IP Library Granted Patent US 8,694,028
Granted Patent B2
US 8,694,028 · App. 13/118,796 · Granted Apr 8, 2014

Communication terminal apparatus and computer program

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,694,028
App. No.
13/118,796
Granted
Apr 8, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

A communication terminal apparatus includes: a communication unit performing communication; a storage unit collecting and storing history information on communication; a registration unit registering at least communication address information on communicating parties and image information that represents the communicating parties; a display unit displaying images, which represent the registered communicating parties, on a display screen; and an arrangement position determining unit determining arrangement positions of the images, which represent the communicating parties, based on the history information on communication with the communicating parties.

Claims (49)

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to register information on communicating parties;

a memory configured to store communication history information, which includes a number of communication times with each of the communicating parties; and

a display configured to display images that represent each of the registered communicating parties, wherein

the processor is configured to control an arrangement position of the displayed images based on the number of communication times with each of the communicating parties included in the communication history information.

2. The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the processor is configured to control a distance between a position where an image representing a communicating party is displayed and a base position on the display based on a number of communication times with the communicating party.

3. The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the processor is configured to determine a rank for a communicating party based on the communication history information.

4. The communication apparatus of claim 3 , wherein

the processor is configured to control a distance between a position where an image representing the communicating party is displayed and a base position on the display based the determined rank of the communicating party.

5. The communication apparatus of claim 2 , wherein

the processor is configured to control a position on one of concentric circles where an image representing the communication party is displayed, the concentric circles corresponding to a plurality of ranks, one for each circle, with the base position in a center, the concentric circles having different distances from the base position.

6. The communication apparatus of claim 2 , wherein

the processor is configured to register an image representing a user of the communication apparatus, and control the display to arrange the image representing the user in the base position.

7. The communication apparatus of claim 3 , wherein

the processor is configured to register a specific rank as a threshold of accepting or rejecting communications received from the communicating parties.

8. The communication apparatus of claim 7 , wherein

the processor is configured to perform control such that communications received from communicating parties having a rank higher than the specific rank are accepted, and communications received from communicating parties having a rank lower than the specific rank are rejected.

9. The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the processor is configured to classify statistical information on a communicating party into a plurality of categories based on the communication history information.

10. The communication apparatus of claim 9 , wherein

the processor is configured to assign a nickname for the communicating party, the nickname being prepared in advance for each category.

11. The communication apparatus of claim 10 , wherein

the processor is configured to control the display to display the nickname.

12. The communication apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein the processor is configured to calculate a level of familiarity between a communicating party and a user based on the communication history information.

13. The communication apparatus of claim 12 ,

wherein the level of familiarity is compared to a predetermined threshold to determine a rank to which the communicating party belongs.

14. The communication apparatus of claim 13 , wherein

the processor is configured to update the level of familiarity for a communicating party based on new communication history information using a calculation expression that makes it easy for the level of familiarity to increase but difficult to decrease if the rank is low, and that makes it difficult for the level of familiarity to increase but easy to decrease if the rank is high.

15. The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the processor is configured to control the display to switch between a screen on which communicating parties are represented by images and a screen on which communicating parties are represented in a list format in response to an instruction from a user.

16. The communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the processor is configured to control the display to display the registered information on a communicating party in response to an instruction from a user corresponding to the image of the communicating party.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a computer program, which when executed by a communication apparatus, causes the communication apparatus to perform a method comprising:

registering information on communicating parties;

storing communication history information, which includes a number of communication times with each of the communicating parties;

displaying images that represent each of the registered communicating parties; and

controlling an arrangement position of the displayed images based on the number of communication times with each of the communicating parties included in the communication history information.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein

the controlling further comprises controlling a distance between a position where an image representing a communicating party is displayed and a base position based on a number of communication times with the communicating party.

19. A communication apparatus comprising:

means for registering information on communicating parties;

means for storing communication history information, which includes a number of communication times with each of the communicating parties;

means for displaying images that represent each of the registered communicating parties; and

means for controlling an arrangement position of the displayed images based on the number of communication times with each of the communicating parties included in the communication history information.

20. The communication apparatus of claim 19 , wherein

the means for controlling controls a distance between a position where an image representing a communicating party is displayed and a base position on the display based on a number of communication times with the communicating party.

Assignments (7)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 25, 2019
From: SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 048691/0134 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 21, 2017
From: SONY CORPORATION
To: SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
Reel/Frame 043943/0631 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 3, 2014
From: SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS JAPAN, INC.
To: SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
Reel/Frame 032151/0223 →
ASSIGNMENT OF PARTIAL RIGHTS Recorded Feb 3, 2014
From: SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 032151/0180 →
ASSIGNMENT OF PARTIAL RIGHTS Recorded Jan 7, 2014
From: SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 031925/0336 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 7, 2014
From: SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS JAPAN, INC.
To: SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
Reel/Frame 031934/0068 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 20, 2012
From: SONY ERICSSON MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS JAPAN, INC.
To: SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS JAPAN, INC.
Reel/Frame 028078/0247 →