Method and system for single-step enablement of telephony functionality for a portable computer system

• US 20060252465A1
• Filed: 07/11/2006
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palmsource Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Palmsource Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Inventors: Robertson, Ryan, Karstens, Rich
• Granted Patent: US 7,526,283 B2
• 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 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatic delivery of a phone call on a device (e.g. a portable computer system) regardless of whether other tasks are running on the operating system. A separate background task (“thread”), independent of the operating system, enables telephony functionality without regard to the mode of a graphical user interface. The background task is always active and functions to respond to an incoming call even if the user is in a graphical user interface window that requires some input from the user (e.g. the graphical user interface is blocked). In one embodiment, the background task running under the operating system monitors an interrupt line and controls the serial port connected to a phone chipset/module. The background task also senses any of the device'"'"'s buttons and controls any ringer, vibrator or LEDs of the device'"'"'s hardware. In one embodiment, if the graphical user interface is not blocked then one or more phone related displays can automatically be displayed on the screen. The phone related displays are similar to those displayed on cellular phones. In another embodiment, if the graphical user interface is blocked, the user can still answer the phone with no phone related displays on screen. This allows a user to be alerted to an incoming phone call (via any ringer, vibrator and/or LEDs) and to answer the phone via a button on the device, without requiring the use of the device'"'"'s LCD screen or the screen digitizer.

Claims

1. In a portable electronic device, a method for automatically delivering a phone call, said method comprising the steps of:

a) monitoring for incoming phone calls by a background task interfacing directly with the telephony functionality of said device, said background task always active, said device'"'"'s operating system including at least one graphical user interface;

b) detecting said incoming phone call by said background task;

c) notifying said operating system of said incoming phone call by said background task; and

d) said background task notifying the user of said device of said incoming phone call irrespective of the user'"'"'s activity on said device.