Patent Publication Number: US-2007123193-A1

Title: Portable terminal apparatus, computer-readable storage medium, and image display method

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a portable terminal apparatus capable of performing wireless communications such as a portable telephone, a computer-readable storage medium that stores an incoming-in-absence processing program to be executed in the portable terminal apparatus, and an image display method of displaying an image for calls/emails arrived in absence in the portable terminal apparatus.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      In recent years, portable telephones have become widespread and users frequently make a telephone call and exchange emails using their portable telephones. In many cases, users of the portable telephones may be unable to promptly answer an incoming call or read an incoming email when the telephone is left somewhere or even when it is carried.  
      Considering such situations, some portable telephones are made to have a system of displaying a message that notifies a user of a call or email arrived in his/her absence if the user gives no prompt response to such an arrived call or email. By looking at the displayed message, the user can check the information about the originator, the contents of the arrived email, etc. through some operations at a later time.  
      There is also known a technique for notifying a user that a call or email has arrived in his/her absence by displaying a certain image associated with an originator&#39;s number instead of displaying a message (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-333137).  
      In the system of displaying a message that notifies a user of a call or email arrived in his/her absence, the user can recognize an originator only by checking the information about the originator or opening the email through some required operations. Therefore, the user has to carry out such operations even when the user only wants to know who the originator is and there is no need to answer the arrived call or to check the contents of the email, which is inconvenient.  
      In contrast, the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-333137 enables a user to recognize the originator of a call/email arrived in his/her absence only by looking at the displayed image associated with the originator, which is desirable. However, this is a technique that allows a user to promptly recognize the originator of only one call or email arrived in his/her absence, not the originators of two or more calls or emails arrived in his/her absence.  
      Under such circumstances, the present invention provides a portable terminal apparatus such as a portable telephone for example, which enables a user to readily recognize the respective originators of two or more calls or emails arrived in the user&#39;s absence. The invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium that stores an incoming-in-absence processing program and an image display method, which implements such a portable terminal apparatus.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides a portable terminal apparatus capable of performing wireless communications, including:  
      an association storing section which stores images associated with the originators of incomings-in-absence to which no operation according to incoming is performed, each of the images to be displayed in response to an incoming-in-absence;  
      an image display section which has a display screen and displays, in response to an incoming-in-absence, an image associated with the originator of the incoming-in-absence and stored in the association storing section on the display screen; and  
      an image-cancellation instructing section which causes, in response to an operation for canceling an image associated with the originator of an incoming-in-absence and displayed on the display screen, the image display section to cancel the image displayed,  
      wherein in response to plural incomings-in-absence, the image display section displays an image associated with the originator of an incoming with the highest priority of the plural incomings-in-absence on the display screen according to a predetermined order of priority, and wherein the image display section cancels an image currently displayed on the display screen upon receipt of an image-canceling instruction from the image-cancellation instructing section and displays an image associated with the originator of an incoming with the highest priority next to the incoming associated with the cancelled image of the plural incomings-in-absence.  
      The portable terminal apparatus of the invention displays an image with the highest priority in response to two or more incomings-in-absence. When the displayed image is cancelled in response to a cancellation operation, the apparatus displays an image with the next highest priority. Therefore, the apparatus makes it possible to readily and sequentially recognize the originators of the incomings-in-absence.  
      The portable terminal apparatus may be such that in response to plural incomings-in-absence, the image display section assigns ascending priorities to plural incomings-in-absence in chronological order and displays an image associated with the originator of the latest incoming-in-absence.  
      Further, the portable terminal apparatus may be such that the association storing section stores images and originators associated with each other and stores priorities assigned to the originators, and  
      in response to plural incomings-in-absence, the image display section displays an image associated with an originator with the highest priority of the originators of the plural incomings-in-absence on the display screen according to the priorities stored in the association storing section.  
      Furthermore, the portable terminal apparatus may further include a function of receiving calls and a function of receiving emails,  
      wherein the association storing section stores priorities assigned to the function of receiving calls and the function of receiving emails, and  
      wherein upon receipt of both a call-in-absence and an email-in-absence, the image display section displays an image associated with the originator of one with a higher priority of the call-in-absence and the email-in-absence on the display screen according to the priorities stored in the association storing section.  
