(12) United States Patent
`Wagner et al.
`
`(10) Patent N0.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`Jul. 3, 2001
`
`US006256516B1
`
`(54) WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE
`WITH AUTOMATIC DESTINATION
`TELEPHONE NUMBER VALIDITY
`CHECKING
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`641137
`
`3/1995 ‘E19’
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`(75)
`
`lllvelllolsi Annette Wagner’ Los Altos; ‘Iellley
`Hermana Palo Alto; Herbert Jelllneka
`Aptos; Susan Booker, San Carlos, all
`of CA (US)
`(73) Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc., Palo Alto, CA
`(US)
`
`( * ) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U-S-C 154(1)) by 0 daY5~
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/405,818
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`Sep. 24, 1999
`
`Re]ated U_s_ Application Data
`
`(62) Division of application No. 08/938,378, filed on Sep. 26,
`1997-
`(51)
`Int. Cl.7 ....................................................... H04B 1/38
`(52)
`N 455/565; 455/566
`
`,
`(58) Field of Search ..................................... 455/564, 565,
`455/566, 550, 419, 462; 379/354, 355
`
`(56)
`
`.
`References Clted
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`3/1990 Hanawa ................................. 379/63
`4,908,848
`§:%2‘3:§%§ as 31333 Sifiiiffleifil.‘ 1...................... 379/67
`5,487,108
`1/1996 Atkins er a1.
`.
`.
`5,563,540
`10/1996 Greee et a1.
`.................... .. 455/575
`5,579,489
`11/1996 Dornier et al.
`...................... .. 455/89
`5,584,054
`12/1996 Tyneski et al.
`5,590,178
`12/1996 Mllfakami 61 a1-
`-
`5,603,090
`2/1997 Nguyen et al.
`................... .. 455/54.1
`5,615,248
`3/1997 Norimatsu ............................ .. 379/58
`
`Glenn Krasner, “The Smalltalk—80 Virtual Machine”, Learn-
`ing Research Group, Byte Publication Inc., Aug. 1981, pp
`300_320.
`Product Brochure, Nokia Connecting People, “The Mobile
`Oflleee’ Sep' l99e> 8 pages‘
`Product Photos, Nokia, “Nokia 9000”, date unknown, 10
`pages.
`
`primary Examr-ner_EdWard 1:. Urban
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Blakely, Sokoloff, Taylor &
`Zafman LLP
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A portable telephone provides a graphical user interface
`(GUI) using a high-resolution display. The GUI provides a
`Universal Mailbox for storing both electronic mail and
`voicemail messages, either of which can be accessed by a
`user from the same display screen. An automatic reply
`feature allows a user to llllllale all oulgolllg reply to a
`ae::,:ii::(I:lnaIhes:1:g:aWith the touch of a button. For a. reply to
`ge, the GUI accesses Caller ID informa
`tion to automatically identify and dial out to the phone
`.
`.
`number of the sender of the original message. For an
`electronic mail reply, the GUI automatically displays a reply
`form addressed to the source address. Reply forms may be
`generic, custom designed for a specific source address, or
`provided by the sender. An advanced call control feature
`automatically Checks a destination telephone number against
`a database to daaarmiaa whether the phone
`is
`currently appropriate ftc1)r the parttay to be caalled .Alteranative
`or more-appropriate p one num ers may e retrieve
`rom
`the database and suggested to the user. An animated call
`duration indicator indicates the length of telephone calls. A
`ticker-tape display automatically displays scrolled text mes-
`Sages according to the Context of What the user is doing.
`
`(List continued on next page.)
