KR20100093750A - Portable terminal and using method of effect emoticon in it - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A mobile terminal and a method for using an effect emoticon are provided to use an effect emoticon including an expression method and a vibration pattern about an item. CONSTITUTION: A memory(160) stores an item and an effect emoticon. The effect emoticon comprises an expression method of an item or a vibration pattern. A control unit(180) generates or uses the effect emoticon. An output unit(150) expresses the effect emoticon. A user input unit(130) receives a user command for generating or using the effect emoticon.

Description

PORTABLE TERMINAL AND USING METHOD OF EFFECT EMOTICON IN IT}

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal using a method for expressing an item such as a message or multimedia content and an effect emoticon including a vibration pattern.

In general, a mobile terminal is a portable device that is portable and has one or more functions such as voice and video calling, information input and output, and data storage.

The mobile terminal is directly carried by each individual, and when called, generates an incoming call sound signal to notify the incoming state, and the incoming call sound signal is relatively high level as an alarm signal, thereby attracting attention.

Therefore, the ring tone signal is limited in order to maintain public order and not to harm the next person in places requiring quietness, such as meeting places, theaters, offices, etc., and in public places where many people gather. However, there is a problem such as a loss of opportunity due to failure to identify a critical called state. In order to solve the above problem, the mobile terminal for personal communication used in such a place is implemented to use a predetermined vibration instead of the ringing bell signal.

As the functions are diversified, for example, the mobile terminal has complicated functions such as taking a picture or a video, playing a music or video file, playing a game, receiving a broadcast, and the like in the form of a comprehensive multimedia player. Is being implemented.

Many new attempts are being applied to these multimedia devices in terms of hardware or software to implement complex functions. A user interface environment is provided for a user to search for or select a function easily and conveniently. For example, a touch screen combining a display device and a pointing device into one is applied.

Meanwhile, even in the case of vibration generated by the mobile terminal, a new information transmission method using a tactile sense by vibrating pattern or the like may be used to increase convenience and aesthetics to the user.

In addition, the user may want to give a special effect that he / she wants, rather than playing the multimedia content or message in a conventional manner.

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

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal capable of adding a desired additional effect to an item such as a message or multimedia content.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal including: a memory configured to store an item and an effect emoticon having an expression method or a vibration pattern of the item; A controller for generating or using the effect emoticon; An output unit for expressing the effect emoticon; And a user input unit receiving a user instruction for generating or using the effect emoticon.

Here, the control unit may give an additional effect to each function of the mobile terminal or the content stored in the memory by using the effect emoticon stored in the storage unit.

Here, the controller may attach the effect emoticon stored in the memory to each function or content of the mobile terminal.

Here, when the controller receives a playback instruction for the content to which the effect emoticon is attached, the controller may play the content after expressing the attached effect emoticon. Alternatively, when receiving the execution instruction for the function attached to the effect emoticon, after expressing the attached effect emoticon may perform the function.

Here, the controller may attach the effect emoticon to each item of the indicator area, and when the event related to the item to which the effect emoticon is attached occurs, express the effect emoticon.

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

The mobile terminal may further include a display unit configured to display according to a method of expressing the item constituting the effect emoticon.

Here, the control unit generates an effect emoticon by attaching the selected expression method and / or vibration pattern to the selected item according to a user's instruction, and in this case, the storage unit selects expression methods selectable to generate each effect emoticon. And / or selectable vibration patterns.

The mobile terminal may further include a wireless communication unit configured to form a data communication channel, and when the effect emoticon is transmitted through the data communication channel, the mobile terminal may determine whether to express the effect emoticon according to a user's setting. have.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of generating an effect emoticon, which includes: selecting an item; Selecting an expression method for the item and a vibration pattern output when the item is expressed; And storing the item and the expression method or vibration pattern.

The selecting of the expression method or the vibration pattern may include selecting a representation method in which the item is displayed; And when the item is executed according to the expression method, selecting a vibration pattern generated by the mobile terminal.

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

Method of using an effect emoticon in a mobile terminal according to another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, the step of receiving the instruction to perform the function of the mobile terminal with the effect emoticon attached or the instruction to play the content attached with the effect emoticon ; Expressing an effect emoticon attached to a target of the performance instruction or reproduction instruction; And performing a function according to the execution instruction or playing back the content according to the reproduction instruction.

Here, in the expressing the emoticon, the item constituting the effect emoticon may be displayed according to an expression method constituting the effect emoticon.

The expressing the emoticon may vibrate the mobile terminal according to a vibration pattern constituting the effect emoticon while displaying an item constituting the effect emoticon.

The mobile terminal of the present invention according to the above configuration has an advantage of increasing emotional satisfaction and / or convenience of the mobile terminal user.

For example, the mobile terminal of the present invention can increase the emotional satisfaction of the user by using an expression emoticon including an expression method and a vibration pattern for an item such as a message or multimedia content.

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

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are given or used in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles from each other.

The mobile terminal described herein may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), navigation, and the like. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may also be applied to fixed terminals such as digital TVs, desktop computers, etc., except when applicable only to mobile terminals.

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 A / V input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, and an interface. The unit 170, the controller 180, and the power supply unit 190 may be included. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, so that 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 that enable wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and a 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 a broadcast signal 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 mean a server that generates and transmits a broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information or a server that receives a previously generated broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information and transmits the same to a terminal. The broadcast signal may include not only a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, and a data broadcast signal, but also a broadcast signal having a data broadcast signal combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast related information may mean information related to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or 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, it may exist in the form of Electronic Program Guide (EPG) of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) or Electronic Service Guide (ESG) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

The broadcast receiving module 111 may include, for example, Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), Media Forward Link Only (MediaFLO), and Digital Video Broadcast (DVB-H). Digital broadcast signals can be received using digital broadcasting systems such as Handheld and Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial (ISDB-T). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be configured to be suitable for not only the above-described digital broadcasting system but also other broadcasting systems.

