Patent ID: 7062026

Claim:
An alert control method in a mobile telephone equipment having an alert function, comprising: registering a name of a person in a phonebook database in said mobile telephone equipment by inputting and storing a predetermined time interval associated with said person; storing a last-communication time related to said name of said person in said phonebook database in said mobile telephone equipment immediately after the termination of a telephone call to or from said person with said mobile telephone equipment; continuously performing the following process: checking to see if said person's name has been registered for alert; reading a current time of day from a timer; reading the most recently stored last-communication time for said person; calculating an elapsed amount of time value that has passed since said last-communication time; making a determination that said elapsed amount of time that has passed is greater than or less than said predetermined time interval based upon a comparison of the elapsed amount of time value and said predetermined time interval; and alerting the user of said mobile telephone equipment based uopn the determination that said elapsed amount of time that has passed is greater than said predetermined time interval.