CN101102573A - Mobile terminal, method of controlling mobile phone terminal, and mobile phone terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

A mobile terminal capable of executing multiple application programs in parallel includes: a selection unit, which can prompt the user to choose whether to exit the application program when the screen of the displayed application program is switched to the screen of another application program.

Description

Mobile terminal, method of controlling mobile phone terminal, and mobile phone terminal

technical field

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone terminal, capable of executing a plurality of application programs in parallel. The present invention also relates to a method for controlling a mobile phone terminal and a mobile phone terminal which can execute a plurality of application programs including programs processing phone functions and can display the application programs running on a screen.

Priority is claimed from Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2004-18342 and 2004-18343 filed on January 27, 2004, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Background technique

Conventional mobile phone terminals, which can execute a plurality of application programs (referred to herein as 'applications') including applications handling phone functions, have a very small display area due to the size limitation of the mobile terminal. Only a single application can be displayed on the display of such a mobile phone terminal because the display cannot accommodate the screens of multiple applications. Usually, when multiple applications are executed simultaneously, only one of these applications is displayed while the rest run in the background.

In a conventional mobile phone terminal, when a user switches from one application screen to another application screen, the previously displayed application is still running until the user commands to exit the program.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-319020 discloses a mobile terminal capable of containing applications.

However, mobile phone terminals generally have a CPU (Central Processing Unit) with limited processing capability and a smaller capacity memory than a personal computer. Therefore, if a plurality of applications are simultaneously executed on the mobile phone terminal, the operation or display of the screen may be delayed, or in the worst case, the mobile phone terminal may not respond to the user's operation at all (hereinafter, this state is called as "freeze").

Furthermore, users of mobile phone terminals expect the mobile phone to be able to receive incoming calls or make outgoing calls whenever desired when the mobile phone terminal is powered on while the mobile phone terminal is within the coverage area of a base station. However, this freezing not only prevents the user from receiving incoming calls or making outgoing calls, but also disables other functions of the mobile phone terminal.

Furthermore, in some recent mobile phone terminals that can execute multiple applications, when an e-mail is input or a call arrives while an application is being executed (displayed), the mobile phone needs to exit the application to switch to a call screen. After the call is completed, the user has to launch the application again because the main menu screen is automatically displayed once the call ends. Alternatively, in other mobile phone terminals, when an email is input or a call arrives, the application is automatically suspended to automatically switch to a call screen. Therefore, when the call ends, the user expects to be able to return from the main menu screen to the application screen that was displayed before the call arrived.

A method for processing an incoming call while an application is executing has been proposed, and one such technique is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-319020. In the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-319020, a PICT area is set in a screen to notify a user of an incoming call and display information about the call including a caller's name. When the user presses the ANSWER key, the execution of the application is suspended and the call screen is displayed. After the call ends, the application screen is automatically displayed.

In a conventional mobile phone terminal, when an incoming call or e-mail arrives while an application such as an e-mail program, movie player, web browser or calendar is executing, the application is suspended as described above. Continue the app after the call ends or the user finishes reading the email. However, there is a need to preserve the displayed application and be able to allow operation of the application when the user answers an incoming call while the application is executing.

The method described in the aforementioned Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First No. 2003-319020 automatically switches the screen to the incoming call screen, thereby answering an incoming call that arrives while the application program is executing. However, it does not support the display or operation of applications while calling.

Contents of the invention

The first aspect of the present invention relates to a mobile terminal that can execute multiple applications, and when the screen is switched from one application to another, the user can use the mobile terminal to select the operation of the previously displayed application program, thus reducing the processing of the CPU load and saves storage space while preventing degradation in usability and display speed.

The mobile terminal according to the first aspect of the present invention is a mobile terminal capable of executing multiple applications in parallel, including a selection unit for prompting the user to select whether to Quit the application.

In addition, the mobile terminal according to the first aspect of the present invention is a mobile terminal capable of executing a plurality of applications in parallel, including a selection unit for prompting the user when a screen displaying an application is switched to a screen of another application Choose whether to suspend the application.

In addition, the mobile terminal according to the first aspect of the present invention is a mobile terminal capable of executing a plurality of application programs in parallel, including a selection unit for prompting the user to select whether to Quit the application.

