US007225409Bl
`
`(12) Ulllted States Patent
`Schnarel et al.
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 7,225,409 B1
`May 29, 2007
`
`(54) GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE FOR A
`SCREEN TELEPHONE
`
`5,533,110 A
`5,619,684 A *
`
`7/1996 Pinard et al.
`4/1997 Goodwin et al.
`
`........... .. 710/62
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Charles P. Schnarel, Woodinville, WA
`(Ug); Mauricio Lomelina Redmond,
`WA (US); Peter G. Chin, Seattle, WA
`(US); Derek S. Graham, Seattle, WA
`(US); Kate Welker, San Francisco, CA
`(US); Robert C. Murdock, Oakland,
`CA (US); Suzanne Walsh, San
`Francisco,
`Justin COOPEI‘,
`Oakland, CA (US); Laurence Golding,
`Fremont, CA (US)
`(73) Assignee: Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA
`(US)
`
`( * ) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U-S-C- 15403) by 0 day5~
`(21) App]. No‘; 09/383,038
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`Aug_ 25, 1999
`
`(51)
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`(60) Provisional application No. 60/098,187, filed on Aug.
`26, 1998, provisional application No. 60/122,975,
`filed on Mar. 3, 1999.
`Int. Cl.
`H04M 1/56
`(2006.01)
`(52) U.S. Cl.
`....................................... 715/747, 715/751
`(58) Field of Classification Search ................ 345/752,
`345/755, 753, 754, 756, 757, 758, 759, 715,
`345/808i809, 719i720, 734i736, 771i773,
`345/778, 779—780, 786—787, 744—747, 173—176,
`379/142.01, 142.15, 142.17, 201.03; 710/302—304;
`709/328’ 331’ 217’ 202’ 203’ 227’ 218; 715/7447747’
`715/771i773’ 748i749, 802, 804, 805
`.
`.
`.
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
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`,
`.
`
`(Continued)
`
`.
`.
`Pnmary Exammer‘SteVen P Sax
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`
`.
`.
`A1gr:Ph1°*(‘11 “Fer Interface for ?‘ Web ‘e§Ph9ne aiffotlller
`E:eiflefigythzjlgfigfijlinizfnilgggflegfeggiaffh: H‘;/1:
`.
`.
`.
`.
`accless 11JnCtI1OI1al1]1f)}1/ of the device. Eh; display elemlents
`31° “ 3 “us Omllzat. 3' Wee“ aifaslfati Panes’ 3:11‘. aplp 1.°a'
`211::
`.
`.
`'
`.
`useir interface provides etlset ofdefault userintteriface fgatitires
`an exposes an app ica ion programmingin er ace. ys em
`implementers may customize the default display elements or
`.
`.
`.
`.
`create entirely new custom panes that fit within a uniform
`user interface framework using the application program-
`ming interface.
`
`41 Claims, 7 Drawing Sheets
`
`Wednesday 12/31/98
`12:00 PM
`
`Speed dial
`
`@
`
`IMPLEMENTER, INC.
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`102»?
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`Check the line!
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`Apple Exhibit 1004 Page 00001
`
`
`Apple Exhibit 1004 Page 00001
`
`

`
`US 7,225,409 B1
`Page 2
`
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`. 379/201.01
`.........
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`
`
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`
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`
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`intro2.html printed from the Internet Feb. 10, 1999.
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`printed from the Internet Feb. 16, 1999.
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`com/telecom/mbd/products/products/detailed/term/tech.htm,
`printed from the Internet Feb. 16, 1999.
`Alcatel’s Internet Screenphone Based on Sun ’s PersonalJava TM
`and JavaOSfor Consumers TM Wins CeBIT Oscar Best Communi-
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`
`
`Page 00002
`
`

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`U.S. Patent
`
`May 29, 2007
`
`Sheet 1 of 7
`
`US 7,225,409 B1
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`U.S. Patent
`
`May 29, 2007
`
`Sheet 2 of 7
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`US 7,225,409 B1
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`U.S. Patent
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`May 29, 2007
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`U.S. Patent
`
`May 29, 2007
`
`Sheet 4 of 7
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`US 7,225,409 B1
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`F HG. 5
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`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 29, 2007
`
`Sheet 5 of 7
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`US 7,225,409 B1
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`Page 00007
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`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 29, 2007
`
`Sheet 6 of 7
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`US 7,225,409 B1
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`

`
`US 7,225,409 B1
`
`1
`GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE FOR A
`SCREEN TELEPHONE
`
`RELATED APPLICATION DATA
`
`This patent application claims priority to U.S. provisional
`patent application No. 60/098,187, filed Aug. 26, 1998, and
`U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/122,975, filed
`Mar. 3, 1999, which are hereby incorporated by reference.