`
`13 Claims, 11 Drawing Sheets
`
`Apple Exhibit 1010 Page 00001
`
`A1
`
`VIAIN MENJ
`
`to
`
`\/DICE AND
`EMAIL
`MESSAGES
`
`MESSAGES #42
`r\.M
`
`NEWS E
`INFD
`
`as
`
`J45
`nwnc
`
`?UUTES,Mig:DmCNS,
`
`fan
`“mom
`
`47
`STOCKS
`mamas, PERSONAL
`STOCK new
`Wrmuc W0‘
`
`
`
`Ira
`wemazw
`CITIES, commons
`DHUTCS, mm:
`VIEWS
`
`raw
`ems
`
`SPEED um
`
`I43
`
`REDIAL
`
`PHONE
`NUMBERS nu
`
`145
`
`[52
`
`rs}
`smwcs
`
`
`Apple Exhibit 1010 Page 00001
`
`

`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`Page 2
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`5,657,049
`5,722,088 *
`5,758,295
`5,797,089
`5,797,098
`5,852,783
`5,857,157
`
`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ 345/145
`
`. 455/565
`.................... .. 455/566
`
`8/1997 Ludolph et al.
`2/1998 Storm et al.
`5/1998 Ahlberg et al.
`8/1998 Nguyen
`.
`8/1998 Schroeder et al.
`12/1998 Tabe etal.
`......................... .. 455/550
`1/1999 Shindo .
`
`455/566
`.
`2/1999 Christal
`5,875,403
`455/565
`3/1999 Kaplan ..
`5,884,193 *
`
`5,963,875 * 10/1999 Go ...................................... .. 455/565
`5,966,652
`10/1999 Coad et a1.
`.
`5995592
`11/1999 shirai et a1.
`6,029,072
`2/2000 Barber.
`6,047,196
`4/2000 Makela et a1.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`Page 00002
`
`
`Page 00002
`
`

`
`
`
`U.S. PatentU.S. Patent
`
`
`
`Jul. 3, 2001Jul. 3, 2001
`
`
`
`Sheet 1 of 11Sheet 1 of 11
`
`
`
`US 6,256,516 B1US 6,256,516 B1
`
`
`
`Page 00003Page 00003
`
`
`Page 00003
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 3, 2001
`
`Sheet 2 of 11
`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`
`\\17
`
`I_ — — — _ — _ ‘ _ — _ _ — ” — — _ _ _ — - “:7
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`
`MEMORY
`
`21
`
`PROCESSING
`CONTROL
`
` E
`
`ac
`
`TRANSCEIVER
`
`2
`
`DISPU-\Y
`
`4
`
`15
`
`I
`I
`
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`
`I
`
`I
`I
`
`I
`
`I
`
`I
`
`INPUTS
`
`Q
`
`I
`I
`
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`
`I
`
`I
`I
`
`I
`
`I
`
`I
`
`Page 00004
`
`
`Page 00004
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 3, 2001
`
`Sheet 3 of 11
`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`
`Address Book
`
`34
`
`News and Info
`
`Page 00005
`
`
`Page 00005
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 3, 2001
`
`Sheet 4 of 11
`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`
`41
`
`MAIN MENU
`
`40
`
`SPEED DIAL
`
`MESSAGES
`
`42
`
`43
`
`REDIAL
`
`PHONE
`NUMBERS 1—N
`
`
`
`45
`
`5
`
`2
`
`‘“f3”0ROEK55
`
`53
`
`
`
`VOICE AND
`EMAIL
`MESSAGES
`
`44
`
`47
`
`NEWS &
`INFO
`
`46
`
`43
`
`srocxs
`
`TRAFFIC
`
`
`
`P§é%§bL’:gR§S;‘§L
`STOCK TICKER
`
`ROUTES, CONDITIONS,
`MAP5
`
`49
`
`so
`
`WEATHER
`CITIES CONDITIONS
`PHOTOS. SATELITE
`VIEWS
`
`
`
`HEADLINES
`
`SETFINGS
`
`GAMES
`
`FIG. 3B
`
`Page 00006
`
`
`Page 00006
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 3, 2001
`
`Sheet 5 of 11
`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`
`8 Sue Smith
`
`Indigo Arts stock
`Re:
`1:30pm today
`
`Mark Nessler
`
`3:05pm today
`
`f’: Carol Bailey
`
`Page 00007
`
`
`Page 00007
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 3, 2001
`
`Sheet 6 of 11
`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`
`Sot.,Se 20
`
`Sue@schwob.com
`
`":
`
`_'
`
`Email
`
`5 8
`
`From: Sue Smith
`
`Re:
`
`Indigo Arts stock
`
`Helen,
`
`this stock keeps
`
`going up ! Do you want
`
`to buy 500 more shares’?