      Still furthermore, the portable terminal apparatus may be such that upon cancellation of all images associated with originators of incomings-in-absence, the image display section displays a predetermined standby image on the display screen.  
      The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium which stores an incoming-in-absence processing program that causes a computer to operate as a portable terminal apparatus capable of performing wireless communications when executed in the computer, the portable terminal apparatus including:  
      an association storing section which stores images associated with the originators of incomings-in-absence to which no operation according to incoming is performed, each of the images to be displayed in response to an incoming-in-absence;  
      an image display section which has a display screen and displays, in response to an incoming-in-absence, an image associated with the originator of the incoming-in-absence and stored in the association storing section on the display screen; and  
      an image-cancellation instructing section which causes, in response to an operation for canceling an image associated with the originator of an incoming-in-absence and displayed on the display screen, the image display section to cancel the image displayed,  
      wherein in response to plural incomings-in-absence, the image display section displays an image associated with the originator of an incoming with the highest priority of the plural incomings-in-absence on the display screen according to a predetermined order of priority, and wherein the image display section cancels an image currently displayed on the display screen upon receipt of an image-canceling instruction from the image-cancellation instructing section and displays an image associated with the originator of an incoming with the highest priority next to the incoming associated with the cancelled image of the plural incomings-in-absence.  
      The computer-readable storage medium may be such that in response to plural incomings-in-absence, the image display section assigns ascending priorities to plural incomings-in-absence in chronological order and displays an image associated with the originator of the latest incoming-in-absence.  
      Further, the computer-readable storage medium may be such that the association storing section stores images and originators associated with each other and stores priorities assigned to the originators, and  
      in response to plural incomings-in-absence, the image display section displays an image associated with an originator with the highest priority of the originators of the plural incomings-in-absence on the display screen according to the priorities stored in the association storing section.  
      Furthermore, the computer-readable storage medium may be such that the portable terminal apparatus further includes a function of receiving calls and a function of receiving emails,  
      wherein the association storing section stores priorities assigned to the function of receiving calls and the function of receiving emails, and  
      wherein upon receipt of both a call-in-absence and an email-in-absence, the image display section displays an image associated with the originator of one with a higher priority of the call-in-absence and the email-in-absence on the display screen according to the priorities stored in the association storing section.  
      Still furthermore, the computer-readable storage medium may be such that upon cancellation of all images associated with originators of incomings-in-absence, the image display section displays a predetermined standby image on the display screen.  
      The present invention also provides an image display method of displaying an image on a portable terminal apparatus capable of performing wireless communications, the method including:  
      an association storing step which stores images associated with the originators of incomings-in-absence to which no operation according to incoming is performed, each of the images to be displayed in response to an incoming-in-absence; and  
      an image display step which displays, in response to an incoming-in-absence, an image associated with the originator of the incoming-in-absence and stored in the association storing step on a display screen, and which cancels, in response to an operation for canceling an image associated with the originator of an incoming-in-absence and displayed on the display screen, the image displayed,  
      wherein in response to plural incomings-in-absence, the image display step displays an image associated with the originator of an incoming with the highest priority of the plural incomings-in-absence on the display screen according to a predetermined order of priority, and wherein the image display step cancels an image currently displayed on the display screen upon receipt of an image-canceling instruction from the image-cancellation instructing section and displays an image associated with the originator of an incoming with the highest priority next to the incoming associated with the cancelled image of the plural incomings-in-absence.  
      As described above, it is possible to readily recognize the originators of incomings-in-absence according to the present invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an external perspective view of a portable terminal apparatus according an embodiment of the invention, as viewed from the front;  
       FIG. 2  is an external perspective view of the portable terminal apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 , as viewed from the back;  
       FIG. 3  is a circuit block diagram of the portable terminal apparatus shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ;  
       FIG. 4  shows various examples of standby images;  
       FIG. 5  is a table showing an extended telephone number book;  
       FIG. 6  is a table showing priority levels between a telephone function and an email function;  
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart of a program to be executed at the time of receiving data (when a call/email arrives);  
       FIG. 8  is an incoming-in-absence listing table to be created when two or more calls/emails sequentially arrive;  
       FIG. 9  is a flowchart showing how a call/email arrived in absence is cancelled; and  
       FIG. 10  is a diagram showing how the display screen changes at the time of canceling calls/emails arrived in absence. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      An embodiment of the present invention will be described.  