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`The invention relates to telephony systems, and more
`particularly, relates to graphical user interfaces and software
`architectures for telephony devices.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`Today’s telephony devices are becoming increasingly
`more sophisticated. A driving force of this trend is the
`convergence of functionality typically found in computers
`with functionality found in conventional telephones. One
`significant example of the convergence of phones and com-
`puters is a class of devices called smart screen phones.
`Though the specific hardware configuration of these devices
`varies widely, they typically share common elements such as
`a screen display, hardware buttons, telephone line interface
`hardware and a processor. Despite the advanced features that
`many of these devices provide,
`there is still need for
`improvement in many areas.
`First, some screen phones available today have a small
`text-based display, typically arranged in a matrix of charac-
`ters, and hardware buttons around the screen that are asso-
`ciated with specific screen areas to create virtual or soft
`buttons. This allows new functions to be programmed into
`the buttons over time, or as a result of navigating through
`menu choices with the buttons. Usability testing and
`research have shown that the mapping of a physical button
`and the on-screen text is often confusing and hard to follow.
`Another problem is that traditional enhanced telephony
`services are diflicult to use (such as call forwarding) because
`they require the user to remember arbitrary sequences of
`key-presses, and remember sequences of operations without
`explicit feedback (feedback tones or clicks).
`An additional problem with the screen phone industry is
`the lack of an extendable, flexible software architecture that
`allows others to build a rich array of functions and appli-
`cation programs. Screen phones tend to be highly special-
`ized devices constructed with special hardware and software
`to support a set of features. As such, they are diflicult to
`customize or extend to support new features.
`This lack of flexibility is particularly problematic in view
`of the lack of uniformity in the telephone network—where
`infrastructure components vary from region to region, coun-
`try to country, and service provider to service provider. Each
`area may provide Caller ID, but supply it using different
`technologies, or supply Call Forwarding, but use different
`access codes.
`
`flexibility
`The problems associated with architectural
`extend beyond the challenges raised by differences in the
`central oflice switching, hardware, and configuration. The
`underlying telecommunication network infrastructure is
`changing as well, and telephony devices must be adaptable
`to these infrastructures. For example, the telephone archi-
`tecture should support choices between conventional infra-
`structures such as PSTN and ISDN. Looking to the future,
`the use of the Internet Protocol may become more common-
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`2
`
`place as a telephone network infrastructure, and thus, there
`is a need to make telephony architectures readily adaptable
`to a variety of network infrastructures.
`
`SUMMARY
`
`The invention provides a user interface and related tele-
`phony program architecture for telephony devices. While
`aspects of the invention are particularly well suited for
`telephones with screen displays (e.g., screen phones), they
`apply to other telephony devices as well such as modems,
`answering machines and personal digital assistants.
`One aspect of the invention is a visual user interface for
`a telephony device. The visual user interface includes a
`display screen with a variety of display elements for dis-
`playing information, receiving user input, or both. The
`visual interface may include various combinations of the
`following display elements: an application program selec-
`tion area, a call slip area, a branding pane, a date/time pane
`for displaying date or time, a message pane, and a task pane
`for enabling the user to initiate a task in the telephony
`device.
`
`The application program selection area provides a display
`of user interface controls that enable a user to select an
`
`application program, such as a web browser, address book,
`or answering machine/e-mail message retrieval application.
`In one implementation, the selection area is a button bar with
`control buttons that the user may select to initiate application
`programs or device features visually identified by the but-
`tons.
`
`The call slip area provides a call slip user interface for
`displaying telephone line state information. Call
`slips
`present a user interface for telephony applications. They
`have display elements that respond to changes in the phone
`line state by displaying user interface controls and informa-
`tion dependent on that state.