`
`Page 00008
`
`
`Page 00008
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 3, 2001
`
`Sheet 7 of 11
`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`
`Sue@schwc1b.com
`
`‘: <2‘
`
`Email
`
`5 Q
`
`From: Sue Smith
`
`Re:
`
`Indigo Arts stock
`
`Reply "No"
`
`Reply "Call me"
`
`Type message
`
`Page 00009
`
`
`Page 00009
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 3, 2001
`
`Sheet 8 of 11
`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`
`“Pm:
`
`Sot..Se2O IIIO
`
`(650)253-0811
`
`-:
`
`:-
`
`After 6pm, Mark Nessler
`
`can usually be reached
`at 415-886-9731
`
`would you like to use
`this number instead?
`
`Page 00010
`
`
`Page 00010
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 3, 2001
`
`Sheet 9 of 11
`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`
`Traffic
`
`Weather
`
`Headlines
`
`Games
`
`Page 00011
`
`
`Page 00011
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 3, 2001
`
`Sheet 10 of 11
`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`
`Indio ’\rts
`
`Intel
`
`United Airlines
`
`Page 00012
`
`
`Page 00012
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 3, 2001
`
`Sheet 11 of 11
`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`
`‘Pull
`
`Sot.,Se 20 M0
`
`Indigo Arts
`
`32
`
`5 8
`
`current value
`
`7.. gain
`
`todays 45
`
`Page 00013
`
`
`Page 00013
`
`

`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`
`1
`WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE
`WITH AUTOMATIC DESTINATION
`TELEPHONE NUMBER VALIDITY
`CHECKING
`
`This a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
`08/938,378, filed on Sep. 26, 1997.
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention pertains to the field of portable
`communication devices. More particularly,
`the present
`invention relates to a user interface for a portable, hand-held
`telephone.
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`Cellular telephones are widely used and are becoming
`increasingly more commonplace in society. As the state of
`the art in cellular telephones advances,
`there is a trend
`toward incorporating more features and more advanced
`functions into the devices. Unfortunately, while incorporat-
`ing more functions into these devices can make them more
`versatile, it can also make them more difficult to use for
`many users due to the added complexity. Many users dislike
`learning to use electronic devices with many functions or do
`not have the time to do so. Accordingly, there is a need in the
`art for a portable cellular telephone which is capable of
`performing a wide variety of functions and which can be
`operated using an intuitive, easy-to-use user interface.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`invention is a portable
`One aspect of the present
`telephone, which includes a transceiver for transmitting and
`receiving data, a display device, and control circuitry
`coupled to the transceiver and the display device. The
`control circuitry is configured to enable the portable tele-
`phone to send and receive electronic mail messages and
`voice messages. The control circuitry is also configured to
`cause a graphical user interface to be displayed, which
`allows the user to access both stored electronic mail mes-
`
`sages and voice messages from the single display screen.
`Another aspect of the present invention is a method of
`allowing a user to reply to a stored message. A user input
`selecting the message is received. In response to the user
`input, an appropriate reply mode is automatically entered
`based on the source of the message.
`Another aspect of the present invention is a method of
`processing outgoing calls in a wireless handheld telephone
`communication device. User inputs specifying a destination
`telephone number are received for the purpose of initiating
`an outgoing call. In response to the user inputs, the desti-
`nation telephone number is automatically referenced against
`a database to determine whether the destination telephone
`number is currently appropriate.
