Method and related apparatus for emergency calling in a touch screen mobile phone from a touch screen and keypad lock active state

• US 20050085215A1
• Filed: 10/21/2003
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Autio, Markku, Kokko, Petri
• Application Number:
  US10/692,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20050085215A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72424 with manual activation of emergency-service functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A method and related apparatus for emergency calling in a touch screen mobile phone having a touch screen lock in an active state responds to a long press on the touch screen surface or a designated key and enables the mobile phone dialer to dial the emergency call number to establish an emergency call. A sequence of operational steps may be provided by instruction message which in response thereto deactivates the touch screen lock while establishing the emergency call.

Claims

1. A method for emergency calling in a touch screen mobile phone from a touch screen locked state characterized by the steps of:

pressing the surface of the touch screen;

providing a message on the touch screen display indicating that only emergency calls are allowed;

providing a mobile phone dialer on the touch screen;

entering an emergency call number into the mobile phone dialer;

pressing the call key to dial the emergency call number, and

establishing the emergency call connection.

2. The method for emergency calling in a touch screen mobile phone as defined in claim 1 further characterized by the steps of:

clearing an entry into the mobile phone;

resetting the timer in response to clearing an entry into the mobile phone dialer, and

conditioning the mobile phone dialer for a further entry in response to resetting the timer.

3. The method for emergency calling in a touch screen mobile phone as defined in claim 2 further characterized in that the entry is an alphanumeric entry.

4. The method for emergency calling in a touch screen mobile phone as defined in claim 2 further characterized in that the entry is an event entry.

5. The method for emergency calling in a touch screen mobile phone as defined in claim 1 further characterized by the step of locking the touch screen from operation in the absence of operating any key on the keypad within a third predetermined time interval duration and activating the touch screen lock.

6. A method for emergency calling in a touch screen mobile phone from a touch screen locked state characterized by the steps of:

pressing the END call key for a first time duration interval;

activating the mobile phone dialer on the touch screen display in response to the END call key being pressed for a time duration interval equal to or greater than a first predetermined time duration interval;

dialing the emergency call number, and

establishing the emergency call connection.

7. Apparatus for emergency calling from a touch screen locked state in a touch screen display mobile phone having a touch screen lock, characterized by:

means defining a mobile phone dialer;

means for detecting contact with the surface of the touch screen display;

means responsive to touch screen surface contact detection for providing an “

ONLY EMEGENCY CALLS ALLOWED”

message on the touch screen display;

means for entering an emergency call number into said mobile phone dialer, and

means for activating said mobile phone dialer to dial the emergency call number.

8. The apparatus for emergency calling as defined in claim 7 further characterized by means for establishing the emergency call connection.

9. The apparatus for emergency calling as defined in claim 7 wherein said means for activating said mobile phone dialer is further characterized in that said mobile phone dialer includes means responsive to the operation of a first predetermined key to dial the emergency call number.

10. The apparatus for emergency calling as defined in claim 9 further characterized in that said first predetermined key is the CALL key.

11. The apparatus for emergency calling as defined in claim 7 further characterized by:

means defining a timer;

means for clearing an entry into said mobile phone dialer;

means for resetting said timer in response to said means clearing an entry into said mobile phone dialer, and

means for conditioning said mobile phone dialer for a further entry in response to said timer being reset.

12. The apparatus for emergency calling as defined in claim 11 further characterized by an alphanumeric entry.

13. The apparatus for emergency calling as defined in claim 11 further characterized by an event entry.

14. The apparatus for emergency calling as defined in claim 7 further characterized in that the touch screen is locked from operation in response to the absence of detection of touch screen surface contact within a third predetermined time interval duration.

15. The apparatus for emergency calling as defined in claim 7 wherein said means for activating said mobile phone dialer is further characterized in that said mobile phone dialer is responsive to a second predetermined key being operated for a time duration interval equal to or greater than a first predetermined time duration interval.

16. The apparatus for emergency calling as defined in claim 15 further characterized in that said second predetermined key is the END key.