Operation method of portable phone to change mode using dial key and apparatus for the same

• US 20050136971A1
• Filed: 02/15/2005
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nakajima, Toshikazu
• Application Number:
  US11/057,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20050136971A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device

Abstract

A portable phone includes dial keys including at least one specific key and unspecific keys, and a processing unit. The processing unit determines whether one of the dial keys which is operated in a first mode is one of the unspecific dial keys, and changes an operation mode from the first mode to a second mode when the operated dial key is one of the unspecific dial keys. The portable phone further includes a display unit. In a telephone number searching operation mode as the second mode, the processing unit reads out a list of data associated with destination phone numbers from a storage unit and controls the display unit to display as a non-dialing operation. Also, the processing unit controls the display unit to selectively scroll the list of data in one of upward and downward directions in response to an operation of one of the unspecific dial keys.

Claims

1. A method of operating a portable telephone having plural numbered dialing keys for dialing a telephone number, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing the telephone in a call origination mode;

operating one of the plural numbered dialing keys and determining an identity of the operated one of the plural numbered dialing keys; and

changing from the call origination mode to an operating mode in which a call cannot be originated based on the determined identity of the operated one of the plural numbered dialing keys.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating mode in which a call cannot be originated is a stored telephone number search mode.

3. A portable telephone comprising:

plural numbered dialing keys for dialing a telephone number; and

a processor that establishes a call origination mode, determines an identity of an operated one of said plural numbered dialing keys, and changes the telephone from the call origination mode to an operating mode in which a call cannot be originated based on the determined identity of the operated one of the plural numbered dialing keys.

4. The telephone of claim 3, wherein the operating mode in which a call cannot be originated is a stored telephone number search mode.

5. The portable telephone of claim 3, wherein the second set includes keys for “

0” and

“

1” and

the first set includes two of the plural numbered dialing keys that are next to each other.