`Another aspect of the present invention is a method of
`conveying current call information to a user in a portable
`telephone communication device. The communication
`device includes a display device. In accordance with the
`method, an animated indication of the duration of a tele-
`phone call is displayed on the display device.
`Another aspect of the present
`invention is a wireless
`portable telephone comprising control circuitry, a trans-
`ceiver coupled to the control circuitry for transmitting and
`receiving data over a wireless medium, and a display
`coupled to the control circuitry. The control circuitry is
`configured to automatically cause information to be scrolled
`across the display.
`
`10
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`2
`Another aspect of the present invention is a method, in a
`portable telephone, of allowing a user to transmit a message.
`In the method, previously requested data is received from a
`remote source. Information that is representative of the data
`is displayed on the display device. In response to a user input
`initiating a transmission mode, a form for a message to be
`transmitted is automatically selected based on the content of
`the displayed information at
`the time the user input
`is
`received.
`
`Another aspect of the present invention is a method of
`allowing a user to transmit a message in a portable telephone
`in which data is received from a remote source. The content
`
`of the data is monitored for a predetermined content and
`when the predetermined content
`is detected, a mode is
`automatically entered to allow the user to transmit a message
`from the telephone.
`Other features of the present invention will be apparent
`from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed
`description which follows.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 illustrates a portable telephone in accordance with
`the present invention.
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the internal components of
`the portable telephone of FIG. 1.
`FIG. 3A illustrates a main menu screen of the portable
`telephone of the present invention.
`FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating functional relationships
`between the various modes of the portable telephone.
`FIG. 4 illustrates a Universal Mailbox screen of the
`
`present invention.
`FIG. 5 illustrates a screen showing an electronic mail
`message.
`
`FIG. 6 illustrates a screen for selecting a reply to an
`electronic mail message in accordance with the present
`invention.
`
`FIG. 7 illustrates a screen displaying an advanced call
`control message.
`FIG. 8 illustrates a News & Info screen for accessing third
`party information.
`FIG. 9 illustrates a screen displaying third party informa-
`tion.
`
`FIG. 10 illustrates a screen displaying third party infor-
`mation in addition to locally stored information and ticker-
`tape information.
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`A portable telephone having an intuitive graphical user
`interface is described.
`In the following description,
`for
`purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set
`forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
`present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled
`in the art that the present invention may be practiced without
`these specific details. In other instances, well-known struc-
`tures and devices are shown in block diagram or other
`symbolic form in order to facilitate description of the present
`invention.
`
`Overview
`
`The present invention includes a portable telephone that
`provides an advanced yet easy-to-use graphical user inter-
`face (GUI) using a high-resolution display. FIG. 1 illustrates
`a portable, wireless telephone in accordance with the present
`invention. In one embodiment, the telephone 1 is a cellular
`
`Page 00014
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`
`Page 00014
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`

`
`US 6,256,516 B1
`
`3
`telephone, which may be conventional except as provided
`otherwise in this description. The telephone 1 includes an
`earpiece 2 for outputting sound, a mouthpiece 3 for inputting
`sound, and a high-resolution display 4. As will be described
`below, the display 4 is used to present the GUI to the user
`of the telephone 1, using which the user can control all
`significant functions of the telephone. In one embodiment,
`the display 4 is a bit-mapped, gray-scale screen having a
`resolution of approximately 160x240 pixels at approxi-
`mately 102 pixels per inch. The display 4 can be a liquid
`crystal display (LCD) or any other suitable type of display
`device. The phone 1 also includes a keypad 14, which
`includes standard alphanumeric keys, such as are found on
`many conventional telephones, and an extendible antenna 15
`for transmitting and receiving data over a wireless (e.g.,
`cellular) connection. The telephone 1 also includes various
`other controls, some of which are used with the features to
`be described below. In particular, the telephone 1 includes
`Select buttons 5 and 6, a Scroll Up button 7, a Scroll Down
`button 8, a Back button 9, a Messages button 10, a Send
`button 11, a Volume/Scroll Up/Down button 12, and an End
`button 13.
