METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STORING TELEPHONE NUMBERS IN A PORTABLE TERMINAL

Abstract

A method and apparatus for storing a telephone number in a portable terminal. The method includes the steps of providing a user with a name input request message; determining whether or not the inputted name exists in a phone book list of the portable terminal; and generating a new entry including the inputted name and its associated telephone number and adding the new entry to the phone book list when the inputted name does not exist in the phone book list.

Claims

1. A method comprising: displaying a call history list on a touch display screen; detecting a touch input of selecting a telephone number on the call history list from a user while displaying the call history list on the touch display screen, wherein the selected telephone number is not stored in a phone book list of a portable terminal; displaying a screen for inputting, via a keyboard displayed on the screen, a name for the selected telephone number; in response to detecting the touch input of selecting the telephone number on the call history list and an inputting a name for a phone book list entry for the selected telephone number via the keyboard, determining whether at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name for the phone book list entry for the selected telephone number not being stored in the phone book list is already stored in the phone book list of the portable terminal; when at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name is already stored in the phone book list, displaying the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name; in response to a request for adding the selected telephone number into an existing entry, while displaying the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name, adding the telephone number into one entry among the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name; and in response to a request for generating a new entry, while displaying the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name, generating the new entry having the inputted name associated with the selected telephone number in the phone book list, wherein the name inputted via the keyboard is displayed on an area separate from an area where the keyboard is displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating the new entry comprising the inputted name and the telephone number to store in the phone book list in response to there not being at least one entry in the phone book list containing at least similar name with the inputted name.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name includes a respective telephone number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name is displayed in a list on the touch display screen.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name is an entry having a same name as the inputted name.

6. A portable terminal comprising: a touch display screen; a memory to store a phone book list; and a controller configured: to display a call history list via the touch display screen; to detect a touch input of selecting a telephone number on the call history list from a user while displaying the call history list on the touch display screen, wherein the selected telephone number is not stored in the phone book list of the portable terminal; to display, via the touch display screen, a screen for inputting, via a keyboard displayed on the screen, a name for the selected telephone number; in response to detecting the touch input of selecting the telephone number on the call history list and an inputting a name for a phone book list entry for the selected telephone number via the keyboard, to determine whether at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name for the phone book list entry for the selected telephone number not being stored in the phone book list is already stored in the phone book list of the portable terminal; when the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name is already stored in the phone book list, to display, via the touch display screen, the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name; in response to a request for adding the selected telephone number into an existing entry, while displaying the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name, to add the telephone number into one entry among the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name; and in response to a request for generating a new entry, while displaying the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name, to generate the new entry having the inputted name associated with the selected telephone number in the phone book list, wherein the name inputted via the keyboard is displayed on an area separate from an area where the keyboard is displayed.

7. The portable terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to generate the new entry comprising the inputted name and the telephone number to store in the phone book list in response to there not being at least one entry in the phone book list containing at least similar name with the inputted name.

8. The portable terminal of claim 6, wherein each of the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name includes a respective telephone number.

9. The portable terminal of claim 6, wherein the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name is displayed in a list on the touch display screen.

10. The portable terminal of claim 6, wherein each of the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name is an entry having the same name as the inputted name.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to: display a call history list on a touch display screen; detect a touch input of selecting a telephone number on the call history list from a user while displaying the call history list on the touch display screen, wherein the selected telephone number is not stored in a phone book list of a portable terminal; display a screen for inputting, via a keyboard displayed on the touch display screen, a name for the selected telephone number; in response to detecting the touch input of selecting the telephone number on the call history list and an inputting a name for a phone book list entry for the selected telephone number via the keyboard, determine whether at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name for the phone book list for the selected telephone number not being stored in the phone book list is already stored in the phone book list of the portable terminal; when at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name is already stored in the phone book list, display, via the touch display screen, the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name; in response to a request for adding the selected telephone number into an existing entry, while displaying the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name, add the telephone number into one entry among the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name; and in response to a request for generating a new entry, while displaying the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name, generate the new entry having the inputted name associated with the selected telephone number in the phone book list, wherein the name inputted via the keyboard is displayed on an area separate from an area where the keyboard is displayed.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer program further causes, when executed by the processor, the processor to: generate the new entry comprising the inputted name and the telephone number to store in the phone book list in response to there not being at least one entry in the phone book list containing at least similar name with the inputted name.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein each of the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name includes a respective telephone number.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name are displayed in a list on the touch display screen.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein each of the at least one entry containing at least similar name with the inputted name is an entry having the same name as the inputted name.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates an example portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] FIG. 2 illustrates an example process for storing a telephone number in a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0016] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate example screens that may be displayed by a portable terminal in accordance with storing the telephone number according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] FIGS. 1 through 3B, discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged portable terminal. Hereinafter, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not omitted detailed description in case that a detailed description is judged to obscure a major point of the invention.

