Patent ID: 7558596

Claim:
A method for managing phonebooks in a mobile terminal ( 200 ) containing a first phonebook ( 241 ) and a second phonebook ( 221 ) wherein the first phonebook ( 241 ) is a phonebook recorded in memory resources ( 230 ) of the terminal ( 200 ), and the second phonebook ( 221 ) is a phonebook recorded in removable memory resources ( 220 ), the method including preliminary initialization steps of: recording { ( 90 ), in the memory resources ( 230 ) of the terminal ( 200 ), data identifying memory resources associated with the terminal ( 200 ), when a user switches on the terminal, determining ( 40 ) whether the removable memory resources ( 220 ) present in the terminal ( 200 ) are associated with the mobile terminal ( 200 ), and if the removable memory resources ( 220 ) present in the terminal ( 200 ) are associated with the terminal ( 200 ), activating ( 60 ) a first operating mode of the terminal ( 200 ) wherein the terminal executes the steps of: detecting ( 161 ) whether a user is changing information contained in the first phonebook ( 241 ), copying ( 66 ) the changed information into the second phonebook ( 221 ), wherein the method also includes a step of displaying ( 130 ) a proposal that can be selected by a user to record data identifying the removable memory resources ( 220 ) present in the terminal ( 200 ) as associated removable memory resources, wherein the method also includes a step of, if the removable memory resources ( 220 ) present in the terminal ( 200 ) are not associated with the terminal ( 200 ), activating ( 160 ) a second operating mode wherein a user can change only data ( 223 ) contained in the second phonebook ( 221 ).