`
`FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the internal compo-
`nents of the present invention. Note that the diagram of FIG.
`2 is intended to be a conceptual diagram and does not
`necessarily reflect the exact physical construction and inter-
`connections of these components. As shown in FIG. 2, the
`telephone 1 includes processing and control circuitry 20,
`which controls the overall operation of the telephone.
`Coupled to the processing and control circuitry 20 are the
`display 4, memory 21, a transceiver 22, and inputs 23, a
`speaker 23, and a microphone 24. The speaker 23 is used to
`generate sound, which is output through the earpiece 2. The
`microphone 24 is used to receive sound through the mouth-
`piece 3. The transceiver 22, which is also coupled to the
`antenna 15, is used to transmit and receive (via antenna 15)
`data, including audio data and various other types of data
`(the nature of which will be described below). Note that in
`alternative embodiments, the transceiver 22 may be physi-
`cally embodied as a separate transmitter and receiver. Inputs
`23 represent buttons 5 through 14, in aggregate.
`The processing and control circuitry 20 may include one
`or more of devices such as general-purpose
`microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), applica-
`tion specific integrated circuits (ASICs), various types of
`signal conditioning circuitry,
`including analog-to-digital
`converters, digital-to-analog converters,
`input/output
`buffers, etc.
`The memory 21 may include one or more physical
`memory devices, which may include volatile storage
`devices, non-volatile storage devices, or both. For example,
`memory 21 may include both random access memory
`(RAM), read-only memory (ROM), various forms of pro-
`grammable and/or erasable ROM (e.g., PROM, EPOM,
`EEPROM, etc.), flash memory, or any combination of such
`devices.
`
`The present invention includes steps which, in various
`embodiments, may be carried out by elements of the pro-
`cessing and control circuitry 20 (e.g., a microprocessor or a
`DSP) executing sequences of instructions. The instructions
`may be stored in a memory, such as memory 21. Software
`instructions (or data) may be loaded into the portable
`telephone 1 from another device, such as a remote computer
`system, over
`the wireless connection.
`In various
`embodiments, downloaded software instructions may be
`directly supported by the telephone 1, in which case execu-
`tion of the instructions may be performed directly upon their
`
`10
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`4
`being received. In other cases, downloaded instructions may
`not be directly executable by the telephone 1. Under these
`circumstances, the instructions may be executed using an
`interpreter, which interprets the instructions, or by otherwise
`executing instructions which convert the received instruc-
`tions to instructions that can be directly executed.
`Certain embodiments of the present invention may be
`carried out by hard-wired circuitry, rather than by executing
`software, or by a combination of hard-wired circuitry with
`software. Hence,
`it will be recognized that
`the present
`invention is not
`limited to any specific combination of
`hardware circuitry and software, nor to any particular source
`for software instructions.
`
`is henceforth
`to facilitate description it
`Nonetheless,
`assumed that aspects of the present invention are generally
`carried out through the execution of software instructions in
`the telephone 1. It is envisioned that these instructions may
`be written in the Java” programming language (hereinafter
`“Java”) and, more specifically,
`in the Personal) JavaTM
`subset of Java (hereinafter “Personal Java”), both developed
`by Sun Microsystems,
`Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif. Note,
`however, that other languages may be substituted within the
`scope of the present invention. As is well-known, Personal
`Java is a Java application environment designed specifically
`for network-connectable applications on consumer devices.
`The details of developing software in Java and Personal Java
`are well-known to those skilled in the relevant art and are not
`
`invention.
`required for an understanding of the present
`Accordingly, such details are not provided herein.
`The use of Java has a number of advantages, including
`allowing the GUI to be hardware-independent. Moreover,
`various features and functions described herein can be added
`
`to the portable telephone 1 at virtually any time after the
`product is manufactured or purchased by simply download-
`ing the appropriate instructions to the telephone 1 over the
`wireless connection.
