Abstract:
In a mobile phone which displays a target information item after sequentially displaying selected information items from an uppermost level to lower levels of a hierarchical tree structure in which a variety of items are classified in accordance with a user&#39;s operation, an information item with a high priority for each user is made to be found easily. A main LCD, a sub LCD and a microcomputer for controlling display on the main LCD and the sub LCD are provided. The microcomputer controls so that an information item selected by the user among information items displayed on the main LCD at a time of display selection is always displayed on the sub LCD.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    The present document is based on Japanese Priority Document JP 2002-004216, filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Jan. 11, 2002, the entire contents of which being incorporated herein by reference.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to a mobile phone.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    In accordance with demands for the multifunctional property of mobile phones, information items to be displayed on a mobile phone are increasing. On this account, in a case of displaying “estimated free call time” (time duration included in a basic charge that a user can make calls free of charge) in a mobile phone, an operation including the following steps, as shown in FIG. 7, is required:  
           [0006]    (1) Display “MAIN MENU” on a display thereof;  
           [0007]    (2) Select “SETTING” from a list of the “MAIN MENU”;  
           [0008]    (3) Select “CALL RECORD DATA” from a list of the “SETTING”; and  
           [0009]    (4) Select “ESTIMATED FREE CALL TIME” from a list of the “CALL RECORD DATA”.  
           [0010]    In this way, in a mobile phone, items to be displayed are hierarchically classified into a plurality of levels. A target information item can be displayed by sequentially proceeding from an uppermost level (“MAIN MENU”) to a lower level indicating the target information. However, the number of the levels varies depending on an item finally selected/displayed. In other words, there may be a case of three levels to reach a target information item A, simultaneously with a case of five levels to reach a target information item B.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    However, in order to reach a target information item, it is required to press an enter key pointing a cursor on the display to an item to be selected using a cursor key at every level. This is quite troublesome for a user who wants the target information. There may be a case that the user needs a certain information item, and he/she want to indicate the information frequently. In such a case, in particular, the user may feel it troublesome to carry out the steps required for indicating the information each and every time. Besides, since information items of a higher priority vary depending on each user, even if a predetermined information item useful for a certain user is arranged to be displayed by default, the information item may be useless for the other users.  
           [0012]    The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems.  
           [0013]    In the present invention, there is provided a mobile phone which displays a target information item after sequentially displaying selected information items in accordance with a user&#39;s operation from an uppermost level to lower levels of a hierarchical tree data structure in which a variety of items are classified. The mobile phone comprises a main display device, a sub display device and a controller for controlling display on the main display device and the sub display device. The display is controlled so that an information item selected by the user among information items displayed on the main display device at a time of display selection is always displayed on the sub display device. Accordingly, an information item with a high priority for each user is always displayed on the sub display device of his/her mobile phone.  
           [0014]    According to the present invention, even if information items are hierarchically classified, a target information item can be found immediately. In particular, even an information item that a user frequently refers to can be found always with ease. In addition, even if the priority on the information varies depending on the users, it is possible for each user to find an information item which is important for him/her easily without spending much time.  
           [0015]    Furthermore, the mobile phone may be made foldable in its overall figure having a main body and a lid portion. In such a case, a detector may be provided to detect whether the mobile phone is opened or folded, that is, the lid portion is opened or closed. Display on the sub display device may be switched in accordance with a detection result. According to the present invention as modified in this way, irrespective of whether the mobile phone is opened or is folded, the displayed information item is visible. In addition, it is also possible to display different information items depending on whether the mobile phone is opened or the mobile phone is folded. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the presently preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are front views showing an embodiment of the present invention, respectively;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a systematic figure showing the embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is a hierarchical figure showing the embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are views showing a display screen for explaining the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are another views showing a display screen for explaining the present invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a part of the embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 7 is a hierarchical figure for explaining a conventional technique. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0024]    [0024]FIGS. 1A and 1B show a case where the present invention is applied to a foldable mobile phone, such as a clamshell type handset. FIG. 1A is a front view showing a status of the handset being opened and FIG. 1B is a front view showing a status of the handset being folded.  
         [0025]    The mobile phone comprises a main body  10  and a lid portion  20 . Each of the main body  10  and the lid portion  20  is constituted to be flat and almost rectangular parallelepiped in its overall figure. In addition, the main body  10  and the lid portion  20  are integrally assembled to be foldable with a hinge  30 .  