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 a wireless signal with 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 according to transmission and reception of a voice call signal, a video call call signal, or a text / multimedia message.

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

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

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

Referring to FIG. 1, the A / V 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 call mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame may 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 according to the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal by a microphone in a call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, etc., and processes the external sound signal into electrical voice data. The processed voice data may be converted into a form transmittable to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 and output in the call mode. The microphone 122 may implement various noise removing algorithms for removing noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

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

The sensing unit 140 detects a current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as an open / closed state of the mobile terminal 100, a location of the mobile terminal 100, presence or absence of a user contact, orientation of the mobile terminal, acceleration / deceleration of the mobile terminal, and the like. To generate 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 may sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. In addition, whether the power supply unit 190 is supplied with power, whether the interface unit 170 is coupled to the external device may be sensed. The sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141.

The output unit 150 is used to generate an output related to sight, hearing, or tactile sense, and includes a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, and a haptic module 154. Can be.

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal is in a call mode, the mobile terminal displays a user interface (UI) or a graphic user interface (GUI) related to the call. When the mobile terminal 100 is in a video call mode or a photographing mode, the mobile terminal 100 displays photographed and / or received images, a UI, and a GUI.

The display unit 151 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), and a flexible display (flexible). and at least one of a 3D display.

Some of these displays can be configured to be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen from the outside. This may be referred to as a transparent display. A representative example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparant OLED). The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be configured as a light transmissive structure. With this structure, the user can see the object located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the display unit 151 of the terminal body.

According to an implementation form of the mobile terminal 100, two or more display units 151 may exist. 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 one another, and may be disposed on different surfaces, respectively.

When the display unit 151 and a sensor for detecting a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as a touch sensor) form a mutual layer structure (hereinafter referred to as a touch screen), the display unit 151 may be configured in addition to an output device. Can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have, for example, a form of a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor may be configured to detect not only the position and area of the touch but also the pressure at the 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 then transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. As a result, the controller 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched.

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 an object present in the vicinity without using a mechanical contact by using an electromagnetic force or infrared rays. Proximity sensors have a longer life and higher utilization than touch sensors.

Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmission photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor. When the touch screen is capacitive, the touch screen is configured to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field according to the proximity of the pointer. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of allowing the pointer to be recognized without being in contact with the touch screen so that the pointer is located on the touch screen is referred to as a "proximity touch", and the touch The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch." The position where the proximity touch is performed by the pointer on the touch screen refers to a position where the pointer is perpendicular to the touch screen when the pointer is in proximity proximity.

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

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

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying occurrence of an event of the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events occurring in the mobile terminal include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, and touch input. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying occurrence of an event in a form other than a video signal or an 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 151 and 152 may be classified as part of the alarm unit 153.

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

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

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

The memory 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and may temporarily store input / output data (for example, a phone book, a message, a still image, a video, etc.). The memory 160 may store data regarding vibration and sound of various patterns output when a touch input on the touch screen is performed.

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), RAM (Random Access Memory, RAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), Magnetic Memory, Magnetic It may include a storage medium of at least one type of disk, optical disk. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in connection with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device, receives power, transfers the power to each component inside the mobile terminal 100, or transmits data inside the mobile terminal 100 to an external device. For example, 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 that stores various types of information for authenticating the use authority of the mobile terminal 100, and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identification module (SIM), and a universal user authentication module (UI). 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. Therefore, the identification device may be connected to the terminal 100 through a port.

The interface unit may be a passage through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100 when the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, or various command signals input from the cradle by a user may be transferred. It may be a passage that is delivered to the terminal. Various command signals or power input from the cradle may be operated as signals 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, perform related control and processing for voice calls, data communications, video calls, and the like. The controller 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for playing multimedia. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the controller 180 or may be implemented separately from the controller 180.

The controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process for recognizing a writing input or a drawing input performed on the touch screen as text and an image, respectively.

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

Various embodiments described herein may be implemented 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, embodiments described herein include application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like. It may be implemented using at least one of processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and electrical units for performing other functions. The described embodiments may be implemented by the controller 180 itself.

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

Hereinafter, the components of FIG. 1 related to the implementation of the spirit of the present invention will be described.

The heptic module 154 may be implemented as a vibrating element for mechanically vibrating the mobile terminal. The vibrating element may be selected to have a size and performance suitable for embedding in the mobile terminal among various products on the market. Can be.

In some embodiments, the vibrating element may receive a simple turn-on potential as power for driving or a signal in a clock form. In the former case, it is easy to implement, and the cost can be reduced, but the number of vibration patterns generated by the vibration generating unit is small, which makes it difficult to transmit complex information. In the latter case, although the implementation is complicated and expensive parts are required, the number of vibration patterns that the vibration generating unit can generate is advantageous in that more complex information can be transmitted. In the latter case, the vibration frequency of the vibration device may be adjusted by adjusting the frequency of the clock.

In some embodiments, two or more vibration elements may be provided. When two or more vibrating elements are provided, various applications are possible. For example, two or more vibrating elements having different natural vibration frequencies may be provided to allow a user to discriminate a difference in response by a frequency difference, or to provide a vibration direction and And / or two or more vibrating elements having different positions, it may be implemented to discriminate the difference in response to the vibration direction and / or vibration position felt when the user grasped the mobile terminal.

As in the case of a general mobile terminal, the controller 180 is an additional function in addition to a call function using a wireless communication network, and includes a program for receiving and sending a text message, a program for playing multimedia data such as a picture or a video, etc. Can be run accordingly.

Various implementations of the present exemplary embodiment may be achieved by changing an algorithm executed by the controller 180 and / or a program executed by the controller 180.

For example, the controller 180 attaches an effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention to a message or multimedia content stored in the memory 160 according to a user's instruction, and attaches the effect emoticon to the counterpart through the wireless communication unit 110. Can be sent to the terminal.