`
`The features of the GUI of the portable telephone 1 will
`now be described. Briefly, the GUI includes a “universal
`mailbox”, which stores both electronic mail (e-mail) and
`voicemail messages in a common repository, and which
`allows the user to access both types of messages through a
`single display mode. An automatic reply (“auto-reply”)
`feature allows a user to automatically initiate a reply to
`either an e-mail message or a voicemail message with the
`touch of a button. An “advanced call control” feature auto-
`
`matically intercepts outgoing phone calls before they are
`completed, determines whether the dialed phone number is
`valid for the current time and date, and suggests alternative
`phone numbers when appropriate. A “ticker-tape” display
`automatically scrolls information across the display 4, the
`content of which is automatically selected based on context.
`An animated call duration indicator indicates the duration of
`
`the current phone call. Other features will become apparent
`from the description which follows.
`FIG. 3A illustrates the main menu screen of the GUI,
`according to one embodiment. This screen appears auto-
`matically after power-up, and the user can return to it at any
`time by pressing the End button 2. From the main menu
`screen, the user can access various functions provided by the
`telephone,
`including speed dial, e-mail and voicemail
`messages, an address book, news and information, and
`configuration settings. Aselection bar 34 indicates the user’s
`current selection. The main menu screen includes a ticker-
`
`tape display field 32, in which various types of information
`are scrolled horizontally. In the main menu screen,
`the
`content of this information is dependent upon the user’s
`
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`US 6,256,516 B1
`
`5
`current selection. For example, if the category “Messages”
`is selected, as shown in FIG. 3A, a listing of the senders of
`all unread messages will be scrolled horizontally through the
`ticker-tape display 32. For e-mail messages, the subject line
`of the messages will also be displayed. If the category
`“News & Info” is selected, a summary of news or other
`information contained in that category can be scrolled across
`the display 32. The information displayed in display 32 can
`be made to scroll repeatedly until the user selects a different
`function. Other uses of the ticker-tape display 32 will be
`described below.
`The main menu screen also includes an animated call
`duration indicator 31. In one embodiment, the indicator 31
`has the appearance of an analog clock. In one embodiment,
`the “face” of the clock 31 appears to become progressively
`shaded with color as a telephone call takes place to indicate
`the duration of the call. Specifically, color shading is added
`to the face of the clock 31 radially, and in a clockwise
`direction, as the minute hand (or second hand) moves around
`the face of the clock. Color shading appears to sweep around
`the face of the clock 31 in a radial arc from the point on the
`clock which represents the time at which the call began.
`Hence, shading is added so as to give the appearance that the
`shading is actually being “applied” by the sweeping minute
`hand (or the second hand).
`The main menu screen further includes a Sleep “soft
`button” 35 and a Go soft button 36. By selecting the Sleep
`soft button 35, the user can cause the display 4 to enter a
`sleep mode. By selecting the Go soft button 36, the user can
`go to the current selection from the menu screen.
`The functions of the controls described in FIG. 1 will now
`be described. Select buttons 5 and 6 are used to select soft
`
`buttons which may appear directly above them on the
`display 4 in certain modes. For example, referring again to
`FIG. 3A, button 5 is used to select the Sleep soft button 35,
`and button 6 is used to select the Go soft button 36. Scroll
`
`buttons 7 and 8 are used to move a current selection up or
`down, for example to move selection bar 34 between the
`different categories. Back button 9 is used to access the
`previously displayed screen. Messages button 10 is used to
`directly access the universal mailbox. Button 12 is used to
`adjust
`the volume up or down or to scroll
`the current
`selection up or down, depending upon the mode in which the
`telephone is operating (i.e., depending upon whether there is
`an active telephone connection). Send button 11 functions as
`a standard Send button such as found on many conventional
`cellular telephones. In addition, Send button 11 is used to
`dispatch an e-mail message or to initiate the auto-reply
`function (described below). End button 13 is used to access
`the main menu screen, as noted above, or to end a telephone
`call.