In addition, the mobile terminal according to the first aspect of the present invention is a mobile terminal capable of executing a plurality of application programs in parallel, including a selection unit for prompting the user to select whether to Pause the application.

In addition, the mobile terminal according to the first aspect of the present invention is a mobile terminal capable of executing a plurality of application programs in parallel, including a selection unit for displaying the currently executed A list of multiple applications, and let the user select one of the multiple applications, thereby exiting the screen.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the mobile terminal, the processing load of the CPU is reduced, the storage space is saved, and degradation of usability and display speed is prevented.

A second aspect of the present invention relates to a method capable of displaying and operating an application after an incoming call arrives while the application is being executed.

A method for controlling a mobile phone terminal according to a second aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: when the screen of the application is displayed, notifying the arrival of an incoming call using the screen of the display application; when notifying the incoming call, if the user selects to answer the incoming call , allows incoming calls to be answered using the screen where the application is displayed.

In addition, the mobile phone terminal according to the second aspect of the present invention includes: a display unit for notifying the arrival of an incoming call by using the screen of the application being displayed when the screen of the application is displayed; an operation unit for notifying the arrival of the incoming call by using a display unit for answering the incoming call; and a control unit for enabling a call on the mobile phone terminal using the screen on which the application program is being displayed if the operating unit receives the incoming call.

In the mobile phone terminal according to the second aspect of the present invention, if the operation unit receives an incoming call, the control unit may set the mobile phone terminal to a hands-free mode.

The mobile phone terminal according to the second aspect of the present invention may further include a display unit for displaying detailed information of a calling party of an incoming call using a screen on which the application program is being displayed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when an incoming call arrives while the application is being executed, the user can answer the incoming call or make an outgoing call while viewing the application screen. In addition, users can operate applications while talking on the phone.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a mobile phone terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a task list.

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a mobile phone terminal according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a user selection screen.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an application switching operation according to the first embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an optional operation of application switching according to a first embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating one example of the operation of application switching according to the second embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating one example of the operation of application switching according to the third embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating one example of the operation of application switching according to the fourth embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen during an operation of application switching according to a fourth embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention.

Fig. 11A is a plan view illustrating a mobile phone terminal according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 11B is a rear view illustrating a mobile phone terminal according to an embodiment of both aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of screen transition when an incoming call arrives according to the related art.

Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of screen transition using icons according to the first embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of screen transition using split screens according to a second embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

Fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of screen transition using icons according to a third embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

Detailed ways

first

Various embodiments according to the first aspect of the present invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of a mobile phone terminal as an example of the mobile terminal according to the first embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention. The mobile phone terminal is controlled by a CPU 1 and includes a radio unit 2 , an antenna 3 , an audio control unit 4 , a display unit 5 , an input unit 6 , a microphone 7 , a speaker 8 and a memory 9 . An antenna 3 is connected to the radio unit 2, and transmits and receives radio signals to and from the base station. The received signal is processed by the audio control unit 4 and then the corresponding sound is output from the speaker 8 . The audio signal input from the microphone 7 is sent to the radio unit 2 via the audio control unit 4 and to the base station via the antenna 3 . The memory 9 stores application programs, input data, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, schedules and a task list 10 maintained by the CPU 1 . An example of a task list 10 is shown in FIG. 2 .

The task list 10 shown in FIG. 2 contains rows, where each row corresponds to an application currently running or suspended in the mobile terminal. Each row includes three fields, and each field contains a display order, a flag indicating whether the application is executing or suspended, and the name of the application. In the list, the most recently displayed apps are at the top of the list according to the usage history store apps. Flag values "00" and "01" indicate that the app is suspended and the app is running, respectively.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a mobile phone terminal. The mobile phone terminal 100 includes a display screen 101 , a key input unit 102 , an ANSWER key 103 , a HANG-UP key 104 , a microphone 105 , a speaker 106 and an antenna 107 . The display screen 101 can display screens of applications and states of call functions, and the user can operate the applications through the key input unit 102 . The key input unit 102 includes keys such as an ANSWER key 103 and a HANG-UP key 104 , and a user can make a phone call by inputting a phone number from the key input unit 102 and pressing the ANSWER key 103 . The user can then press the HANG-UP key 104 to hang up the call.