The sensing unit 140 may further include a motion detection device, and the controller 180 may create a vibration pattern according to a motion pattern of a mobile terminal input to the motion detection device.

The sensing unit 140 may further include a pointing reception device such as a touch screen, and the control unit 180 may create a vibration pattern according to a user's pointing pattern input to the pointing reception device.

Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the mobile terminal With the display unit 151 of FIG.  We look at how the touch pads work together.

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

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

The letters, numbers, symbols, graphics or Icon guys  At least one of them may be implemented 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 is a terminal Body  It shows receiving a touch applied to a softkey through the front surface.

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

E.g, Of the display unit 151  The output window 151a and the input window 151b are displayed at the top and the bottom, 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 displaying a number for inputting a telephone number or the like is output. Softkey (151c) When touched , Touched  A number or the like corresponding to the softkey is displayed on the output window 151a. When the first manipulation unit 131 is operated, a call connection to the telephone number displayed on the output window 151a is attempted.

3 is a terminal Body  Indicates that a touch applied to a softkey is received through the back side. 2 is a terminal Body  Vertically Deployed  Occation( portrait 3) the terminal Body  Horizontally Deployed  Occation( landscape ). The display unit 151  terminal Body  The output screen may be configured to be converted according to the arrangement direction.

3 is a text input in a mobile terminal Mode  Indicates that it works. In the display unit 151  Output window (151 a ' ) And input window (151) b ' ) Is displayed. Input window (151 b ' ) Is a softkey (151) that displays at least one of letters, symbols, and numbers. c ' ) May be arranged in plurality. Softkeys (151) c ' ) QWERTY key  It can be arranged in the form.

Through touch pad Enter softkey 151c '  When touched, Touched  The letters, numbers, and symbols corresponding to the softkeys are displayed in the output window. a ' ) Will be displayed. As such, the touch input through the touch pad The display unit 151  Soft key (151) when touched compared to touch input c ')  There is an advantage that can be prevented from being covered by the finger. disrespect Play part ( 151)  If the touch pad is formed transparent, the terminal Body  You can visually check the fingers on the back, More accurate  Touch input Possible All.

ideal In the embodiments  In addition to the disclosed input method, Display part 151 or touch pad On scroll  It may be configured to receive a touch input by. The user Display part 151 or touch pad scroll  by doing On the display unit 151  It is possible to move the cursor or pointer located on the displayed object, eg an icon. Further, take your finger Display part 151 or when moving on the touch pad, the path the finger moves On the display unit 151  It may be displayed visually. this is On the display unit 151  This will be useful for editing the displayed image.

Display part 151 (touch screen) and touch pad together within a certain time range Touched  In response, one function of the terminal may be executed. Touched together Is  In some cases, the user uses the thumb and index finger to Body  House ( clamping There may be a case. Above days  Function is, for example, Display part 151 or the touch pad may be activated or deactivated.

Figure 4 shows the data structure of the effect emoticon according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The illustrated effect emoticon may be composed of an item, an expression method, and a vibration pattern. Additionally, to identify each effect emoticon, the effect emoticon may further include a name that can be called by the user and / or a file name stored as the effect emoticon.

As the above items, audio data, documents, links, URLs, phonebook items, messages, memos, calendar items, texts, emoticons, images, flashes, pictures, videos, MP3 / voices / sounds, etc. / LCD backlight / camera flash, etc.).

The expression method may specify a method in which the item is expressed in a corresponding component (eg, LCD, LED, etc.) of the mobile terminal.

The control pattern may designate a pattern for vibrating the mobile terminal when the item of the effect emoticon is expressed according to the expression method of the effect emoticon.

The effect emoticon can be executed by itself or in a manner that is attached to another item. Most of the items to which an effect emoticon may be attached may be items constituting the effect emoticon. Hereinafter, in order to prevent confusion, an item to which an effect emoticon is attached will be referred to as an 'object'.

Let's take a look at the execution process of effect emoticons.

When the control unit of the mobile terminal receives an execution instruction of a target to which an effect emoticon is attached from a user, first, the controller performs a procedure of expressing the effect emoticon. The above procedure may be performed according to the execution of the dedicated application for the expression of the effect emoticon.

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

In order to express the effect emoticon, the controller first loads item data of the effect emoticon to be expressed. Next, the display unit is controlled to display the item on the screen according to the method of expressing the effect emoticon.

For example, image data for display (eg, display frame data) including the appearances of the item on each screen may be generated according to the expression method.

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

As shown, when creating display frame data for each unit time, an 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 the expression time for the effect emoticon has elapsed (S50). If the expression time has elapsed, the expression of the effect emoticon is terminated (S70). In order to conform to the expression method for, the item image is included (S60).

The storage and transmission form of the effect emoticon is as follows.

Effect emoticons according to the spirit of the present invention may be stored in a predetermined storage area allocated to the memory 160 of FIG. 1 like general multimedia contents.

Effect emoticons may be stored separately, or may be stored with the object to which they are attached. The former form is advantageous to apply in the mobile terminal for using the effect emoticon, and the latter form is advantageous to apply in the mobile terminal receiving the object to which the effect emoticon is attached.

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

An identifier for each expression method or a special code indicating this in detail may be recorded in an area storing the expression method of the items constituting each effect emoticon. This is useful when the mobile terminal previously holds information on how to represent the item.

In the region storing the vibration pattern, a pointer or 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 represented by an image or a special code. For example, the vibration pattern may be designated in the form of a coordinate graph in which the horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis is intensity of vibration.

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

FIG. 6 illustrates a storage structure of an effect emoticon and content to which an effect emoticon is 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 video storage area 164 for storing video files; An expression method storage area 166 for storing information on the expression method for constructing the effect emoticon; A vibration information storage area 167 for storing vibration patterns constituting the effect emoticon; An item type representing the expression methods that can be given according to the type of the items constituting the effect emoticon-expression method matching mask 165; And an effect emoticon storage area 168 for storing the generated effect emoticons.

