Incoming call handling method for mobile communications device incorporating mobile assisted messaging on demand

• US 20020137503A1
• Filed: 03/23/2001
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optis Wireless Technology, LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Roderique, Benjamin O.
• Granted Patent: US 6,941,131 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/642 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53383 Message registering commands or announcements; Greetings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A method of handling an incoming call during an operational mode of a wireless communications device is provided. With the operational mode activated, an incoming call is received at the wireless communications device on a control channel of the wireless communications system. The source of the incoming call is identified, typically by activating caller ID circuitry resident within the wireless communications device to identify a phone number of the source of the incoming call. One of a plurality of pre-recorded messages is then selected either manually or automatically to play back to the source of the incoming call. The plurality of pre-recorded messages are stored at a voice message mailbox in the wireless communications system allocated to the wireless communications device. The incoming call is then diverted, without completing the call and switching to a traffic channel, to the voice message mailbox of the wireless communications device and the selected pre-recorded messages is played back for the source of the incoming call.

Claims

1. A method of handling an incoming call for a wireless communications device, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming call at the wireless communications device on a control channel of a wireless communications system; and

transmitting a selected option for handling the incoming call to the wireless communications system on the control channel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

storing, at a voice message mailbox in the wireless communications system allocated to the wireless communication device, a plurality of different messages, wherein the selected option includes an identification of which the plurality of different messages to play back for a caller of the incoming call.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of.

identifying a source of the incoming call, wherein selection of the selected option is based on the identified source.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selection and transmission of the selected option are performed automatically by the wireless communications device upon receipt of the incoming call.

5. A method of handling an incoming call for a wireless communications device, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming call at the wireless communications device on a control channel of a wireless communications system;

selecting one of a plurality of pre-recorded messages to play back to a caller of the incoming call, the plurality of pre-recorded messages stored at a voice message mailbox in the wireless communications system allocated to the wireless communications device; and

transmitting an identification of the selected pre-recorded message to the wireless communications system on the control channel, wherein the incoming call is directed to the voice message mailbox of the wireless communications device and the selected one of the plurality of pre-recorded messages is played back to the caller of the incoming call.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the transmitting step includes transmitting a registration frame to a local base station in the wireless communications system, the registration frame including a plurality of bits identifying the selected pre-recorded message.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the selected pre-recorded message is selected manually by a user of the wireless communications device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the manual selection is accomplished by depressing keys on a keypad included on the wireless communications device to identify the selected pre-recorded message.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

identifying a source of the incoming call, wherein selection of the selected one of the plurality of pre-recorded messages is based on the identified source.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the wireless communications device includes a phone book having stored phone numbers personal to a user of the wireless communications device, the stored phone numbers associated with the plurality of pre-recorded messages based on the user'"'"'s preference, said method further comprising the steps of:

identifying a phone number of a source of the incoming call;

comparing the identified phone number with the stored phone numbers in the phone book; and

if the identified phone number matches one of the stored phone numbers, transmitting an identification of the pre-recorded message associated with the matched stored phone number to the wireless communications system on the control channel as the selected pre-recorded message.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

if the identified phone number does not match any of the stored phone numbers, transmitting an identification of a default pre-recorded message to the wireless communications system on the control channel as the selected pre-recorded message.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

if the matched stored phone number does not have an associated pre-recorded message, transmitting an identification of a default pre-recorded message to the wireless communications system on the control channel as the selected pre-recorded message.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the diverting step comprises the step of:

transmitting an identification of the selected pre-recorded message to the wireless communications system on the control channel, wherein the incoming call is directed to the voice message mailbox of the wireless communications device and the selected pre-recorded message is played back for the source of the incoming call.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the transmitting step includes transmitting a registration frame to a local base station in the wireless communications system, the registration frame including a plurality of bits identifying the selected pre-recorded message.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein selection of the selected pre-recorded message and transmission of the identification of the selected pre-recorded message are performed automatically by the wireless communications device upon receipt of the incoming call.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the selected pre-recorded message is selected manually by a user of the wireless communications device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the manual selection is accomplished by depressing keys on a keypad included on the wireless communications device to identify the selected pre-recorded message.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the identifying step includes activating caller ID circuitry in the wireless communications device to identify a phone number of the source of the incoming call.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the wireless communications device includes a phone book having stored phone numbers personal to a user of the mobile communications device, the stored phone numbers associated with the plurality of a pre-recorded messages based on the user'"'"'s preference, said method further comprising the steps of:

comparing the identified phone number with the stored phone numbers in the phone book; and

if the identified phone number matches one of the stored phone numbers, diverting the incoming call to the voice message mailbox of the wireless communications device, wherein the pre-recorded message associated with the matched stored phone number is played back for the source of the incoming call as the selected pre-recorded message.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of:

if the identified phone number does not match any of the stored phone numbers, diverting the incoming call to the voice message mailbox of the wireless communications device, wherein a default pre-recorded message is played back for the source of the incoming call as the selected pre-recorded message

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the operational mode of the wireless communications device comprises an unavailable mode in which a user of the wireless communications is not receiving incoming calls, wherein the unavailable mode is activated automatically or manually by the user of the wireless communications device.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of pre-recorded messages stored at the voice message mailbox in the wireless communications system allocated to the wireless communications device are recorded by a user of the mobile communications device.

13. A method of handling an incoming call during an operational mode of a wireless communications device, said method comprising the steps of:

with the operational mode activated, receiving an incoming call at the wireless communications device on a control channel of a wireless communications system;

identifying a source of the incoming call;

selecting one of a plurality of pre-recorded messages to play back to the source of the incoming call based on the identified source, the plurality of pre-recorded messages stored at a voice message mailbox in the wireless communications system allocated to the wireless communications device; and

diverting the incoming call to the voice message mailbox of the wireless communications device, wherein the selected pre-recorded message is played back for the source of the incoming call.