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates an example portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] The portable terminal comprises a controller 100, a key input unit 101, a memory 103, an RF transceiver 105 and a display unit 107.

[0020] The controller 100 controls the overall functions of the portable terminal, displays a name input request message on the display unit 107 when detecting an telephone input request according to the present invention, and determines whether an inputted name is a new name or not after the inputted name matches a name stored in an existing phone book. Also, when an inputted name already exists, the controller 100 displays the existing name, which may be selected by the user to store the existing name along with its corresponding telephone number in the phone book.

[0021] The RF transceiver 105 converts received RF signals via an antenna to the baseband frequency, which may include dispreading and the channel decoding of the received RF signal when receiving an RF signal. The RF transceiver 105 may also transmit a signal by generating RF signals from baseband signals that have been channel coded and spreaded using common modulation and coding techniques.

[0022] The memory 103 stores names of the phone book. The memory 103 may also store a recently inputted name and its corresponding telephone number.

[0023] The controller 100 displays, on the display unit 107, a phone book saving request screen and a list stored in a phone book and so forth so as to display the information to a user.

[0024] The key input unit 101 uses as an input means for inputting a name by a user, and provides the inputted name information to the controller 100.

[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates an example process for storing a telephone number in a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate example screens displayed in a portable terminal in accordance with storing the telephone number according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 3A illustrates a screen 301 that may be generated by the controller to display a name input request message. FIG. 3B illustrates another screen 311 that may be generated by the controller displaying a request for the user to match an inputted name and a phone book list after receiving a previously inputted name.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 100 determines whether or not a telephone number save request is detected in block 201. This may include a user selection of a corresponding telephone number in an existing call history list or selection of a save button on the portable terminal.

[0029] Upon detecting the telephone number save request, the controller 100 provides the name input request message in block 203. That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, the controller 100 generates and displays a message requesting input of a name on the input screen 305. In certain cases where the display unit is a touch screen, the display unit can be displayed along with a keyboard. The keyboard can be a custom keyboard or a standard QWERTY keyboard. The input of the name may be completed by pressing a save button 309 on the display.

[0030] Once the input of the name is complete in block 205, the controller 100 matches the inputted name with other name stored in the phone book list in block 207.

[0031] That is, the controller 100 matches an inputted name with the phone book list in block 207, and determines whether an existing name exists in the phone book list in block 209. If the inputted name is not in the phone book list, the controller 100 proceeds to block 213, generates a new entry, stores the entry along with a telephone number in the phone book list of the portable terminal in block 215 after which the process ends.

[0032] However, in block 209, if the inputted name exists in the phone book list in block 209, as shown in FIG. 3B, the controller 100 displays a list 315 of similar names with a phrase which a same name is searched which may be selected by a user.

[0033] Therefore, in case the inputted name in block 209 already exists in the phone book list, the controller 100 proceeds to block 211, and determines whether or not a presently inputted name and a name existing in the phone book list are two different people with the same name. In case the names refer to two different people, the controller 100 proceeds to block 213, and stores a new entry including the inputted name with it associated telephone number in the phone book list. However, when the person of same name is not in block 211, the controller 100 proceeds to block 215, additionally stores a telephone number to an existing name in the phone book list in which the process ends.

[0034] In some embodiments, the controller 100 may search for and display one or more similar names on the display unit 107 while a name is inputted at block 205. That is, the controller 100 may search for other similar names while the name is inputted.

[0035] Certain embodiments of the method and apparatus for storing a telephone number in a portable terminal may provide an increased convenience by storing, without a separate menu operation, a new name or an existing name associated with a telephone number by inputting a name only once.

[0036] On the other hand, while the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.