recent search method, and stop the search when searching for an existing message matching the set template. In addition, the controller 150 may search for an existing message by tracking a unique index number assigned to each of the received messages. In addition, the controller 150 may search for all existing messages that match the set template.

In order to perform the control operation of the controller 150 more efficiently, the controller 150 may include a template generator 151, a template tracker 153, a message manager 155, and the like.

The template generating unit 151 generates a template through at least one template registration method among a template registration by a user input, a template registration by using a message, and a template registration by a download in a template setting mode, and generates the template The data is stored (registered) in the storage unit 133. In addition, the template generator 151 may generate and register a template using a received message or a received and stored message.

When the new message is received through the RF unit 110, the template tracking unit 153 tracks a template registered by the template generation unit 151 to determine whether a template corresponding to the new message exists. .

When the new message is received, the message manager 155 searches for an existing message matching the template when the template tracking unit 153 confirms the existence of the template. When the existing message is searched, the message manager 155 deletes or maintains the existing message based on a user setting, and then stores the new message in the message storage 131.

Meanwhile, FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic configuration example of a mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention for convenience of description. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Accordingly, the mobile terminal 100 of the present invention may further include components not mentioned above, such as a camera module, an electronic payment module, a short range communication module, a digital broadcasting module, an audio processing unit, a microphone, a speaker, and a battery module, according to the provision form thereof. It may further include. In addition, the mobile terminal 100 of the present invention may be excluded from the above-described configuration or may be replaced with another block in accordance with the form provided. This will be readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.

In the above, the configuration of the mobile terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described. Next, a method of setting a template in the portable terminal and a message management method using the set template will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to the contents described below, it should be noted that it can be applied to various embodiments based on the following embodiments.

2 is a diagram illustrating a process of setting a template in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, when a template setting request is made from a user, the controller enters a template setting mode and displays it on the display unit (step 201). In operation 203, the controller determines a template registration mode requested by the user in the template setting mode. Such screen embodiments are illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3C. 3A to 3C will be described later.

In step 203, when a template registration using a pre-stored message is requested, the controller displays a list of messages stored in a memory unit (especially, a message storage unit) (step 205), and then the contents of a specific message selected by the user. (Step 207). Next, the controller edits the selected specific message according to a user input to generate a template (step 209) and stores the selected message in a memory unit (particularly, a template storage unit) (step 211). The template may be generated through an editing operation of deleting a portion which is not repeated in the content of the specific message and adding an identification code (for example, *, &, #, etc.) for template identification to the corresponding portion to be deleted.

That is, the information that is changed every time in the basic framework of the message can be edited and registered as a template. An embodiment of the operation of deleting a template message and deleting an existing message using the registered template is as follows.

If the content of the message is "the last used time is 3 minutes and the current balance is 1000 won", the part which is not repeated but always changed is the part where "3" and "1000" are inserted. Therefore, by inserting the identification code in the position of the changed "3" and "1000" can be registered as a template, such as "the last time is * minutes, the current balance is * won."

Subsequently, when a new message ("last used time is 1 minute and the current balance is 700 won") is received in the state of activating the template mode after registering the template as described above, the controller controls the new message and the registered template. And matching process may be performed. As the new message corresponds to the registered template, the previously received message ("last used time is 3 minutes and the current balance is 1000 won") is deleted, and the new message ("last used time is 1 minute, the current balance is 700 won. ") Store only in the memory (especially the message storage).

In step 203, when a template registration by user registration is requested, the controller activates and displays a template input mode (step 221). Thereafter, the controller receives a template as described above from the user by the user (step 223) and stores the template in the memory unit (particularly, the template storage unit) (step 211).

In step 203, when a template registration by downloading is requested, the controller accesses a template providing server using a user input or a set server address (step 231). Thereafter, the controller downloads at least one template selected by the user (step 233) and stores it in the memory unit (especially, the template storage unit) (step 211).

Next, after storing the template, the controller determines whether the user additionally sets up (step 213), repeats the above process, or ends the template setting mode.

3A to 3D are diagrams schematically illustrating a user interface according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

3A illustrates a user interface in a template setting mode. Reference numerals 301 and 303 denote respective templates previously created and stored. When the user selects the reference numeral 301 or 303, the entire contents of the template are displayed as shown in FIG. 3B. Reference numerals 305 and 307 denote activation / deactivation setting states of the respective templates. If the corresponding icon is set to an inactive state as shown in the example of reference numeral 305, the operation of deleting an existing message by the template may be omitted. As described above, in an embodiment of the present invention, at least one template may be stored, and activation / deactivation may be set for each template.