         [0026]    In order to constitute the hinge  30 , in a case of FIG. 1A, the width of an upper portion  31  of the main body  10  in FIG. 1A is made narrower and a pair of leg portions  32 ,  32  are integrally provided to both sides of a lower portion of the lid portion  20  in FIG. 1A. The leg portions  32 ,  32  are positioned at both sides of the upper portion  31  of the main body  10 , and, for example, an axis (not shown) penetrating the leg portions  32 ,  32  and the upper portion  31  is provided. Thus, the lid portion  20  is made freely foldable or freely openable/closable with regard to the main body  10 .  
         [0027]    Although not shown in the figure, the hinge  30  is provided with a clicking mechanism. In a state of the mobile phone being opened, the lid portion  20  and the main body  10  are locked to be almost flat. In a state of the mobile phone being folded, the lid portion  20  and the main body  10  are locked folded.  
         [0028]    Operation keys including numerical keys  11 , cursor keys  12 , an enter key  13  and special keys  14  are arranged on a front face of the main body  10 , that is, a surface facing the lid portion  20 . A microphone  15  is also provided on the front face of the main body  10  at a lower part in FIG. 1A. In addition, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)  21  is provided as a main display device on a front face of the lid portion  20 , that is, a surface facing the main body  10 . A receiver  25  is also provided on the front face of the lid portion  20  at an upper part in FIG. 1A.  
         [0029]    Furthermore, since the hinge  30  comprises the upper portion  31  with the narrow width and the leg portions  32 ,  32  as mentioned above, it is possible for a user to see a front face of the upper portion  31  regardless of whether the mobile phone is opened or folded. Thus, there is provided an LCD  33  as a sub display device at the front face of the upper portion  31 .  
         [0030]    In addition, a telephone circuit  40  and a control circuit  50  as shown in FIG. 2, for example, are provided inside the main body  10  and the lid portion  20 . The telephone circuit  40  may include a receiver circuit  41 , a transmitter circuit  42  and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor)  43  constituting a codec circuit. A downstream transmit wave from a base station is received by a transmitter/receiver antenna  44 , and a received signal is supplied to the receiver circuit  41  through a duplexer  45  and a predetermined digital signal is demodulated to be picked up. Subsequently, the digital signal is supplied to the DSP  43  so that a voice signal of the other party is also picked up, and the voice signal is supplied to the receiver  25 . Additionally, the DSP  43  also has a ringer  46  connected thereto for notifying receiving of a call.  
         [0031]    Furthermore, the voice signal from the microphone  15  is supplied to the DSP  43  to be converted to a predetermined digital signal. The digital signal is supplied to the transmitter circuit  42  to be an upstream transmit signal, and the transmit signal is supplied to the transmitter/receiver antenna  44  through the duplexer  45  to be transmitted to the base station.  
         [0032]    The control circuit  50  may include the above-mentioned operation keys  11 - 14 , the main LCD  21 , the sub LCD  33  and a microcomputer  51  constituting a system controller. At the time of call-out, call-in and the like, a control signal corresponding to the situation accesses the base station and the mobile phone. Accordingly, a control signal transmitted from the base station is picked up from the DSP  43  to be supplied to the microcomputer  51 , and a control signal to be transmitted to the base station is supplied from the microcomputer  51  to the DSP  43  so as to be transmitted to the base station.  
         [0033]    A memory  52  and a folded-state detector  52  as well as the operation keys  11 - 14 , the main LCD  21  and the sub LCD  33  are connected to the microcomputer  51 . In this case, the memory  52  is used for storing various data such as telephone numbers of call destinations (telephone book), call record and the like, and it comprises a non-volatile memory. In addition, the folded-status detector  53  is used for detecting whether the lid portion  20  is opened (as in FIG. 1A) or it is closed (as in FIG. 1B). The detector  53  may comprises a switch working with the open/close operation of the lid portion  20 , for example.  
         [0034]    In addition, in this mobile phone, it is possible to execute information display or setting in accordance with such a hierarchical tree structure as shown in FIG. 3, for example, if the microcomputer  51  executes a predetermined routine.  
         [0035]    After execution of the following steps:  
         [0036]    (I) Display “MAIN MENU” on the main LCD  21 ;  
         [0037]    (II) Select “SETTING” from a list of the “MAIN MENU”;  
         [0038]    (III)Select “CALL RECORD DATA” from a list of the “SETTING”; and  
         [0039]    (IV) Select “FREE CALL CHARGE SETTING” from a list of the “CALL RECORD DATA”, an input screen as shown in FIG. 4A is displayed on the main LCD  21 , and a free call charge, that is, an amount that a user can make calls with no charge, in this case, ¥2,000, can be entered through the numerical keys  11 , as in FIG. 4B.  