`The branding pane displays a brand graphic. This feature
`allows an implementer of the telephony device to customize
`the interface for its product by displaying a brand bitmap, for
`example.
`The message pane displays answering machine, e-mail or
`fax messages for one or more users. The message pane, in
`one implementation, is the visual representation of an appli-
`cation program for managing user messages created or
`received in the telephony device.
`The task pane enables a user to initiate tasks executed in
`the telephony device directly by actuating a user interface
`control within the pane. These tasks may include, for
`example, a speed dial service, a service for composing an
`e-mail, a service for recording a note, or an on-line directory
`service.
`
`Another aspect of the invention relates to the program-
`ming modules that control the display of the user interface
`for a screen phone. These modules include a shell program
`that controls the display of a user interface on a display
`screen of the phone, and pane programs that each control the
`display of a display element called a “pane” in the user
`interface. Default pane programs control
`the display of
`information and/or user interface controls in their respective
`panes. One or more of these panes may be associated with
`a parent application program that communicates
`state
`changes to a pane program, which in turn, updates the
`display to reflect these state changes.
`One example of a default pane program is a message pane
`program that displays an indicator of user messages received
`in the phone. A parent application program notifies the
`message pane program when state changes occur, such as the
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`3
`arrival of a fax, e-mail or answering machine message. The
`message pane displays an indicator of the type of message
`that has arrived in the pane. For example, in one implemen-
`tation, it displays a graphical icon representing fax, e-mail or
`answering machine message. The user can select the icon to
`access a viewer program for displaying and accessing the
`message.
`Another aspect of the invention is a method for develop-
`ing a user interface for a screen phone. The software
`platform for the user interface of the screen phone is
`distributed to implementers of the screen phone, e.g., equip-
`ment manufactures, telephone companies, etc. This platform
`includes program modules that provide some default user
`interface elements and programming interfaces. The imple-
`menter may customize the user interface by modifying a
`default user interface element or by creating custom pro-
`gram modules. The custom program modules may imple-
`ment programming interfaces defined in the software plat-
`form, and may interact with default program modules
`through their programming interfaces.
`In one implementation, an implementer receives a soft-
`ware platform, including a shell program and default pane
`programs. The shell program is responsible for displaying
`the user interface on the display screen of the phone. Each
`of the default pane programs display default panes in the
`user interface. The user may customize the user interface by
`selecting the default panes and creating custom panes.
`Further features of the invention will become apparent
`with reference to the following detailed description and
`accompanying drawings.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a graphical user interface
`for a screen phone.
`FIG. 2 shows the default panes in the user interface of
`FIG. 1 enclosed in dashed lines.
`
`FIG. 3 illustrates a default pane in the user interface of
`FIG. 1 called the “messages pane.”
`FIG. 4 illustrates an example of two user interface control
`states that depict the presence or absence of messages of a
`particular type.
`FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a user interface display
`element called a “call slip.”
`FIG. 6 illustrates a call slip display element in more detail.
`FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the application level
`software architecture in a software platform that implements
`the invention.
`
`FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the application level
`telephony components in the software platform of FIG. 7.
`FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a screen phone that may
`utilize the graphical user interface of FIG. 1.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`1 .0 Introduction
`
`The invention is implemented in a software platform for
`a category of products referred to as “Web Telephones.” A
`Web Telephone integrates voice telephony, Internet access
`including e-mail and Web browsing, an answering machine,
`and possibly other communications media such as fax and
`voice mail,
`into a single device. While this platform is
`designed for web telephones it also applies to a variety of
`telephony devices, including virtually any device that has
`access to a telephone network line (cable modem, ISDN,
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`DSL, wireless, plain old telephone line, packet switched
`networks or Wide Area Networks that support telephone
`calls such as the Internet).
`The software platform provides a fully functional user
`interface, and application programs, and also exposes pro-
`gramming interfaces and customizable features that allow
`others to modify its software components and user interface
`as well as add new software applications. The current
`implementation of the software platform interfaces with the
`Windows® CE Operating System, a subset of the Telephony
`Application Programming Interface (TAPI) and device driv-
`ers. Building on these components,
`it further provides a
`shell, application-level
`telephony applications,
`integrated
`application programs such as e-mail, address book, web
`browser, and a message center.