The display screen 101 also displays a user selection screen 108 shown in FIG. 4 , by which the user can switch applications. The user selection screen 108 is a screen with which the user can select an operation to be performed on the application currently displayed on the display screen when switching applications. As shown, the user can select one of "QUIT", "PAUSE", or "CONTINUE".

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of application switching. In step S301, when multiple applications are executed while commanding application switching, the user selection screen 108 is displayed in step S302, and the user is prompted to select an operation to be performed by the currently displayed application in step S303. If the user selects "QUIT", the application is terminated in step S304, and the entry corresponding to the terminated application in the task list 10 is deleted. If the user selects "PAUSE", the application is paused at step S305 and the flag indicating the attribute of the application in the task list 10 is changed to "00". If the user selects "CONTINUE", execution continues with the application. In the manner described above, when the user selects "QUIT", or "PAUSE" or "CONTINUE" on the user selection screen 108, the application to be switched to is displayed in step S306.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating optional operations for application switching. In step S401, when the application is executed, the user presses the HANG-UP key 104 in step S402. If the user presses the HANG-UP key 104 for a time equal to or greater than a certain length of time (long key press), the application is terminated in step S403 and the entry corresponding to the terminated application in the task list 10 is deleted. If the user presses the HANG-UP key 104 for less than a certain length of time (short key press), the application is suspended in step S404 and the flag indicating the application attribute in the task list 10 is changed to "00". If the user long-presses or short-presses the HANG-UP key 104 , in step S405 , the standby screen or the screen of the application displayed before instructing to switch the application is displayed instead of the screen of the current application. If the user has not pressed the HANG-UP key 104, no action occurs. Accordingly, the user can switch applications while maintaining the current application executed after the operation of switching applications. As used herein, the term "suspend" refers to temporarily stopping the progress of an application based on time. Examples of such applications include games and music or movie players, for example.

According to the present embodiment, the display switches from the screen of one application to the screen of another application, and the user can choose to exit or pause the application displayed immediately before the indicated switching operation. If the user chooses to exit the application, the process of the application is terminated and the storage space is released, thus reducing the load on the CPU and saving storage space. If the user chooses to suspend the application displayed immediately before the indicated switching operation, the application is suspended and the screen is switched to that of the second application. When the second application ends, the previously displayed application may automatically resume. For example, if while playing a racing game application, the user switches to another application's screen, the user can pause the racing game application, and if the second application ends, the game can be automatically resumed. Also, while not freeing storage space, resuming the application can reduce the load on the CPU.

In addition, a key for exiting or suspending the application can be set, and the application can be exited or suspended through a long or short key press by the user. Therefore, while the application is executing, the user can easily and quickly exit or suspend the application through a long or short key press, thereby switching to another application.

Next, a second embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7 .

It should be noted that while the application is executing in step S501, a new application is started. In step S502, the user selection screen 108 is displayed, and in step S503, the user is prompted to select an operation to be performed by the currently displayed application. When the user selects "QUIT", the application is terminated and the entry corresponding to the terminated application in the task list 10 is deleted in step S504. If the user selects "PAUSE", the application is paused and the flag indicating the attribute of the application in the task list 10 is changed to "00" in step S505. If the user selects "CONTINUE", execution continues with the application. In the manner described above, when the user selects "QUIT", or "PAUSE" or "CONTINUE" in the user selection screen 108, a new application is displayed at step S506.

According to the present embodiment, when the user starts a new application while executing another application, the user can select to exit or pause the application displayed immediately before instructing the switching operation. If the user chooses to quit the old application, it can reduce the load on the CPU and save storage space. If the user chooses to suspend the application displayed immediately before the indicated switching operation, the application is suspended and the screen switches to that of the newly launched application. If the new application ends, the previously displayed application may be automatically displayed. Also, while not freeing storage space, resuming the application can reduce the load on the CPU.

Next, a third embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8 .

When it is noted that a new application is started while the application is being executed in step S601, it is determined in step S602 whether the current usage of the memory exceeds a certain threshold for starting the application. If the current usage rate of the memory exceeds the threshold, a user selection screen is displayed at step S603, and the user is prompted to select an operation to be performed by the new application at step S604. If the user selects "DO NOT START", then cancel the start of the new application in step S605.

