Multi-media communication system having programmable speed dial control indicia

• US 20030059033A1
• Filed: 03/13/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teleware Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Teleware Incorporated
• Inventors: Wall, Daniel G., Lewis, Calvin E.
• Granted Patent: US 6,970,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/355.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/02 Constructional features of telephone sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2473 Telephone terminals interfacing a personal computer, e.g. using an API (Application Programming Interface) details of API H04M7/0021
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2478 Telephone terminals specially adapted for non-voice services, e.g. email, internet access centralized arrangements where telephones services are combined H04M7/0024; for recording text messages H04M3/5322; for accessing Internet H04M3/4938
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/424 Arrangements for automatic redialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The present multi-media subscriber station has control unit and a plurality of communication devices. Each communication device includes speed dial controls which, when activated but a user, provide for establishing a communication session to a communication end point associated with the speed dial control. Each speed dial control is associated with a programmable image display on which an image associated with the communication end point may be displayed.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising a communication device and a control unit coupled to the communication device and operating to interconnect the communication device with a communication end point comprising:

display means on the communication device for generating a plurality of images, each associated with a code that defines a communication end point;

input means on the communication device for enabling said user to select a one of the plurality of images to initiate a connection to the communication end point;

speed dialing means, responsive to subscriber operation of the input means to initiate a communication connection to the communication end point associated with the selected one of the plurality of images.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said input means comprises:

a touch panel having a touch sensitive surface overlaying the display means for enabling said subscriber to select one of the images generated by the display means via contact with said touch sensitive surface.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said input means comprises:

a plurality of buttons, each associated with a the display means, for enabling said subscriber to select one of the images generated by the display screen by operation of the one of the plurality of buttons associated with the image.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said input means further comprises:

a speed dial directory means storing speed dial directory for each of a plurality of system subscribers and within each speed dial directory file storing a plurality of codes associated with the subscriber and for storing a plurality of images associated with the subscriber, each image also in association with one of the plurality of codes; and

wherein

the display means on the communication device further provides for generating the plurality of images associated with a subscriber in response to the communication device being associated with the subscriber.

5. The communication system of claim 4, further comprising:

wireless link means for establishing a wireless communication link between the control unit and the communication device and wherein the plurality of images associated with the subscriber are provided to the display means via the wireless link.

6. The communication system of claim 5, further comprising:

battery means for storing energy to power said communication device.

7. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said speed dialing means comprises:

image programming means for enabling the subscriber to load an image to the speed dial directory means and associate the image to a code associated with the subscriber.

8. A communication device served by a communication system that interconnects said communication device with a communication end point comprising:

wireless link means for establishing a wireless communication link with said communication system for exchanging control and subscriber data with said communication system;

display means for generating a plurality of images, each received from a speed dial directory over the wireless communication link and each representative of a communication end point;

image selection means for enabling the subscriber to select a one of the plurality of images; and

communication means, responsive to subscriber selection of a one of the plurality of images, for initiating a communication session to the communication end point, represented by the selected one of the plurality of images via the wireless communication link

9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein said image selection means comprises:

a touch panel having a touch sensitive surface overlaying the display means for enabling said subscriber to select one of the images generated by the display means via contact with said touch sensitive surface.

10. The communication device of claim 8, wherein said input means comprises:

a plurality of buttons, each associated with a the display means, for enabling said subscriber to select one of the images generated by the display screen by operation of the one of the plurality of buttons associated with the image.

11. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the communication means for initiating a communication session the communication endpoint comprises:

means for establishing a communication session to a speed dial directory via the wireless communication link and means for providing an indication of the image selection to the speed dial directory whereby the speed dial directory provides for completing the communication session to the communication endpoint.

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein said image selection means comprises:

a touch panel having a touch sensitive surface overlaying the display means for enabling said subscriber to select one of the images generated by the display means via contact with said touch sensitive surface.

13. The communication device of claim 11, wherein said input means comprises:

a plurality of buttons, each associated with a the display means, for enabling said subscriber to select one of the images generated by the display screen by operation of the one of the plurality of buttons associated with the image.

14. A method of providing speed dial functionality in a communication system comprising a communication device coupled to a communication controller that operates to interconnect the communication device to a communication endpoint, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of images, each in associated with a code defining a communication end point;

displaying each of the plurality of images in association with subscriber input means on the communication device;

detecting subscriber selection of an image via the subscriber input means;

establishing a communication session with the communication end point defined by the code associated with the selected image.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

displaying each of the plurality of images comprises displaying the plurality of images on a touch panel having a touch sensitive surface overlaying a display screen; and

detecting subscriber selection of an image comprises detecting subscriber contact with a portion of the touch sensitive service overlaying the selected image.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein:

displaying each of the plurality of images comprises displaying each image on a display panel associated with a subscriber activated button; and

detecting subscriber selection of an image comprises detecting subscriber activation of the button associated with the selected image.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein establishing a communication session with the communication end point defined by the code associated with the selected image comprises:

establishing a communication session to a speed dial directory; and

providing an indication of the image selection to the speed dial directory whereby the speed dial directory provides for completing the communication session to the communication endpoint.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

displaying each of the plurality of images comprises displaying the plurality of images on a touch panel having a touch sensitive surface overlaying a display screen; and

detecting subscriber selection of an image comprises detecting subscriber contact with a portion of the touch sensitive service overlaying the selected image.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

displaying each of the plurality of images comprises displaying each image on a display panel associated with a subscriber activated button; and

detecting subscriber selection of an image comprises detecting subscriber activation of the button associated with the selected image.