`
`2.0 Home Page Graphical User Interface
`The invention is implemented as a “start” or “home”
`screen of a telephony device. The terms “start” or “home”
`refer to a graphical user interface displayed on the device’s
`display screen that provides a starting point for accessing
`features of the telephony device. This user interface also
`provides a place that the user returns to after finishing some
`task. For example, the user may access a feature of the
`device such as composing an e-mail, reviewing a message
`(e.g., answering machine, fax or e-mail message), browsing
`the Internet, or making a telephone call. The user initiates
`these tasks from the start screen, and these tasks display their
`own screens that partially or fully occlude the start screen.
`When the user completes a task, the display returns to the
`start screen. To be consistent throughout the remainder of
`the description, we refer to this user interface as the “start”
`screen.
`
`FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the start screen (100). The
`start screen is composed of the following display elements:
`1) a pane(s) area (102); 2) an application selection area (104)
`called the application button bar; and a call slip area (106).
`The panes area (102) is a portion of the display screen that
`may be divided into multiple display elements called panes.
`The software architecture defines programming interfaces
`that allow the system implementer to provide custom panes
`that can be incorporated into the software platform of the
`telephony device. These programming interfaces allow the
`implementer to supply a custom pane that displays itself
`within the start screen and that interacts with other software
`
`components in the platform. The current implementation
`includes a default set of panes. These default panes may be
`modified or replaced with custom panes.
`The application selection area (104) displays user inter-
`face controls that enable the user to launch an application
`program via an input device such as a touch screen or other
`cursor control device such as a mouse, trackball, joystick,
`etc. The implementation shown in FIG. 1 has a scrolling
`application button bar located beneath the panes area. The
`user interface controls are selectable buttons.
`
`The call slip area (106) displays user interface elements
`called call slips (e.g., display elements (108, 110)). In the
`current implementation, the user interface displays a call slip
`for each telephone line in the device. It displays call state
`information associated with the telephone line. For more
`information about the call slip interface, see co-pending
`patent application Ser. No. 09/383,039 entitled “A COM-
`MON VISUAL AND FUNCTIONAL ARCHITECTURE
`FOR PRESENTING AND CONTROLLING ARBITRARY
`
`TELEPHONE LINE FEATURES” filed concurrently here-
`with by Charles P. Schnarel, Maurcio Lomelin, Peter G.
`Chin, Derek S. Graham, Kate Welker, Robert C. Murdock,
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`US 7,225,409 B1
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`5
`Justin C. Cooper, Laurence Golding, and Suzanne Walsh,
`which is hereby incorporated by reference.
`Having provided an overview of the start screen, we now
`provide additional information about each of the display
`elements in the current implementation.
`2.1 Panes Area
`
`Apane is a display element of an application program on
`the start screen (100). A pane displays itself as a child
`window of the start screen. Each pane appears as a rectilin-
`ear portion of the pane area on the start screen. However, the
`shape, number and size of the panes may vary.
`The pane area is designed to allow customization of the
`start screen. A system implementer can create one or more
`custom panes and place these panes in the pane area. In
`addition,
`the implementer may use one or more default
`panes in combination with its custom panes.
`2.1.1 Default Panes
`
`FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the default panes in the
`current
`implementation. These include a branding pane
`(202), a date and time pane (204), a message pane (206), and
`a task pane (208). While the system implementer may use
`these default panes without modification, they also allow
`some level of customization. In particular, the implementer
`may reposition the panes within the pane area, and may
`resize and localize each default pane.
`2.1.2 The Branding Pane
`The branding pane (202) allows the implementer to
`supply a graphic, which the start screen displays in a
`designated portion of the display. For example, an imple-
`menter may want to establish brand identity by displaying a
`graphic of its brand name, logo or trademark. The graphic
`may be provided in the form of a bitmap. The branding pane
`acts as a URL hyperlink to allow the user to access the
`implementer’ s webpage. When the user presses the branding
`pane, it displays a text message, such as “Would you like to
`connect to the Internet to learn more about this product?”
`This text message is displayed along with yes/no/cancel
`buttons. If the user selects “yes”, the pane launches the
`browser and establishes a modem connection with the
`
`Internet Service Provider, whose telephone number is stored
`in the device’s memory.