Each item stored in the message storage area 161, the icon storage area 162, the image storage area 163, and the video storage area 164 may be used to construct an effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention. Although the storage area is not shown, other types of multimedia contents may be used to construct an effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention.

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

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

When an item is selected to generate an effect emoticon, another effect emoticon may already be attached to the selected item. In this case, only the selected original item is used for the generated effect emoticon, and information associated with the attached effect emoticon may be ignored.

In the expression method storage area 166, an identifier regarding a method of expressing an item included in the effect emoticon may be stored. As a method of expressing the item, a method of expressing on a display may be usefully applied, but is not limited thereto. In addition, in the representation method storage area 166, a stream of specific (mobile terminal) command codes for performing the representation method may be recorded.

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

In the vibration information storage area 166, a vibration pattern included in the effect emoticon may be recorded.

In some implementations, other data structures such as a table having matching information on the 'item type-expression method' may be used instead of the 'item type-expression method' matching mask 165.

In the expression method storage area 166, for each expression method, when the applicable item type is recorded, the item type-expression method matching table 165 may be omitted.

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

7 illustrates an embodiment of the 'item type-presentation method' matching mask 165.

In the table shown, item types are located on the horizontal axis and expression methods are located on the vertical axis. In the intersection area where each item type and each expression method meet, whether or not the item type can be expressed by the expression method is described as o / x.

After selecting an item to configure an effect emoticon, the mobile terminal of the present embodiment may determine expression methods that may be applied to the selected item using the 'item type-expression method' matching mask 165.

8 illustrates a method of generating an effect emoticon according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the effect emoticon is to be used in the mobile terminal.

The method of generating the illustrated effect emoticon includes selecting an item (S110); Determining expression methods that may be given according to the type of the selected item (S120); Notifying a user of expression methods that may be given (S130); Selecting a presentation method in which the item is displayed according to a user's instruction (S140); Notifying the user of vibration patterns which may be given to be output from the mobile terminal when the item is represented according to the expression method (S150); Selecting the vibration pattern according to a user's instruction (S160); And storing information on the item, information on a representation method to be applied to the item, or a vibration pattern (S170).

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

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

9 are display screens for managing an effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention in a mobile terminal.

As shown, as one of the management functions of the effect emoticon, a list of stored effect emoticons may be displayed.

When the menu button B1 is pressed on the illustrated effect emoticon list screen, functions such as adding, deleting, editing, modifying names, deleting all, and selecting all may be performed.

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

In the drawing, an effect emoticon is selected as a touch operation on a touch screen, but the cursor may be moved by using an arrow key and selected by pressing an confirm key. This particular item selection method is the same for other drawings and / or other functions.

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

10 are display screens for managing groups of effect emoticons according to the inventive concept in a mobile terminal.

As illustrated, effect emoticons are grouped for convenience of management / use, and a list screen for each group may be provided.

When the menu button B2 is pressed on the group list screen, functions such as adding, deleting, editing, renaming, deleting all, and selecting all can be performed.

When one effect emoticon is touched on the group list screen, a list of effect emoticons belonging to the selected group may be displayed.

When one effect emoticon is touched on the effect emoticon list screen, a detail view / edit screen of an effect emoticon representing an item, an expression method, and a vibration pattern constituting the selected effect emoticon is displayed according to the touch.

FIG. 11 is a display screen illustrating selecting an item on a detail view / edit screen of an effect emoticon. FIG.

As illustrated, when the item area AI1 is touched in the detail view / edit screen, the popup screen P1 for selecting the type of the item to form the effect emoticon may be displayed.

Types of the above items include text, icons, images, flash, photos, videos, MP3 / audio / sound, audio data, documents, links, URLs, phone book items, messages, memos, calendar items, LED / LCD backlights / It can be either a camera flash or a lamp or an unspecified one. The letters may include numbers, Korean, English, words, phrases, sentences, single syllables, and single letters.

In the pop-up screen P1, when a user selects (touches) one, a list screen (not shown) including items of the selected type may be displayed. The user may select an item that will finally form an effect emoticon on the list screen.

12 is a display screen illustrating selection of a presentation method in a detail view / edit screen for an effect emoticon.

As illustrated, when the expression method area AC1 is touched on the detail view / edit screen, a pop-up screen P2 for selecting an expression method for composing the effect emoticon may be displayed.

In the illustrated expression methods, 'execution' is to execute the object after expressing the item of the effect emoticon when the effect emoticon is instructed to execute the attached object.

'Zoom in' refers to executing an object after gradually expanding and expressing an item of the effect emoticon when instructed to execute the object to which the effect emoticon is attached.

When the user is instructed to execute the object to which the effect emoticon is attached, the contracting item is gradually reduced to express the item of the effect emoticon, and then executes the object.

'Rotate' is to execute the object after expressing while rotating the item of the effect emoticon when instructed to execute the object to which the effect emoticon is attached.

'Random movement' is to execute the object after expressing the items of the effect emoticon randomly moving when the effect emoticon is instructed to execute the attached object.

'Highlight' is to execute the object after highlighting and expressing an item of the effect emoticon when instructed to execute the object to which the effect emoticon is attached.

'Highlight' is to execute the object after highlighting and expressing an item of the effect emoticon when the execution of the object to which the effect emoticon is attached is executed.

'Blinking' refers to executing an object after blinking and expressing an item of the effect emoticon when instructed to execute the object to which the effect emoticon is attached.

'Flying' refers to executing the object after expressing each letter or syllable constituting the character which is the item of the effect emoticon, one by one, when the effect emoticon is instructed to execute. .

'Blind' is to execute the object after expressing the item of the effect emoticon with a blind effect when the execution of the object to which the effect emoticon is attached.

If the random trajectory is instructed to execute the object to which the effect emoticon is attached, the object of the effect emoticon is expressed by moving and expressing an item of the effect emoticon according to an arbitrary trajectory (eg, a touch pattern) applied by the user.

