Telephone system and method for selectively ringing a portable phone based on the self-detected geographical position of the portable phone

• US 20060079243A1
• Filed: 08/04/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tomtom Global Content B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Cary Lee, Santosuosso, John Matthew, Ryan, Jeffrey Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,251,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/045 Call privacy arrangements, e.g. timely inhibiting the ring signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver

Abstract

A portable phone is equipped with a position detector that detects the geographical position of the portable phone, and the function of the phone can be changed according to its geographical position. One or more “regions” may be defined by the user of the portable phone, and the ring parameters for each region may be set independently of the other regions. In this manner a phone in accordance with the preferred embodiments may ring with one tone at home, ring with a different tone at work, ring with a louder volume when on a job site, not ring at all when in church, and ring with a vibration when at the theater. The preferred embodiments further allow assigning a telephone number to a defined geographical region, and ringing the portable phone only when within the geographical region that corresponds to the phone number.

Claims

1. A telephone system comprising:

a portable phone that includes a position detector that detects geographical position of the portable phone;

a defined geographical region that is assigned a telephone number; and

a processor in the portable phone that determines from the position detector the geographical position of the portable phone, and that rings the portable phone when the assigned telephone number of the defined region is called if the portable phone is within the defined geographical region.

2. The telephone system of claim 1 wherein the position detector comprises a global positioning system (GPS) detector.

3. The telephone system of claim 1 wherein the processor does not ring the portable phone when the assigned telephone number of the defined region is called and the portable phone is outside the defined geographical region.

4. The telephone system of claim 1 wherein the processor delivers a voice message when the assigned telephone number of the defined region is called and the portable phone is outside the defined geographical region.

5. A method for receiving a call on a portable phone, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a position detector within the portable phone that detects geographical position of the portable phone;

detecting the geographical position of the portable phone using the position detector;

assigning a telephone number to a defined geographical region;

dialing the telephone number assigned to the defined geographical region; and

the portable phone causing itself to ring if the detected geographical position of the portable phone is within the defined geographical region.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the position detector comprises a global positioning system (GPS) detector.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of not ringing the portable phone when the assigned telephone number of the defined region is called and the portable phone is outside the defined geographical region.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of delivering a voice message when the assigned telephone number of the defined region is called and the portable phone is outside the defined geographical region.

9. A method for routing a call to a portable phone, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning a telephone number to a defined geographical region;

receiving a call for the telephone number assigned to the defined geographical region;

determining whether a portable phone is within the defined geographical region;

routing the call to the portable phone that is within the defined geographical region.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

the portable phone using a position detector within the portable phone to detect geographical position of the portable phone; and

the portable phone causing itself to ring if the detected geographical position of the portable phone is within the defined geographical region.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the position detector comprises a global positioning system (GPS) detector.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of not ringing the portable phone when the assigned telephone number of the defined region is called and the portable phone is outside the defined geographical region.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of delivering a voice message when there is no portable phone within the defined geographical region that is available to take the call.