`2.1.3 The Date and Time Pane
`
`The data and time fields display the data and time,
`respectively. These fields initiate pre-programmed actions
`when the user selects them. In particular, the fields launch a
`settings application program that prompts the user to edit the
`date and time in response to user selection of the data and
`time fields.
`2.1.4 The Task Area
`
`The task area is a portion of the display that enables the
`user to access features of the device quickly. The task pane
`(208) shown in FIG. 2 illustrates default buttons that launch
`the following program tasks in response to user selection: 1)
`speed dialing, 2) writing an e-mail, 3) taking a note, and 4)
`using an on-line directory service. When the user selects one
`of these buttons, the software platform launches the task
`associated with the button.
`
`The system implementer may customize the task pane by
`removing one or more default buttons;
`adding a custom task button that can launch an application
`and pass a command line to perform a specific function
`within a particular application;
`organize the buttons in any order; or
`localize any of the default buttons.
`The default buttons provide examples of the type of
`functionality that may be implemented in the task pane.
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`When the user selects the speed dial button, it opens another
`screen representing the user interface of the speed dial
`feature. This screen enables the user to instruct the device to
`
`dial a party’s phone number by selecting the name of that
`party on the screen.
`The write e-mail button enables the user to access a user
`
`interface screen for composing an e-mail. The behavior of
`the write-e-mail button depends on whether an Internet
`e-mail account
`is already established. If an account
`is
`established, the e-mail button procedure launches a task for
`composing an e-mail message, which in turn displays a user
`interface for composing the message. If not,
`the button
`procedure invokes a task and its associated user interface for
`setting up an e-mail account. In cases where the device
`currently has two or more accounts, the button procedure
`prompts the user to enter his/her name to identify the
`appropriate account to be used.
`When the user selects the Take a note button, its procedure
`launches an application for composing a note, which in turn,
`displays in interface for composing the note.
`When the user selects the Use On-line Directory button,
`its button procedure launches a web browser application
`program, which displays its user interface and proceeds to
`establish an Internet connection and download a Directory
`web page using a URL associated with the button.
`
`2.2 Messages Pane
`The messages pane is a portion of the start screen dedi-
`cated to displaying the names of the user accounts estab-
`lished in the device, as well as the presence of user-specific
`messages (such as answering machine messages and e-mail
`messages) and general-user messages (such as faxes, caller
`logs, and voice mail messages.) Users can quickly discover
`whether or not they have new messages and quickly access
`these new messages.
`As shown in FIG. 3, the messages pane is broken into
`three main areas:
`
`Messages graphic area (302)—A graphic identifying the
`messages pane.
`User-specific messages display area (304)—allows each
`user to see if they have any new messages and to access
`messages.
`General-user messages display area (306)—allows each
`user to see if there are any new non-user-specific
`messages on the device.
`2.2.1 Messages Graphic Area
`The messages graphic area (302) displays a graphic
`identifying the messages pane. In the current implementa-
`tion, it is removed if there are more than 5 user accounts that
`are displayed in the User-specific messages display area
`(304).
`2.2.2 The User Specific Messages Area
`The User-specific messages display area (304) displays
`the name of each user, informs each user of the presence of
`new user-specific messages, and allows the user to quickly
`access their messages. It
`includes the following display
`elements:
`
`User-specific messages button (308);
`User account name (310);
`New messages icon list (312); and
`Implementer-defined ‘filler’ Bitmap.
`When the user selects the User-specific messages button
`(308), the button’s procedure launches a message viewer
`application. If the user has activated a security feature, then
`the password screen opens first, prompting the user to enter
`a password. If the user enters the correct password or does
`not have security activated,
`then the button procedure
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`US 7,225,409 B1
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`7
`launches a message viewer application. The particular mes-
`sage viewer that is chosen depends upon the type of new
`messages available. The following order of precedence
`applies for selection of message viewer type:
`1. If there are new personal notes, then launch the notepad
`message viewer;
`2. If there are new answering machine messages, then
`launch the answering machine message viewer;
`3. If there are new e-mail messages;
`then launch the
`e-mail message viewer
`then the default
`4. If the user has no new messages,
`message