'Proximity pattern' is to execute the object after moving and expressing an item of the effect emoticon according to the proximity pattern applied by the user when instructed to execute the object to which the effect emoticon is attached.

When the voice emoticon is instructed to execute the object to which the effect emoticon is attached, the object is executed after the items of the effect emoticon are adjusted and expressed according to the voice pattern applied from the outside.

FIG. 13 is a display screen illustrating a case where 'random trajectory' is selected as a representation method in a detail view / edit screen of an effect emoticon.

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

When the expression of the effect emoticon is performed, the item of the effect emoticon is expressed while moving according to the input 'random trajectory'.

14 is a display screen illustrating selecting a vibration pattern in a detail view / edit screen for an effect emoticon.

When the user touches the vibration pattern area AB1 of the illustrated screen, an input screen of a new vibration pattern may be displayed, or a screen for calling one of previously generated and stored vibration patterns may be displayed.

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

Meanwhile, a method of editing a new vibration pattern by the user is as follows.

15A illustrates an example of a vibration pattern editing method using a touch screen. As shown in the drawing, a vibration pattern between 0 seconds and 1 second may be drawn on the touch screen to create a new vibration pattern. Although the drawing has described creating a vibration pattern between 0 seconds and 1 second, it is possible to create a vibration pattern of 1 second or more depending on the implementation.

15B illustrates an example of a vibration pattern editing method using a movement pattern applied to a mobile terminal by a user.

The controller of the mobile terminal may determine the intensity of the motion of the user shaking the mobile terminal through the motion detector installed in the mobile terminal. The controller continuously grasps the strength of the shaking motion over time, and stores the strength pattern of the continuous shaking motion as a vibration pattern.

The movement pattern applied by the user due to the structure of the human body has a somewhat irregular sinusoidal shape (with respect to the time axis) as shown, and it is preferable to take the sinusoidal envelope as a vibration pattern.

16 to 18 illustrate methods of executing a screen for attaching an effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention.

FIG. 16 illustrates displaying a screen (second screen) to which an effect emoticon can be attached by pressing the effect emoticon attaching button B3 provided on each function execution screen of the mobile terminal. In the lower area of the screen to which the effect emoticon can be attached, an effect emoticon list AL is displayed in which the effect emoticons are listed in a horizontal direction.

Meanwhile, the menu provided by the application may have menu items for managing the effect emoticon.

17 illustrates displaying a screen to which an effect emoticon is attached when a predetermined condition is met while performing a call or the like. For example, when a voice call is higher than a predetermined level during a voice / video call, an effect emoticon list AL may be displayed to attach an effect emoticon.

FIG. 18 illustrates displaying an effect emoticon list AL so as to attach an effect emoticon by applying a movement pattern when the mobile terminal includes a motion detecting means (eg, a gyro sensor).

19A to 19D illustrate methods of selecting and attaching a desired effect emoticon on a screen displaying attachable effect emoticons.

As shown in FIG. 19A, a different number key is assigned to each effect emoticon in the effect emoticon list AL1, and when a user presses a number key, the assigned effect emoticon is attached to an appropriate target in the operation in which the emoticon is being executed. do. In the figure, a marker (MN) representing a numeric key assigned to each effect emoticon is represented.

In the drawing, since the video call is in progress, the effect emoticon assigned to the pressed numeric key is transmitted to the counterpart terminal of the video call. This is useful in mobile terminals that do not have a touch screen.

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

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

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 19D, a voice recognition function can be used. For example, when the user shouts 'first effect' while using the messenger function, the mobile terminal which performs voice recognition on the messenger displays the leftmost effect emoticon among the effect emoticons displayed on the effect emoticon list AL4 at the bottom. It can transmit to the other terminal. As shown in the figure, it is useful for a function such as a messenger that does not use voice. In order to instruct the display of the effect emoticon list AL4 while performing a messenger, the user may call an 'effect list' and make a voice command.

20 illustrates a preview function for effect emoticons on a screen displaying attachable effect emoticons.

As shown, when the user touches (or touches once) a specific emoticon, the effect emoticon may be executed in the reduced area (AR near the point where the effect emoticon is located). have. In this case, the vibration pattern provided in the effect emoticon may also be output.

Or, if a predetermined time (preferably a minimum time for preview recognition such as 0.5 seconds to 1 second) has elapsed after the preview is started, information on an item constituting the effect emoticon, an expression method, and a vibration pattern Can be displayed as a pop-up window (PW).

Alternatively, during the preview, a 'send' button may be displayed on the lower portion of the area where the preview is being performed, and a visual cue (MD) indicating that drag and drop may be displayed on the image.

Meanwhile, the method of FIGS. 21A and 21B may be performed as a method of attaching an effect emoticon to a counterpart screen during a video call. That is, in the case of illustration, the object to which the effect emoticon is attached becomes the video call function itself.

When the user executes the effect emoticon attachment menu during the video call, an effect emoticon list AL including effect emoticons that can be attached to the bottom of the screen may be displayed.

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

In order to display the effect emoticon list AL during the video call, for example, a user presses a button indicating 'attach an effect emoticon' during a video call or moves set to 'attach an effect emoticon' during a video call. 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 to the counterpart screen area of the video call, or as shown in FIG. 21B, the user selects the effect emoticons. If you select one of the buttons and press the 'Send' button, the effect emoticon is attached to the screen of the other party in the video call. Here, the 'send' button may be a physical key or a virtual button.

The effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention is executed while attached to another object. However, in another implementation, the effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention may be executed by itself.

The self-execution of the effect emoticon may be generated from the counterpart mobile terminal receiving the effect emoticon when the effect emoticon is transmitted from the mobile terminal to the counterpart mobile terminal performing the 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 may be gradually enlarged to output the vibration pattern.