In the following operation description, the template itself is assumed to be activated. However, if the template itself is deactivated, the operation of omitting the operation using the template may be further included. In addition, the description describes an operation using one template, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the operation may be performed using at least one template.

Reference numeral 309 illustrates an example of a soft key capable of executing a <menu>, and when a user selects the <menu> soft key, a menu list as shown by reference numeral 311 is displayed on the screen of reference numeral 313. The menu list may include sub-menus such as <Template Registration>, <Template Modification>, <Delete>, and <Delete All>. In particular, when the user selects the <Template Registration> submenu, the user may register / set a template. This user interface is shown in Figure 3c.

As shown in FIG. 3C, when the user selects the <Template Registration> submenu, a screen for selecting a template registration mode is displayed as indicated by reference numeral 321. The template registration mode may be selected by a user's key input. If any template registration mode is selected by the user, the controller may perform a corresponding procedure as described with reference to FIG. 2.

3D illustrates a message list stored in a memory unit (particularly, a message storage unit), and a user may set a template using at least one message previously received and stored. That is, in the present invention, the template may be set in the template setting mode, or the template may be set using the received message. In FIG. 3D, reference numerals 331 and 333 represent examples of messages used as templates or deleted by the set templates in the embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 335 illustrates an example of a soft key capable of executing the <Menu>, and when a user selects the <Menu> soft key, a menu list such as the reference 337 is displayed on the screen of the reference 339. The menu list may include submenus such as <Reply>, <Forward>, <Delete>, <Protection Settings>, and <Template Registration>. In particular, the <protection setting> submenu is a menu for setting a protection function for a corresponding message desired by a user. When deleting a protected message, a request for confirmation or an automatic deletion item may be omitted. The <Template Registration> sub menu is a menu that can be set as a template for a corresponding message desired by the user. When the <Template Registration> sub menu is selected, the template setting mode is entered and the corresponding message is edited and stored as a template. Can be.

4 is a diagram illustrating a processing process when a message is received according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, upon receiving a message (step 401), the controller determines whether to activate a template mode (step 403). As a result of the determination, when the template mode is deactivated, the controller stores the received message (step 413). As a result of the determination, when the template mode is activated, the controller parses the received message (step 405), and then tracks the template corresponding to the message (step 407).

Next, the controller checks whether a template corresponding to the received message exists through the template tracking (step 409). If no template exists, the controller stores the received message (step 413). As a result of the check, if a template exists, the controller tracks and deletes an existing message corresponding to the template (step 411), and then stores the received message (step 413).

5 is a diagram illustrating a detailed processing process when receiving a message according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, when receiving a message (step 501), the controller determines whether the template mode is activated (step 503). As a result of the determination, when the template mode is deactivated, the controller stores the received message (step 525). As a result of the determination, when the template mode is activated, the controller parses the received message (step 505), and then tracks a template corresponding to the message (step 507).

In operation 509, the controller determines whether a template corresponding to the received message exists through the template tracking. As a result of the determination, if no template exists, the controller stores the received message (step 525). As a result of the determination, if a template exists, the controller searches for an existing message corresponding to the template among the messages stored in the memory unit by referring to the tracked template (step 511).

In step 511, the existing message search is as follows. That is, the existing message search method according to an embodiment of the present invention may be classified into a recent search method and a full search method.

The recent search method can be divided into two types, a sequential search method and an index search method. In the sequential search method, the stored messages are sequentially searched in the order of reception, and the search is stopped when an existing message (recently existing message) corresponding to the set template is searched. The index search method is a method of tracking and searching a unique index number assigned to each message when received messages are stored. Accordingly, each template to be set may have an index number of an existing message corresponding to the template. In this case, it is preferable that the index number of the template is automatically updated with the index number assigned to the received message. At this time, the existing message having the existing index number may be deleted and updated with the index number of the received message.

The full search method is a method of searching all stored messages. In the full search method, all stored messages are searched and all existing messages matching a template set in duplicate are deleted. At this time, the protected message among the existing messages searched may be deleted.

Search methods as described above may be preset by user setting.