`
`FIG. 3B illustrates the functional relationships between
`the different modes/functions that a user can access using the
`GUI of the present invention. On power-up, the user initially
`encounters the main menu screen 40. From the main menu
`
`screen 40, the user can directly access speed dial mode 41,
`messages mode 42, address book mode 52, news and
`information mode 46, or settings mode 53. From the speed
`dial mode 41, the user can initiate telephone calls using
`previously-set speed dial numbers. The user can also dial
`any previously stored phone numbers 45 or access a redial
`function 43 to redial the most recently dialed phone number.
`By selecting the messages mode 42, the user is taken to the
`universal mailbox 44, which displays all stored e-mail and
`voicemail messages. The news and info mode 46 allows the
`user to access information received from a remote source
`over the wireless connection. The information accessible
`
`10
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`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
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`35
`
`40
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`45
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`50
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`6
`under the news and information category 46, which may be
`referred to as “third party” information, contains informa-
`tion on various topics, which may be user-specified. In the
`illustrated embodiment, the third party information includes
`information on the stock market 47, current traffic conditions
`48, current weather conditions 49, current headlines 50, as
`well as games 51. Note that the particular types of infor-
`mation stored in this category can be easily varied within the
`scope of the present invention. This information can be
`acquired by the portable telephone 1 in response to a specific
`user input, automatically at predetermined times or intervals,
`or whenever the transmitting source transmits the informa-
`tion.
`
`The features of the present invention are described now in
`greater detail with reference to FIGS. 4 through 10. These
`features are described primarily in terms of the outputs that
`are perceivable to the user. The precise manner in which
`these functions are implemented, or “coded”, is not impor-
`tant for an understanding of the present invention. Many
`implementations are possible within the scope of the present
`invention, and such implementations will be readily appre-
`ciated from this description by one skilled in the relevant art.
`
`Universal Mailbox
`
`Referring now to FIG. 4, the universal mailbox screen is
`illustrated. As noted above, the universal mailbox feature
`causes both e-mail and voicemail messages to be displayed
`to the user using a single display mode; thus, both e-mail
`messages and voicemail messages can be viewed simulta-
`neously from the same display screen, which can be
`scrolled, if necessary, to view a large number of messages.
`Each message is listed by the name of its sender, and the
`time and date of receipt.
`In addition, e-mail messages
`include the subject line of the message. E-mail messages are
`further distinguished by a letter-shaped icon to the left of the
`sender’s name, while voicemail messages are identified by
`a telephone handset icon to the left the sender’s name. The
`time and date for each function can be set to be absolute or
`relative.
`
`A user can read an e-mail message on the display 4 or
`listen to a voicemail message by selecting the message from
`the list and then pressing the Play button 37. When the user
`selects a message, the sender’s address (in the case of an
`e-mail message) or telephone number (in the case of a
`voicemail message) appears in the ticker-tape display 32,
`although the information is not scrolled in that case. For an
`e-mail message, the e-mail message (or the portion of it
`which will fit in the display screen 4) is displayed, as shown
`in FIG. 5.
`
`Auto-Reply
`
`The auto-reply function enables the user to generate a
`meaningful and quick reply to any message, regardless of
`whether it is an e-mail message or a voicemail message. If
`any message is currently selected and the user presses the
`Send button 11,
`the system will automatically enter an
`appropriate reply mode. More specifically, if the selected
`message is a voicemail message, the system will dial out
`using the telephone number of the sender of the message.
`Conventional Caller ID information, such as provided by
`many telephone services, can be used to ascertain the
`telephone number of the original sender. Also, the name of
`the original sender may be looked up in an electronic
`rolodex (which may or may not be stored within the tele-
`phone 1) using the Caller ID information and displayed to
`the user.