When the effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention is used in the video call function, FIG. 22 illustrates a screen of the mobile terminal using the effect emoticon, and FIG. 23 illustrates a screen of the counterpart mobile terminal.

As shown in the first screen of FIG. 22, when the user attaches the effect emoticon to the counterpart screen AO during the video call, the effect emoticon is executed on the counterpart screen AO of the mobile terminal. That is, the item is displayed according to the expression method of the attached effect emoticon, and the vibration pattern of the attached effect emoticon is output.

In FIG. 22, 'enlargement' is designated as the expression method, and the icon of the effect emoticon is gradually enlarged on the second and third screens of FIG. 22.

FIG. 23 illustrates a screen of a counterpart terminal having a video call with the mobile terminal of FIG. 22. The counterpart terminal displays the counterpart screen AO2 in a large size and displays the own screen AS in a smaller size. According to the operation of attaching an effect emoticon of FIG. 22, the mobile terminal of FIG. 23 receiving the attached effect emoticon executes the effect emoticon on its screen AS.

24 illustrates using an effect emoticon while performing a multi-party video call.

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

As shown in the third screen, when the user selects one effect emoticon and performs a predetermined operation (eg, double touch, shake, etc.) on the screen on which the effect emoticons are displayed, all the parties who perform the multi-party video call The selected effect emoticon may be transmitted to the terminal.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 25, when the user selects one effect emoticon on the screen and drags and drops it to any one video call window (AW), the selected effect emoticon is transmitted only to the counterpart terminal of the video call window. Can be.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating a processing method for a received effect emoticon in a mobile terminal that has received an effect emoticon according to the inventive concept.

As shown, the mobile terminal receiving the effect emoticon (S1010) checks whether the execution of the effect emoticon currently transmitted by the mobile terminal by the user setting is blocked (S1020) and ignores the received effect emoticon if blocked. If it is not blocked (S1030), and executes the effect emoticon received for the main screen (S1040).

FIG. 27 illustrates that a user applies a predetermined movement pattern during execution of the effect emoticon to stop execution of the effect emoticon.

That is, while the illustrated mobile terminal receives and executes the effect emoticon attached to the other party during the video call, when the user wants to terminate the execution of the effect emoticon, the user taps the mobile terminal, and receives it with a gyro sensor. The mobile terminal may stop the execution of the effect emoticon. In the case of the illustrated mobile terminal, the tapping motion is preset as an instruction for stopping execution of the effect emoticon.

28 illustrates a processing method when two or more effect emoticons are received. As shown, the mobile terminal may be set to execute sequentially one by one when two or more effect emoticons are received.

Meanwhile, according to a user's instruction, a method of processing two or more effect emoticons may be set. For example, it is possible to specify in advance how to execute two or more effect emoticons, such as sequential execution, simultaneous execution, randomly selected ones, and simultaneous execution in semi-transparent.

FIG. 29 is a display screen showing a state in which an effect emoticon is set;

In the list screen for the illustrated photo file, the photo file to which the effect emoticon is attached may be displayed in the form of an asterisk. The effect emoticon attached in the drawing includes an item image, a expression method, and a vibration pattern.

When the user executes a photo file to which an effect emoticon is attached in the list screen, as shown in the drawing, the item image IM of the effect emoticon is first expressed according to the expression method of the effect emoticon, and then the corresponding photo file is displayed. Can be. When the item image IM is displayed, the vibration pattern may also be output.

30 is a display screen showing a state of executing a message in which an effect emoticon is set.

In the list screen for the message item shown on the first screen, the message ME with the effect emoticon may be displayed in the form of an asterisk. The effect emoticon attached in the drawing is composed of an item character ("Hello, how are you?"), "Highlight" as an expression method, and a vibration pattern.

When the user executes a message to which the effect emoticon is attached on the list screen, as shown, the item character of the effect emoticon "Hello how are you?" Is first expressed in a highlighted form according to the expression method of the effect emoticon. The content of the message ("I'm fine, let's meet once, get in touch") can be displayed. When the item letter is displayed, the vibration pattern may also be output.

As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, when executing an item such as a content to which an effect emoticon is attached, a process such as the flowchart shown in FIG. 31 may be performed. That is, when the user is instructed to execute the specific content according to the user's operation (S1110), it is checked whether the effect emoticon is attached to the specific content (S1120), and first expresses the effect emoticon (S1130), and executes the specific content. (S1140).

32 is a display screen illustrating a process of attaching and using an effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention to each menu of a mobile terminal.

When the effect emoticon button is pressed on the screen displaying various menus of the mobile terminal, as illustrated in FIG. 32, effect emoticons attachable to the bottom of the screen are displayed.

Subsequently, when a user selects one effect emoticon on the screen and drags and drops it to an area of a specific menu DM, the selected effect emoticon is attached to the specific menu DM.

Thereafter, when the user executes the menu to which the effect emoticon is attached, the effect emoticon may be executed first, and then a task designated in the menu may be performed.

For example, when the effect emoticon is attached to the electronic dictionary menu DM of the mobile terminal, as shown in FIG. 33, when the electronic dictionary menu is executed, the item IP of the effect emoticon is displayed on the display screen according to the expression method. After being displayed, the electronic dictionary program can be executed.

Here, the effect emoticon is composed of an icon item, a random movement expression method, and a predetermined vibration pattern. Accordingly, upon execution of the electronic dictionary menu (first screen), the icon may be randomly moved for a predetermined time (preferably loading time for the electronic dictionary program) (second screen), and then the electronic dictionary program may be executed ( Third screen).

Meanwhile, recently, a mobile terminal supports a shortcut menu as a menu that can be arbitrarily designated by a user. In other words, the user may frequently designate functions such as accessing an Internet site, frequently setting stations on a subway map, executing a My Menu, and a favorite channel when broadcasting, as the 'shortcut menu' item.

