METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ABSTRACTING TELEPHONY FUNCTIONS

• US 20080072148A1
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: PEARSON, LARRY B., WALTER, EDWARD
• Granted Patent: US 8,942,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0015 First party call control architectures

Abstract

A method and apparatus for abstracting telephony functions is disclosed. An apparatus that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a terminal device having a User Interface (UI) element that presents a plurality of Graphical User Interface (GUI) elements that abstract a corresponding plurality of telephony functions, and a telephony element that initiates a telephony process in response to a selection by an end user of the terminal device of two or more of the plurality of GUI elements to form a combined telephony function. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising:

a User Interface (UI) element that presents a plurality of Graphical User Interface (GUI) elements that abstract a corresponding plurality of telephony functions; and

a telephony element that initiates a telephony process in response to a selection by an end user of the terminal device of two or more of the plurality of GUI elements to form a combined telephony function.

2. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of telephony functions comprise at least one among speed dialing functions, call waiting functions, call forwarding functions, caller ID functions, automatic call back functions, repeat dialing functions, call screening functions, anonymous call rejection functions, call trace functions, call transfer functions, three-way call functions, Flash hook functions, voicemail functions, and contact book functions.

3. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of telephony functions each comprises a telephony code submitted to a communication system from which the terminal device operates by way of one among a sequence of Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signals, and an Internet Protocol (IP) signaling pattern.

4. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the UI element comprises a touch-sensitive display, and wherein the end user selects the two or more GUI elements by way of the touch-sensitive display.

5. The terminal device of claim 4, wherein the two or more GUI elements convey at least one among descriptive text and pictorial imagery.

6. The terminal device of claim 5, wherein the pictorial imagery comprises one among an animated character and a human picture.

7. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the UI element presents an entry from a contact book with a portion of the GUI elements.

8. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the UI elements presents one or more speed dial GUI elements associated with speed dialing functions each corresponding to one or more entries in a contact book, and presents one or more sub-speed dial GUI elements when one of the speed dial GUI elements is selected by the end user.

9. The terminal device of claim 8, wherein the one or more sub-speed dial GUI elements comprise at least one among a home speed dial GUI element for speed dialing a home telephony identifier, a business speed dial GUI element for speed dialing a business telephony identifier, and a mobile phone speed dial GUI element for speed dialing a mobile telephony identifier.

10. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein each of the home, business and mobile telephony identifiers conforms to one among a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) standard, and an Electronic Number Mapping (ENUM) standard.

11. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the UI element presents a macro GUI element comprising two or more combined telephony functions.

12. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the UI element comprises a navigation element that navigates through the plurality of GUI elements.

13. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein a portion of the plurality of GUI elements is hidden and thereby not presented by the UI element, and wherein the navigation element as directed by the end user for exposing one or more GUI elements from the portion of hidden GUI elements.

14. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the telephony element operates in accordance with one among a packet-switched telephony standard and a circuit-switched telephony standard.

15. A computer-readable storage medium in a terminal device, comprising computer instructions for presenting a macro Graphical User Interface (GUI) element comprising a combination of at least two telephony functions selectable by an end user from a plurality of telephony functions.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of telephony functions comprise at least one among speed dialing functions, call waiting functions, call forwarding functions, caller ID functions, automatic call back functions, repeat dialing functions, call screening functions, anonymous call rejection functions, call trace functions, call transfer functions, three-way call functions, Flash hook functions, voicemail functions, and contact book functions, and wherein the storage medium comprises computer instructions for executing the foregoing telephony functions.

17. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein one or more of the plurality of telephony functions each comprises a telephony code, and wherein the storage medium comprises computer instructions for submitting in response to a selection of the macro GUI element by the end user one or more of the telephony codes according to one among a sequence of Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signals, and an Internet Protocol (IP) signaling pattern.

18. The storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer instructions for presenting an entry from a contact book with a portion of a plurality of GUI elements that abstract a corresponding plurality of telephony functions.

19. The storage medium of claim 15, comprising computer instructions for defining a plurality of GUI elements from a plurality of telephony functions.

20. The storage medium of claim 19, comprising computer instructions for combining two or more of the plurality of GUI elements into the macro GUI element.

21. A method in a terminal device, comprising presenting at least one among a plurality of Graphical User Interface (GUI) elements each abstracting at least two telephony functions selectable by an end user of the terminal device.