`
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`US 6,256,516 B1
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`7
`If, on the other hand, the selected message is an e-mail
`message, the system will automatically display a reply form
`addressed to the address of the sender when the Send button
`
`11 is pressed. The user may then enter appropriate text using
`the alphanumeric keypad 14. To dispatch the e-mail
`message, the user presses the Send button 11 again
`In one embodiment, when a user wishes to reply to an
`e-mail message, the system presents a menu of options for
`reply forms. These reply forms may be standard for the
`system (generic) or customized. As shown in FIG. 6, a
`standard template of reply forms may include generic replies
`such as “Yes”, “No”, or “Call Me”. Furthermore, a sender
`may explicitly provide a template including one or more
`reply forms. For example, a sender who is a stockbroker
`might send a template with the replies “Buy Company X”,
`“Sell Company X”, and “Call Me.” In one embodiment, the
`user can further specify particular reply forms for individual
`senders. The auto-reply feature will automatically display
`the appropriate form (or choice of forms) for the particular
`sender when the Send button 11 is pressed while the message
`is selected. If there is no user-specified reply form for a
`particular sender, and the sender has not provided a reply
`form, the system will default to the generic template.
`
`Advanced Call Control
`
`The advanced call control feature increases the chances
`
`that a user will reach the person that he or she is trying to call
`with little additional effort on the part of the user. Often
`when a user makes a telephone call, his or her goal is to
`speak to a specific person and not to whomever happens to
`answer the telephone. Accordingly,
`the present invention
`includes an advanced call control function by which a user
`can create a profile for a person who is called often. The
`profile is stored in a database, which may be stored within
`the telephone 1 or in a remote system. In the profile, the user
`can assign one or more telephone numbers to a specific
`person and specify the times and/or dates when each phone
`number is appropriate. For example, the user might specify
`that a given person should be called at his office telephone
`during the day on Monday through Friday, at his home
`telephone in the early evenings, and at his cellular telephone
`on the weekends. Accordingly, when the user dials out using
`one of these numbers (whether entered manually or using
`speed dial),
`the system will automatically reference the
`entered telephone number against the profile (database) to
`determine whether the number is “valid” (appropriate) in
`view of the current day and/or time. If the phone number is
`determined to be currently valid, then the dial out sequence
`is executed normally. If another number is determined to be
`more appropriate based on the profile,
`the system will
`automatically display a message, such as that shown in FIG.
`7, prompting the user to either choose an alternate number
`or confirm that the entered number should be used. If the
`
`alternate number is selected, the telephone 1 dials out using
`the alternate number. If the user does nothing in response to
`the prompt, the telephone completes the dial out sequence
`after a timeout period using the original number. Thus, the
`advanced call control feature increases the chances that a
`
`user will reach the person that he or she is trying to call with
`little additional effort on the part of the user.
`
`Third Party Information
`
`As noted above, the user can access various types of third
`party information provided from a remote transmission
`source. Third party information is information received by
`the telephone from a remote source over the wireless
`
`8
`connection, which may include real-time information. Third
`party information can be accessed from the “News and Info”
`screen, an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 8. As
`noted, the user may be able to select from various topics,
`such as stock market
`information,
`traffic and weather
`conditions, or current headlines. FIG. 9 shows an example of
`a simple display of stock market
`information.
`In one
`application, the system might be programmed to download
`only information relating to stocks that the user owns or
`stocks in which the user is specifically interested.
`Third party information can also be combined with infor-
`mation stored locally in the telephone. For example, refer to
`FIG. 10, which shows a screen displaying current informa-
`tion for a given stock, “Indigo Arts”, received from a remote
`source, displayed together with the number of shares of the
`stock owned by the user, which is stored locally. The system
`further automatically computes and displays the percent gain
`on the user’s current holdings of this stock, as shown.
`
`Ticker-Tape Display
`
`As noted above, the ticker-tape display 32 may be used to
`scroll various types of information to the user, including
`third party information (e.g., traffic, headlines, weather,