If the user selects "START", the new application is started and added to the task list 10 . After setting the attribute of the task list to "01" in step S606, the new application is displayed in step S607.

According to the present embodiment, when a new application is started while the application is being executed, the user is prompted to select whether to start the application in consideration of the memory usage rate required to start the application. In this way, freezing of the mobile terminal can be prevented by diverting the situation where the memory usage reaches a maximum value.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9 . When it is noted that a new application is started while the application is being executed in step S801, it is determined in step S802 whether the current usage rate of the memory exceeds a certain threshold for starting the application. For example, if the current usage of the memory exceeds the threshold, the task list screen shown in FIG. 10 is displayed in step S803, thereby prompting the user to select a task from tasks listed in the task list screen 109 in step S804. Then, the user is prompted to select an operation for the selected application from the user selection screen 108 at step S805. When the user selects “QUIT”, the selected application is terminated and the corresponding entry is deleted from the task list screen 109 . Then in step S807, the flow returns to step S802. When the user selects "PAUSE", the selected application is paused and the attribute of the corresponding entry in the task list screen 109 is set to "00". Then, in step S807, the flow returns to step S802. If the user selects "CONTINUE", and the memory usage does not exceed the threshold at step S802, a new application is launched and a corresponding entry is added to the task list screen 109. In step S809 the attribute of the task list will be set to "01", and the new application will be displayed in step S809.

According to the present embodiment, when a new application is started while the application is being executed, the user is prompted to select whether to start the application according to the memory usage rate required for starting the application. Thereby, memory consumption can be reduced. Additionally, when a large amount of memory is used, the user can choose to quit or suspend the application until the memory usage reaches an appropriate value. Thus, efficient use of memory can be achieved.

It should be noted that in the present invention, the term "execute a plurality of applications" means "execute a plurality of applications in parallel". The term also includes cases where only one of the programs is executed for a very short period of time and another program is executed after it, although this is not exactly true "simultaneous execution". In the latter case, the CPU time is divided into extremely short time periods, and the divided CPU time is allocated to multiple application software in order, as if multiple applications are executed simultaneously.

The scope of the mobile terminal of the present invention extends to mobile phone terminals and personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the like.

second aspect

Various embodiments according to the second aspect of the present invention will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of a mobile phone terminal according to a second aspect of the present invention.

The scope of the mobile terminal of the present invention extends to mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the like.

The cellular phone terminal according to the present embodiment is controlled by a CPU 1, and includes a radio unit 2, an antenna 3, an audio control unit 4, a display unit 5, an input device 6, a microphone 7, a speaker 8, and a memory 9. An antenna 3 is connected to the radio unit 2, and transmits and receives radio signals to and from the base station. The received signal is processed by the audio control unit 4 and a corresponding sound is output from the speaker 8 . The audio signal input from the microphone 7 is sent to the radio unit 2 via the audio control unit 4 and to the base station via the antenna 3 . The memory 9 stores application program data, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, schedules, and the like.

11A to 11B are respectively a plan view and a rear view of a mobile phone terminal.

Cellular phone terminal 1100 includes display screen 1101 , key input device 1102 , HANG-UP key 1103 , ANSWER key 1104 , HANDS-FREE key 1105 , speaker 1106 , microphone 1107 , microphone 1108 and antenna 1109 .

The display screen 1101 can display the status of applications and communication functions, and the user can operate the applications through the key input device 1102 . The key input device 1102 includes a HANG-UP key 1103, an ANSWER key 1104, and a HANDS-FREE key 1105, and the user can input a phone number through the key input device 1102 and press the ANSWER key 1104 to make a phone call. The user can then hang up the call by pressing the HANG-UP key 1103. The HANDS-FREE key 1105 allows the user to answer or make a call while displaying the screen of the application, and to set the mobile phone terminal in a hands-free mode. When the HANDS-FREE key 1105 is pressed while making or answering a call, the cellular phone terminal is set in the hands-free mode while displaying the application screen.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of screen transition when an incoming call arrives according to the related art.