       FIG. 1  is an external perspective view of a portable terminal apparatus  10  according an embodiment of the invention, as viewed from the front.  FIG. 2  is an external perspective view of the portable terminal apparatus  10  shown in  FIG. 1 , as viewed from the back.  
      The portable terminal apparatus  10  is comprised of an upper case  20  and a lower case  30  which are openable and closable with respect to each other. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the front of the portable terminal apparatus  10  is provided with a screen display window  21  for displaying images and covered with a window member such as a transparent acrylic plate and an earpiece  22  having a small speaker therein and transmitting a sound when brought near to a user&#39;s ear.  
      As shown in  FIG. 1 , the lower case  30  has multiple operating buttons  31  on the front and a small microphone in the inside. The lower case  30  also has a mouthpiece  32  for transmitting user&#39;s voice to the microphone and a sound outlet  33  for sending out a sound emitted from a speaker disposed at the back thereof, which sound is loud enough to hear without bringing the apparatus close to an ear. Meanwhile, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the back of the lower case  30  is provided with an antenna  34  and a battery lid  35  for covering a battery being inserted into a battery chamber formed inside. Further, operating buttons  36  are disposed on a frank of the lower case  30 . The portable terminal apparatus  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is capable of sending/receiving calls and emails.  
       FIG. 3  is a circuit block diagram of the portable terminal apparatus  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 .  
       FIG. 3  shows a wireless transmit/receive section  41 , a baseband processing section  42 , and an interface (I/F) section  43 .  
      The wireless transmit/receive section  41  is a block for wirelessly transmitting and receiving signals via the antenna  34  (also referred to  FIG. 2 ).  
      The baseband processing section  42  is a block for subjecting signals to processing such as frequency conversion between a frequency band for wireless communications and a frequency band for sounds etc.  
      The interface section  43  is a block for transmitting signals between the baseband processing section  42  and a speaker  51  as well as a microphone  52 .  
      The wireless transmit/receive section  41 , baseband processing section  42 , and interface section  43  are all connected to and controlled by a control section  44  while operating.  
      In addition, a memory  45 , an input operation section  46 , and a display section  47  are also connected to the control section  44 .  
      The memory  45  includes: a registration section  451  for storing various kinds of information such as telephone numbers, email addresses, and images; a history section  452  for storing various kinds of historical data such as an incoming-call/email history and a outgoing-call/email history; and an email recording section  453  for recording emails. The embodiment will focus on calls/mails arrived in absence. Images to be displayed at the time of receiving a call/email in absence and information such as priority levels are stored in the registration section  451 , and an incoming-in-absence history is stored in the history section  452 .  
      Writing and reading information into and out from the memory  45  are controlled by the control section  44 .  
      The input operation section  46  is a block for transmitting information about operations of the operating buttons  31  and  36  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  to the control section  44 .  
      The display section  47  is a block for displaying data sent from the control section  44  on a display screen  48  after converting the data into signals for display.  
      The display screen  48  is seen through the screen display window  21  shown in  FIG. 1 .  
      For a telephone call, the following processing is performed under the control of the control section  44 . A radio signal picked up by the antenna  34  is first received by the wireless transmit/receive section  41 , subjected to processing by the baseband processing section  42 , and then transmitted to the speaker  51  via the interface section  43  to be output as a sound. A sound picked up by the microphone  52  is first transmitted to the baseband processing section  42  via the interface section  43 , subjected to signal conversion for wireless transmission by the baseband processing section  42 , and then wirelessly transmitted by the wireless transmit/receive section  41  via the antenna  34 .  
      At this point, if a user gives no response to an incoming call through the input operation section  46 , the control section  44  searches the registration section  451  of the memory  45  for a telephone number matching the telephone number of the originator of the incoming call, reads out and sends an image associated with the matched telephone number to the display section  47 . The display section  47  then displays the received image on the display screen  48 . The control section  44  writes the information about the originator of the incoming call into the incoming-in-absence history of the history section  452 .  