In another implementation, an effect emoticon may be attached to each item constituting the shortcut menu by a method similar to that of FIG. 32 and an attached effect emoticon by a method similar to FIG. 33.

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

For example, in a mobile terminal having widgets provided based on information such as weather, stock price, and GPS, an effect emoticon may be attached to each widget according to the spirit of the present invention. Then, when the event set by the user occurs in each of the widgets, the mobile terminal expresses an effect emoticon.

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

When the effect emoticon button is pressed on a screen on which an indicator area is displayed, such as a standby screen of a mobile terminal, an effect emoticon list AL8 composed of effect emoticons attachable to the bottom of the screen is displayed as shown.

When the user selects one effect emoticon on the screen and drags and drops it to the area of the specific item on the indicator area, the selected effect emoticon is attached to the specific item. When the effect emoticon is attached to the item in the indicator area, a mark such as an asterisk may be added. Thereafter, when an event related to the specific item to which the effect emoticon is attached occurs, the effect emoticon may be executed.

In view of the fact that the items in the indicator area are closely related to hardware, the accompanying drawings have an effect emoticon having hardware items.

For example, when the effect emoticon is attached to the battery item IB in the indicator area of the mobile terminal, when an associated event such as low battery level occurs, the attached effect emoticon is executed.

That is, the effect emoticon attached to the battery icon IB includes an LCD backlight item, a method of expressing flicker three times, and a predetermined vibration pattern.

As shown in FIG. 35, when the battery charge drops below a predetermined level, the LCD backlight blinks three times and outputs the predetermined vibration pattern. Subsequently, as shown in the third screen, a pop-up window PW warns that the battery is low, according to an event processing procedure when the battery is low.

In another implementation, when an effect emoticon is attached to an antenna item of an indicator area of the mobile terminal, when an antenna related event such as a call right is released, the attached effect emoticon may be executed.

When the effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention is used in a function of performing a messenger (eg, instance message) of the mobile terminal, FIG. 36 illustrates a screen of the mobile terminal using the effect emoticon, and FIG. 37 illustrates a screen of the counterpart mobile terminal. Illustrated.

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

As shown, when the effect emoticon is attached to the messenger window WM1 while the messenger is running using the mobile terminal, the attached effect emoticon is displayed on the messenger window WM2 of the counterpart terminal.

In this case, the item is displayed according to the expression method of the attached effect emoticon, and the vibration pattern of the attached effect emoticon is output.

The attached effect emoticon is composed of a character (“cool guy”) item, a “flying” expression method, and a predetermined vibration pattern.

Accordingly, the letter "cool guy", which is an item of the attached effect emoticon, is expressed as a separate pop-up window PP on the messenger window WM2 of the other party's terminal on the messenger, and is displayed while being expanded to the right by the leftmost characters one by one. . This is according to 'flying', which is an expression method of forming an effect emoticon.

Another method of attaching the effect emoticon to the counterpart's screen while performing the messenger is similar to that of the video call, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

When the effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention is used in the text message transmission function, FIG. 38 illustrates a screen of the mobile terminal using the effect emoticon, and FIG. 39 illustrates a screen of the counterpart mobile terminal.

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

As illustrated, when an effect emoticon is attached to the message editing window EW while the message is created using the mobile terminal and transmitted to the counterpart terminal, the message is stored in the form of the effect emoticon attached to the counterpart terminal.

Subsequently, when the user of the counterpart terminal instructs reading of the message to which the effect emoticon is attached, the attached effect emoticon is displayed on the message reading screen of the counterpart terminal. In this case, the item is displayed according to the expression method of the attached effect emoticon, and the vibration pattern of the attached effect emoticon is output.

The attached effect emoticon is composed of a character (“cool guy”) item, a “flying” expression method, and a predetermined vibration pattern.

Accordingly, the character "cool guy", which is an item of the attached effect emoticon, is expressed as a separate pop-up window PP on the screen of the other party's terminal on the messenger, and is expressed while extending from the leftmost letter to the right one by one. This is according to 'flying', which is an expression method of forming an effect emoticon.

Since another method of attaching an effect emoticon while composing a message is similar to that of the video call, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

40 is a message view screen of a mobile terminal receiving an MMS message to which an effect emoticon is attached.

As shown, when viewing the MMS message to which the effect emoticon is attached, after the item of the effect emoticon is expressed, multimedia content constituting the MMS message may be executed.

In another implementation, the present invention may perform the task of expressing the effect emoticon according to the idea differently according to the mode state of the mobile terminal.

For example, in the normal mode, the effect emoticon is expressed as described above. However, in the power saving mode, the output of the vibration-intensive vibration pattern may be omitted. In the meantime, when the effect emoticon is expressed in the silent mode, the expression of the item may be omitted or the output of the vibration pattern may be omitted.

The mobile terminal for the effect emoticon described above is not limited to the configuration and method of the embodiments described above, the embodiments are all or part of each embodiment is optional so that various modifications can be made It may be configured in combination.

In addition, although the technical idea of the present invention has been described in detail according to the above preferred embodiment, it should be noted that the above embodiment is for the purpose of description and not for the limitation thereof. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that various embodiments are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, in the above description, although the effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention has been described as being expressed once, the operation of expressing the effect emoticon may be performed a plurality of times when the corresponding condition is satisfied according to the user's setting. Or periodically.

For example, in the above description, no special condition is added to the counterpart terminal receiving the effect emoticon. 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 transfer service or a human body communication using Bluetooth communication (or zigbee communication). It may be a counterpart terminal on the used message delivery service.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal associated with one embodiment of the present invention;

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

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

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

FIG. 6 is a memory block diagram illustrating a storage structure of an effect emoticon and content to which an effect emoticon is attached in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a table illustrating an embodiment of a 'item type-presentation method' matching mask of FIG. 6. FIG.

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

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

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

FIG. 11 is a display screen illustrating selecting an item on a detail view / edit screen of the effect emoticon of FIG. 9; FIG.