When a user operates an application, an application execution screen 1301 is displayed. When an incoming call arrives while the application execution screen 1301 is displayed, the screen is switched to the incoming call screen 1302 and the application operated by the user is automatically exited or suspended. When the ANSWER key is pressed while an incoming call screen 1302 is displayed, a call screen 1303 is displayed to answer an incoming call. When the HANG-UP key is pressed, a hold screen 1304 is displayed and the call is held. The information displayed for the call is only the information displayed on the call screen 1303 or the hold screen 1304, and the executed application is not displayed or cannot be operated until the call is ended.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of screen transition using icons according to the first embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

When an application is started and displayed, an application execution screen 1401 is displayed, and the user can operate the application using this screen. When an incoming call arrives while the application execution screen 1401 is being displayed, during the incoming call incoming screen 1402, the screen is switched to application execution. During the incoming call screen 1402, the application execution displays an incoming call icon (in the figure, an icon of a handset and the letter "I" is displayed) in the PICT area at the top of the screen, as does the application screen. In this example, an application with audio is executed, such as a game, movie, TV or radio player, outputting audio.

During display of the incoming call screen 1402, when the HANDS-FREE key 1105 is pressed while the application is being executed, the mobile phone terminal is set in a hands-free mode. The screen is changed to application execution during a call screen 1403, wherein while the application is running and displayed, operations of the application and calls can be made or answered. In hands-free mode, the device that outputs audio switches from speaker 1106 to microphone 1108 . If an application having audio is executed, such as a game or a movie player, the audio is output from the speaker 1108 together with the caller's voice. The icon in the PICT area at the top of the screen changes from a call icon to a talk icon (in the figure, an icon of a handset and the letter "T" are shown).

During display of the incoming call screen 1402, when the ANSWER key 1104 is pressed while the application is executing, a conventional call screen 1405 is displayed. This mode is a handheld mode in which the calling party's voice is output from speaker 1106 .

While the incoming call screen 1402 is being displayed, when the HANG-UP key 1103 is pressed while the application is executing, the call is put on hold and the display changes to a call holding screen 1404 . If an application having audio, for example, a game or movie player is executed, the audio is output and the application screen is displayed. The icon in the PICT area at the top of the screen changes from a call icon to a hold icon (in the figure, an icon of a handset and the letter "H" are shown).

During display of the incoming call screen 1402, when the ANSWER key 1104 is pressed while the application is executing, the screen changes to a call screen 1405 and the mobile phone terminal switches from the hands-free mode to the handheld mode.

During display of the call screen 1403 , when the HANDS-FREE key 1105 is pressed while the application is being executed, the call is put on hold and the screen switches to the call hold screen 1404 .

When the ANSWER key 1104 is pressed while the call hold screen 1404 is displayed, the display changes to a conventional call screen 1405, and if the HANDS-FREE key 1105 is pressed, the display changes to application execution during the call screen 1403.

When the ANSWER key is pressed while the talk screen 1405 is displayed, the display changes to an application execution hold screen 1404 .

When the HANDS-FREE key 1105 is pressed while the call screen 1405 is displayed, the mobile phone terminal is set in the hands-free mode, and the display changes to application execution during the call screen 1403 .

Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a specific example of screen transition using split screens according to the second embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

In the example shown in FIG. 14, the design of the application execution screen is changed, and screens 1502, 1503, and 1504 correspond to screens 1402, 1403, and 1404 in FIG. 13, respectively.

In this embodiment, instead of the icons in FIG. 11 , a scaled-down version of the application display screen is displayed in screens 1502, 1503, and 1504, and the name of the calling party and an indication of the call status (entering, talking, or on hold) are displayed on the remainder of the screen. character of. The operation of switching screens is the same as that of the example shown in FIG. 11 , and thus its description is omitted.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a specific example of screen transition using icons according to a third embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the user cannot know from the screen 1402 who the calling party is.

In this embodiment, when the screen 1402 is switched to the screen 1403, and when the screen 1402 is switched to the screen 1405, the incoming call screen 1406 is displayed. A predetermined key in the key input device 1102 is used as a switch key for switching from the screen 1402 to the incoming call screen 1406 . Since the calling party's name is displayed in incoming call screen 1406, the user can decide to display screen 1403 either by pressing HANDS-FREE key 1105, or by pressing ANSWER key 1104 to display screen 1405 after the user has determined who the calling party is.