         [0040]    In other words, while the mobile phone is on standby, when any key among the operation keys  11 - 14  is pressed, a first level of the hierarchical tree structure shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the main LCD  21  as a main menu. Subsequently, after a cursor is positioned at a desired item using the cursor key  12  and the enter key is pressed, a second level menu included in the item on which the cursor is positioned is displayed on the main LCD  21 . In the similar way, operating the keys  11 - 12  to proceed to a lowermost level enables display of a target information item on the main LCD  21  and any data may be entered depending on the items.  
         [0041]    On the other hand, for example, in a case of easily displaying the information item of “FREE CALL CHARGE”, the keys  11  and  12  are operated as described above, and the following steps are executed:  
         [0042]    (A) Display “MAIN MENU” on the LCD  21 ;  
         [0043]    (B) Select “SETTING” from a list of the “MAIN MENU”;  
         [0044]    (C) Select “SUB DISPLAY SETTING” from a list of the “SETTING”; and  
         [0045]    (D) Select “FREE CALL CHARGE” from a list of the “SUB DISPLAY SETTING”.  
         [0046]    Accordingly, the item displayed on the sub LCD  33  is set to “FREE CALL CHARGE”, and, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, remaining free call charge, that is a part not consumed yet, of the set free call charge is displayed on the sub LCD  33 . In the case of FIG. 5, another ¥900 is included in the basic charge and the user can make a call which is worth as much as ¥900 at no charge.  
         [0047]    Similarly, if an item of “INDIVIDUAL TIME/CHARGE” is selected from a list of the “SUB DISPLAY SETTING” in the hierarchical tree structure of FIG. 3, the item to be displayed on the sub LCD  33  is set to the “INDIVIDUAL TIME/CHARGE”, and, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, a call time and a call charge thereof of a latest call is displayed on the sub LCD  33 . The item displayed on the sub LCD  33  is continued to be displayed until the user selects another item to be displayed or nondisplay, in other words, the item is always displayed.  
         [0048]    According to the mobile phone described above, since the user can select an item from the list in the menu and make it always displayed on the sub LCD  33 , it is possible for the user to find the target information item at once, and, in particular, to find always with ease an item that the user frequently want to check. In addition, even if the priority on the information varies depending on the users, it is possible for each user to find information data which is important for him/her easily without spending much time.  
         [0049]    Furthermore, since the lid portion  20  is connected to the main body  10  through the hinge  30 , as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the display content on the sub LCD  33  is visible regardless of whether the lid portion  20  is opened or closed. In addition, there may be a case where different information items are displayed on the sub LCD  33  depending on whether the lid portion  20  is opened or closed, in accordance with a detection result output from the folded state detector  54 . For example, when the lid portion  20  is held opened, free call time is displayed on the sub LCD  33 , while current time is displayed, when the lid portion  20  is closed, that is, the mobile phone is folded.  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 6 shows one example of a routine that the microcomputer  51  executes when free call charge as shown in FIG. 4 is set. In other words, when the “FREE CALL CHARGE SETTING” is selected in the hierarchical tree structure in FIG. 3, a processing of a CPU (Central Processing Unit)(not shown) in the microcomputer  51  starts from a step  101  in the routine shown in FIG. 6. Next, at a step  102 , whether or not the free call charge has been already set is determined. When the free call charge is not set yet, the process goes from the step  102  to a step  104 . When the free call charge has been already set, the process goes from the step  102  to a step  103 , and, after the free call charge already set is cleared, the process goes to the step  104 .  
         [0051]    In the step  104 , as shown in FIG. 4A, an input screen for the free call charge is displayed on the main LCD  21 . Next, in a step  105 , the display is standby for an input of the free call charge. The user, then, can enter his/her free call charge corresponding to his/her contracting billing plan.  
         [0052]    The user can enter the input through the numerical keys  11 . In a case of input error, an erroneous input may be cleared by moving the cursor onto the characters “CLEAR” on the main LCD  21  using the cursor key  12  and pressing the enter key  13 . In addition, when the cursor is positioned on the characters “BACK” using the cursor key  12  and the enter key  13  is pressed, the input of the free call charge is cancelled and the display goes back to the main menu.  
         [0053]    And when a correct amount of charge is entered, by moving the cursor onto the characters “OK” using the cursor key  12  and pressing the enter key  13 , the free call charge entered in the step  105  is set in the microcomputer  51 . After that, the routine is completed at a step  106  and the display goes back to the main menu screen.  
         [0054]    According to the routine shown in FIG. 6, even in a case where the free call charge varies depending on plans the users contracting, the user can set his/her own free call charge corresponding to his/her contracting plan.  
         [0055]    In the embodiment, although the cursor key  12  is used for moving the cursor, a jog dial may be used instead of the cursor key  12 .  
         [0056]    Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, obviously many changes and variations are possible therein. It is therefore to be understood that the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein without departing from the scope and the sprit thereof.