FIG. 12 is a display screen illustrating selection of a presentation method in a detail view / edit screen of the effect emoticon of FIG. 9; FIG.

FIG. 13 is a display screen illustrating a case where 'random trajectory' is selected as a representation method in a detail view / edit screen of an effect emoticon; FIG.

14 is a display screen illustrating selecting a vibration pattern in the detail view / edit screen for the effect emoticon.

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

15B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a vibration pattern editing method using a movement pattern applied to a mobile terminal by a user.

16 is a display screen illustrating a display of an effect emoticon list by pressing an effect emoticon attachment button of a mobile terminal.

FIG. 17 illustrates display screens for displaying a list of effect emoticons when certain conditions are met while performing a call or the like.

18 is a display screen illustrating displaying an effect emoticon list upon receiving a specified movement pattern.

19A to 19D are display screens illustrating methods of selecting and attaching a desired effect emoticon on a screen on which an attachable effect emoticon is displayed.

20 is a display screen showing a preview function for an effect emoticon on a screen displaying a list of effect emoticons.

21A and 21B are display screens illustrating methods of attaching an emoticon to a screen of a counterpart during a video call;

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

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

24 illustrates display screens for transmitting effect emoticons to all parties during a multi-party video call.

25 is a display screen illustrating transmitting an effect emoticon only to a specific counterpart during a multi-party video call;

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating a processing method for a received effect emoticon in a mobile terminal that has received an effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention; FIG.

FIG. 27 illustrates display screens showing that a user applies a predetermined movement pattern during execution of an effect emoticon to stop execution of the effect emoticon; FIG.

28 is a flowchart illustrating a processing method when two or more effect emoticons are received.

29 are display screens showing a state in which an effect emoticon is set;

30 are display screens showing a state of executing a message in which an effect emoticon is set.

Fig. 31 is a flowchart showing a process when executing an item such as content to which an effect emoticon is attached.

32 is a display screen illustrating a process of attaching and using an effect emoticon according to the spirit of the present invention to each menu of a mobile terminal.

33 are display screens showing that when an effect emoticon is attached to an electronic dictionary menu DM of a mobile terminal, the electronic dictionary program is executed after the effect emoticon is expressed when the electronic dictionary menu is executed.

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

35 are display screens illustrating that an effect emoticon including an LCD backlight item is expressed when a battery charge drops below a predetermined level.

36 is a display screen of a mobile terminal for transmitting an effect emoticon according to an embodiment of the present invention while performing a messenger function.

37 is a display screen of a mobile terminal receiving an effect emoticon according to an embodiment of the present invention while performing a messenger function.

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

39 is a display screen of a mobile terminal receiving a text message to which an effect emoticon is attached according to an embodiment of the present invention.

40 illustrates display screens for a message view of a mobile terminal receiving an MMS message with an emoticon attached thereto;

Claims (16)

A memory for storing an item and an effect emoticon having an expression method or a vibration pattern of the item; A controller for generating or using the effect emoticon; An output unit for expressing the effect emoticon; And User input unit for receiving a user instruction for the creation or use of the effect emoticon Mobile terminal comprising a. The method of claim 1, The control unit, A mobile terminal for applying an additional effect to each function of the mobile terminal or the content stored in the memory using the effect emoticon stored in the storage. The method of claim 2, The control unit, And a mobile device to which the effect stored in the memory is attached to each function or content of the mobile terminal. The method of claim 3, wherein The control unit, When the effect emoticon receives a playback instruction for the attached content, the mobile terminal for playing the content after expressing the attached effect emoticon. The method of claim 3, wherein The control unit, When the effect emoticon receives an instruction to perform the attached function, the mobile terminal for performing the function after expressing the attached effect emoticon. The method of claim 2, The control unit, Attach the effect emoticon to each item in the indicator area, The mobile terminal expressing the effect emoticon when an event related to the item to which the effect emoticon is attached occurs. The method of claim 1, Vibration generating unit for vibrating the mobile terminal according to the vibration pattern constituting the effect emoticon A mobile terminal further comprising. The method of claim 1, A display unit for displaying according to the expression method of the item constituting the effect emoticon A mobile terminal further comprising. The method of claim 1, The control unit, According to the user's instructions, create the effect emoticon by attaching the selected expression method or vibration pattern to the selected item, The storage unit, Storing selectable expression methods or selectable vibration patterns to create each effect emoticon. Mobile terminal, characterized in that. The method of claim 1, Further comprising a wireless communication unit for forming a data communication channel, The control unit, When receiving the effect emoticon through the data communication channel, to determine whether to express the effect emoticon according to the user's settings Mobile terminal, characterized in that. Selecting an item; Selecting an expression method for the item and a vibration pattern output when the item is expressed; And Storing the item and the expression method or vibration pattern Method of generating an effect emoticon in a mobile terminal comprising a. The method of claim 11, Selecting the expression method or vibration pattern, Selecting a representation method in which the item is displayed; And Selecting a vibration pattern generated by the mobile terminal when the item is executed according to the expression method Method of generating an effect emoticon comprising a. 13. The method of claim 12, Determining expression methods that may be given according to the type of the selected item; Method of generating an effect emoticon further comprising. Receiving an instruction to perform a function of a mobile terminal to which an effect emoticon is attached or an instruction to play content to which an effect emoticon is attached; Expressing an effect emoticon attached to a target of the performance instruction or reproduction instruction; And Performing a function according to the performance instruction or playing the content according to a playback instruction; How to use the effect emoticon in a mobile terminal comprising a. 15. The method of claim 14, Expressing the effect emoticon, A method for using an effect emoticon for displaying an item constituting the effect emoticon according to an expression method for constructing the effect emoticon. 15. The method of claim 14, Expressing the effect emoticon, A method of using an effect emoticon for vibrating the mobile terminal according to a vibration pattern constituting the effect emoticon while displaying an item constituting the effect emoticon.

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