Next, after performing a search by any one of a preset search method among the aforementioned methods in step 511, the controller determines whether there is an existing message to be searched (step 513). In this case, if there is no existing message searched for, the controller stores the message received in step 501 (step 525). On the other hand, if there is an existing message to be detected, the controller checks whether the automatic deletion mode is activated (step 515).

As a result of checking whether the automatic deletion mode is activated, if the automatic deletion mode is activated, the process proceeds to step 521 to determine whether to protect the existing message to be searched (step 521). On the other hand, if the automatic deletion mode is deactivated, a popup for selecting / holding the user is displayed (step 517), and then the existing message searched for is deleted or maintained according to the user's selection (step 519). The message received in step 501 is stored (step 525).

On the other hand, if it is determined whether the protection message is set in step 521, if the existing message is not protected, the controller deletes the existing message searched (step 523), and then stores the message received in step 501 (step 525). . On the other hand, if the protection is set to the existing message to be retrieved, the controller maintains the existing message to be searched (step 527), and then stores the message received in step 501 (step 525).

6 is a diagram illustrating a process of notifying deleted message information when a message confirmation request is made according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, when a message confirmation request (step 601) occurs from a user, the controller checks whether there is an existing deleted message (steps 603 and 605). Here, the deleted existing message may be a message automatically deleted by a template message set according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Next, if there is an existing message deleted as a result of the check, the controller displays information on the deleted existing message (step 607). Here, the information may be deletion information (date, time, etc.) of the deleted existing message, template information (reference template information), and the like. In addition, the information display may use a popup according to a setting method.

Next, the controller displays the requested message (step 609).

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 6, an embodiment of the present disclosure has described an operation of displaying information on a deleted message for user convenience. However, the present invention does not necessarily have to perform the process of FIG. 6, but may operate by user setting or setting at the time of manufacture. In addition, although omitted in FIG. 6, the method may further include determining whether to activate the delete message search mode when the message is requested to be checked, to omit the process when the message is deactivated, and to perform the process when the message is activated.

As described above, in the detailed description of the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined not only by the claims below, but also by the equivalents of the claims.

1 is a view schematically showing a configuration example of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a diagram illustrating a process of setting a template in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3A to 3D schematically illustrate a user interface according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a diagram illustrating a process of receiving a message according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a diagram illustrating a detailed processing process when receiving a message according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a diagram illustrating a process of notifying deleted message information when a message confirmation request is made according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (13)

In the message management method, Determining whether to activate the template mode when receiving a message; Checking whether there is a registered template corresponding to the message received when the template mode is activated; And searching for and deleting an existing message matching the template when the template corresponding to the message exists. The method of claim 1, The deleting process, Determining whether the automatic deletion mode is activated when an existing message matching the template is found; Checking whether to protect the existing message when the automatic deletion mode is activated; If the existing message is a protected message, storing the message for maintaining and receiving the existing message; If the existing message is not a protected message, deleting the existing message and storing the received message. The method of claim 2, Displaying a popup when the automatic deletion mode is disabled; And deleting or maintaining the existing message according to a user selection by the pop-up, and storing the received message. The method of claim 1, Parsing the message received when the template mode is activated, and tracking a template corresponding to the message. The method of claim 4, wherein The template may be registered by at least one of template registration using a message, template registration by a user input, and template registration by a download. The method of claim 5, Message registration method comprising the step of registering as a template using any one of the received and stored messages according to the user selection. The method of claim 4, wherein The template may be divided into a portion that does not change and a portion that changes in a message registered as a template, and the portion that does not change is classified into a predetermined appointment identifier. In the message management method, Receiving specific messages, Comparing with at least one template registered in advance when the specific message is received; Deleting the existing message corresponding to the template if a template matching the specific message to be received exists; Message management method comprising the step of storing the specific message. The method of claim 8, Parsing the specific message; Tracking a pre-registered template and checking whether a template corresponding to the specific message exists. The method of claim 9, And when the template exists, searching for and deleting an existing message that satisfies a condition of the template. The method of claim 10, The deleting of the message, characterized in that for retrieving and deleting the recently received existing message. The method of claim 10, The deleting of the message, characterized in that for retrieving and deleting all stored existing messages. In the message management device, A radio frequency unit that handles transmission and reception of messages, A memory unit for storing at least one message and a template to be received through the radio frequency unit; Message control device including a control unit for controlling the transmission and reception of messages, registration of templates and message management using the template.

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