      Meanwhile, the following processing is performed if an email arrives. First, a signal of the arrived email is picked up by the antenna  34  and then received by the wireless transmit/receive section  41 . Subsequently, the received signal is sent to the baseband processing section  42  where the signal is subjected to processing for email receipt. The arrived email is then recorded into the email recording section  453  of the memory  45  by the control section  44 . Simultaneously with the recording of the email, the information about the originator of the email is recorded into the incoming-in-absence history of the history section  452 . Further, the control section  44  reads out an image associated with the originator and stored in the registration section  451  of the memory  45  and sends the read image to the display section  47  that displays the received image on the display screen  48 . An image displayed on the display screen  48  can be cancelled by operating the input operation section  46 . Such image display and cancellation will be described later in detail.  
      Meanwhile, a massage can be input through the input operation section  46 , which is transmitted as an email via the control section  44 , baseband processing section  42 , wireless transmit/receive section  41 , and antenna  34 .  
      Now, there will be mainly described the details of processing related to calls and emails arrived in absence.  
       FIG. 4  shows various examples of standby images.  
      Standby images (A) through (C) are pictures of certain persons or illustrations reminding a user of certain persons. The standby images (A) through (C) are displayed at the time of receiving an incoming call or email. The image (D) is a standard standby image that is selected by a user and displayed regardless of incoming calls/emails-in-absence, or displayed after all the incoming calls/emails-in-absence are cancelled.  
      The standby images (A) through (C) and the standard standby image (D) shown in  FIG. 4  are stored in the registration section  451  of the memory  45  as image data.  
      The standby images shown in  FIG. 4  are examples and more standby images may be stored, added or deleted.  
       FIG. 5  is a table showing an extended telephone number book.  
      Although the table shown in  FIG. 5  includes not only telephone numbers but also various kinds of information such as those described below, the table will be hereinafter refereed to as a “phone-number book.” 
      The phone-number book shown in  FIG. 5  records data listed in items of “Registered name,” “Standby image for incoming-in-absence,” “Priority level,” and “Type” (“Telephone number” and “Email address”), which are associated with each other.  
      The “Registered name” includes names and nicknames of persons having the telephone number and email address. Merely “a,” “i,” “u,” “e,” “o,” “ka,” and “ki” are shown in  FIG. 5  for convenience.  
      What specified in the “Standby image for incoming-in-absence” are images and the presence or absence of images each to be displayed when there is no prompt response to an incoming call or email sent from the corresponding originator listed in the “Registered name.” 
      The “Priority level” shows priority levels of images to be displayed on the display screen when two or more calls or emails arrive in absence. For example, the name “i” is associated with “3” and the name “e” is associated with “1” and therefore, if calls from the names “i” and “e” arrive, the standby image (B) associated with “e” is displayed.  
      Further, those listed in the “Telephone number” and “Email address” are telephone numbers and email addresses associated with the respective names listed in the “Registered name.” 
      The phone-number book shown in  FIG. 5  is created by operations through the input operation section  46  shown in  FIG. 3  and may be changed.  
       FIG. 6  is a table showing priority levels between a telephone function and an email function.  
      The number “1” is allocated to one with the higher priority (telephone in this example) whereas the number “0” is allocated to the other with the lower priority (email in this example). The number “0” may be allocated to both of them to set no priority levels.  
      As with the phone-number book shown in  FIG. 5 , the table of priority levels shown in  FIG. 6  is created by operations through the input operation section  46  and stored in the registration section  451  of the memory  45  shown in  FIG. 3 .  
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart of a program to be executed at the time of receiving data (when a call/email arrives). This program is executed by the control section  44  shown in  FIG. 3 .  
      Before receiving data, i.e. before the flow shown in  FIG. 7  starts, the standard standby image (D) (see  FIG. 4 ) is displayed on the display screen if there is no incoming call/email in absence at this point. If an incoming call/email arrives in absence at this point, one of the standby images (A) through (C) according to the originator of the call/email is displayed.  
      Upon receipt of data (call or email) (step S 11 ), a reception image representing the receipt of data is displayed on the display screen (step P 11 ). The reception image is an image for notifying a user of the receipt of data and stored in the registration section  451  of the memory  45  shown in  FIG. 3  although it is omitted in the drawings.  
