Method and apparatus for answering incoming calls at a mobile communication device

• US 20040198461A1
• Filed: 09/12/2002
• Published: 10/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Coombes, Daniel J.
• Application Number:
  US10/241,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20040198461A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/642 storing speech in digital form

Abstract

A mobile communication device receives an incoming call signal (204), and activates a call alert function (206) to alert a user of the mobile communication device of the incoming call. The mobile communication device also presents the user with the alternative options (208) of auto-answering the incoming call, or answering the call normally. If the auto-answer option is chosen (210), the mobile communication device answers the call and transmits a pre-recorded greeting message (212) to the calling party, then puts the call on hold (214) until the user is ready to speak with the calling party. This avoids the disruption of having to answer the call immediately.

Claims

1. A method for automatically answering an incoming call received at a mobile communication device, comprising the steps of:

providing a pre-recorded greeting message;

receiving an incoming call signal from a base station at the mobile communication device;

activating a call alert means of the mobile communication device in response to receiving the incoming call signal;

providing a means for selecting an auto-answer feature option on the mobile communication device;

in response to a user selecting the auto-answer feature option, answering the incoming call automatically at the mobile communication device;

transmitting the pre-recorded greeting message to the calling party, performed automatically by the mobile communication device; and

holding the call.

2. A method for automatically answering an incoming call as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a pre-recorded greeting message comprises recording the pre-recorded greeting message, performed by the user of the mobile communication device.

3. A method for automatically answering an incoming call as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a means for selecting the auto answer feature comprises providing a soft key for selecting the auto answer feature.

4. A method for automatically answering an incoming call as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of receiving an incoming call signal includes receiving a calling party identifier, the method further comprises displaying a calling party name corresponding to the calling party identifier.

5. A method for automatically answering an incoming call as defined in claim 4, wherein the step of providing the pre-recorded greeting message comprises providing a plurality of different pre-recorded greeting messages.

6. A method for automatically answering an incoming call as defined in claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of different greeting messages correspond to one of a plurality of calling party names stored in the memory of the mobile communication device, the step of transmitting the pre-recorded greeting message comprises:

identifying which one of the plurality of calling party names the calling party identifier corresponds with, and

transmitting the pre-recorded greeting message corresponding to the calling party identifier.

7. A method for automatically answering an incoming call as defined in claim 6, wherein the step of transmitting further comprises, if the calling party identifier does not correspond to any one of the plurality of calling party names, transmitting a default pre-recorded greeting message.

8. A method for auto-answering an incoming call at a mobile communication device, the mobile communication device having a pre-recorded greeting message stored in a memory of the mobile communication device, the mobile communication device having been placed in an auto-answer mode and having received an incoming call signal from a base station, the method comprising:

transmitting the pre-recorded greeting message; and

holding the incoming call until a user of the mobile communication device wishes to commence with the incoming call.

9. A method for auto-answering an incoming call as defined in claim 8, wherein the incoming call signal contains a calling party identifier, the mobile communication device contains a plurality of custom pre-recorded greeting messages, each of the plurality of pre-recorded greeting messages corresponding to one of a plurality of calling party names stored in the mobile communication device, the step of transmitting comprising:

matching the calling party identifier received with the incoming call signal with one of the plurality of calling party names stored in the mobile communication device; and

transmitting the custom pre-recorded message corresponding to the matching calling party name.