It should be noted that the incoming call screen 1406 may be displayed when switching from screen 1404 to screen 1402 and vice versa.

In addition, an incoming call screen 1406 may be displayed between the screen 1502 and one or more of the screens 1503, 1504, and 1505 in the example shown in FIG. 14 .

The second aspect of the invention is advantageous for the following reasons.

Incoming calls can be answered using the running application and the displayed application's screen. For example, an incoming call arrives when a user accesses the Internet and queries a web page that provides information the user needs. Using the application displayed on the screen, the user is able to answer the incoming call by pressing a key that has been designated as the key to answer the call. The user can use the connected Internet to talk on the mobile phone terminal while continuing to check web pages without suspending the Internet connection. Or when the user utilizes the mobile phone terminal on which the video camera is installed to take pictures, the user can answer incoming calls and talk on the mobile phone terminal without missing the best time to take pictures. While running applications such as e-mail programs, games, and web browsers, users can answer or place calls and operate the applications.

In addition, the mobile phone terminal can be set to a hands-free mode while the application is being displayed, and the application is still displayed during the hands-free mode. Therefore, the user can make a call while operating the application.

Furthermore, while the application is running, the user can switch between the application screen and the call screen while conducting a call on the mobile phone terminal. When the display changes from the application screen to the call screen, the mobile phone terminal automatically switches from the hands-free mode to the handheld mode. In addition, the mobile phone terminal automatically switches from the handheld mode to the hands-free mode when the display changes from the call screen to the application screen. Thereby, an appropriate call mode can be automatically selected without user intervention, and usability of the mobile phone terminal is increased.

In addition, for example, when the user cannot hear the caller's voice from the loudspeaker of the mobile terminal or does not want people around the user to hear the caller's speech while the application screen is displayed, the user can easily Switch from hands-free mode to handheld mode. Or the user may wish to send a file stored in the mobile terminal when the call screen is displayed, or to tell someone over the phone about information obtained through an application running on the mobile terminal. In this case, by setting the mobile phone terminal in hands-free mode with simple key operations, communication of information from the application is ensured. When the user answers the call while displaying the application screen display, since the mobile terminal automatically switches to the hands-free mode, the user does not need to wear a headset to talk to the caller while browsing the application screen.

In addition, since the icon representing the call state is displayed in the PICT area, only a small area is required to display the communication state, and applications can be displayed in a relatively large area of the screen. Also, the user can check the status of the mobile phone while browsing the application screens.

In addition, since the application screen is resized while the application is being executed, and the displayed call screen and the resized application screen are displayed on the same screen, the user can check the status of the call while operating the application, for example, The duration of the call. Applications can be displayed and operated while retaining the advantages of a conventional call screen.

When an application is executed while the incoming call screen 1402 is being displayed, the user can switch to the incoming call screen 1406 by pressing a toggle key. Therefore, after determining who the calling party is in the incoming call screen 1406, the user can decide to set the mobile terminal to a hands-free mode, a talking mode, or a hold mode while browsing the application.

In the above-described embodiments, the present invention has been described using the processing of calls. The present invention can be used to process email while executing one or more applications.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, it is to be understood that these are exemplary and not limiting of the invention. Additions, omissions, deletions, and other modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (4)

1. method that is used to control mobile telephone terminal comprises step:

When the screen of display application, utilize the screen of the application program that is showing to notify the arrival of incoming call; And

If the user has selected to reply incoming call in call-in reporting, then allow to utilize the screen of the application program that is showing to reply incoming call.

2. mobile telephone terminal comprises:

Display unit when being used for the screen when display application, uses the screen of the application program that is showing to notify the arrival of incoming call;

Operating unit, the display unit that is used to utilize the notice incoming call to arrive is replied incoming call; And

Control unit, if be used for replying incoming call by operating unit, the screen that then can utilize the application program that is showing is in the enterprising words that work of mobile telephone terminal.

3. mobile telephone terminal according to claim 2 is characterized in that, if reply incoming call by operating unit, then the control unit mobile telephone terminal is set to hands-free mode.

4. mobile telephone terminal according to claim 2 is characterized in that, the screen of the application program that the display unit utilization is showing shows the details about the calling party of incoming call.

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