      While the reception image is displayed on the display screen for a predetermined period of time, if a user does not respond to the received data (by answering the call or opening the email), the flow proceeds to incoming-in-absence processing. In the incoming-in-absence processing, first, it is determined whether an image associated with the originator of the received data is recorded or not (step S 12 , also see  FIG. 5 ). If there is no recorded image, the flow goes back to the standby image displayed before the arrival of the data (step P 12 ).  
      On the other hand, if there is a recorded image (step S 12 ), it is subsequently determined whether a priority level associated with the originator of the received data is recorded or not (step S 13 ).  
      If there is a recorded priority level, the flow goes to step S 14  where it is determined whether or not the priority level of the originator of the received data is higher than that of the standby image currently being displayed. If the result is No at step S 14 , the standby image currently being displayed, which is a standby image displayed before the arrival of the data (here, the reception image that is temporarily displayed is omitted for convenience in explanation), is continuously displayed (step P 13 ). On the other hand, if the result is Yes at step S 14 , the standby image recorded as an image associated with the originator of the received data is displayed (step P 14 ).  
      Meanwhile, if there is no recorded priority level (see  FIG. 5 ) at step S 13 , the flow goes to step S 15  where it is determined whether the priority levels between types (telephone number and email address) are set or not (see  FIG. 6 ).  
      If the result is Yes at step S 15 , the flow goes to step S 16  where it is determined whether or not the priority level assigned to the type of the received data is higher than that of the standby image currently being displayed. If the result is Yes at step S 16 , the standby image recorded as an image associated with the originator of the received data is displayed (step P 15 ).  
      On the other hand, if the result is No at step S 16  or at step S 15 , the flow goes to step S 17  where it is determined, according to the priority levels shown in the table in  FIG. 5 , whether or not the priority level of the originator of the received data is higher than that of the standby image currently being displayed. If the result is No at step S 17 , the standby image currently being displayed, which is the standby image displayed before the arrival of the data, is continuously displayed (step P 16 ). If the result is Yes at step S 17 , the standby image recorded as an image associated with the originator of the received data is displayed (step P 17 ). When two or more calls/emails having the same priority level (or no priority level) are received in absence, it is preferable that a higher priority is placed on a later one of the received calls/emails.  
       FIG. 8  is an incoming-in-absence listing table to be created when two or more calls/emails sequentially arrive in absence. The incoming-in-absence listing table is created in the history section  452  of the memory  45  shown in  FIG. 3 .  
      It is assumed here that three calls/emails are sequentially received and a table shown in  FIG. 8  is created where the standby image (A) associated with the registered name “a” is provided with “1” meaning the highest priority and displayed on the display screen.  
      The example shown in  FIG. 8  takes place when a call from the name “a” arrives in absence and sequentially emails from the names “e” and “ka” arrive in absence under the condition that “telephone” is higher than “mail” in priority as shown in  FIG. 6 .  
       FIG. 9  is a flowchart showing how a call/email arrived in absence is cancelled.  
      In response to a user&#39;s operation for canceling a call/email arrived in absence (either an operation for checking the contents of a call/e-mail or an operation for canceling a call/e-mail without checking the contents) through the input operation section  46  (step S 21 ), a standby image currently being displayed on the display screen is cancelled (step P 21 ). As a result, the incoming-in-absence listing table shown in  FIG. 8  is updated. Further, it is determined whether or not there is another data arrived in absence having a recorded image associated therewith (step S 22 ). If the result is No at step S 22 , the standard standby image (D) (see  FIG. 4 ) is displayed (step P 22 ). If the result is Yes at step S 22 , the standby image of one with the highest priority among the remaining data is displayed (step P 23 ).  
       FIG. 10  is a diagram showing how the display screen changes at the time of canceling calls/emails arrived in absence.  
      In this figure, first, the standby image (A) associated with the registered name “a” is displayed on the display screen. At this point, if the call/email associated with this image (A) is cancelled, the standby image (B) associated with the registered name “e” is subsequently displayed. If the call/email associated with the image (B) is cancelled at this point, the standby image (C) associated with the registered name “ka” is subsequently displayed. Further, if the call/email associated with the image (C) is cancelled, the standard standby image (D) is subsequently displayed.  
      As described above, even when there are two or more calls/emails arrive in absence, it is possible to readily recognize the standby images associated with the respective received calls/emails according to the order of