Patent ID: 7373141

Claim:
A mobile communication terminal for performing a voice-text message conversion process comprising: a memory for storing condition information for determining when the voice-text message conversion process occurs and selecting a specific voice message among received and stored voice messages which is a target of the voice-text message conversion, said memory including a voice message area for storing voice messages and a text message area for storing text messages; a voice data detecting unit for extracting a voice signal from the specific voice message; a voice-text converting unit for converting the voice signal to a text message; a controlling unit for determining whether voice-text message conversion is required for the received and stored voice messages, and selecting the specific voice message, based on the condition information, and storing the text message converted by the voice-text converting unit in the text message area, wherein whether the voice-text message conversion is required is determined by comparing a total size of the voice messages with a threshold set in the condition information; selecting a voice message having a highest priority for voice-text message conversion from among the voice messages, based on selection reference information set in the condition information, if the total size of the voice messages is larger than the threshold; checking whether the voice message having the highest priority is locked for protection; and selecting the voice message having the highest priority for voice-text message conversion if the voice message is not locked, and selecting an other voice message having a second highest priority as a new highest priority if the voice message is locked.