Integrated Mobile Computing and Telephony Device and Services

• US 20090034514A1
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hawkins, Jeffrey Charles, Haitani, Robert Yuji
• Application Number:
  US12/199,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20090034514A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2748 by matching character strings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set
• 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 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• 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 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting

Abstract

Disclosed is an integrated handheld computer and telephony system. Integration of the handheld computer and telephony system is at the physical and operational level. For example, the integrated handheld computer and telephony system physically integrates a handheld computer with a mobile (e.g., cellular) telephone. In addition, the handheld computer is distinct from telephony system in that they are logically separable. However, they are also operationally integrated, for example, the telephony system executes a telephone application on the processor of the handheld computer. Likewise, the handheld computer can execute applications, for example, a phone book, that can be used to launch the telephony application.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a call, the method comprising:

establishing, through a telephony application executing in a computing device coupled with a mobile telephony system, a call with a first party;

placing, through the telephony application, the call with the first party on hold;

establishing, through the telephony application, a call with a second party; and

connecting, through the telephony application, the call with the first party and the call with the second party.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of connecting further comprises receiving an input to establish the connection through a user selectable option displayed on a screen of the mobile telephone.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the display area is a touch screen and the user selectable option is a touch enabled button on the touch screen.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of connecting further comprises receiving an input to establish the connection through a physical button on the computing device configured to operate with the user selectable option.

5. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon, the instructions when executed by a processing system executing a telephony application within a computing device causes the processing system to:

establish a call with a first party;

place on hold the call with the first party in response to receiving a signal to initiate a conference call;

establish a call with a second party; and

connect the first party and the second party to the call in response to receiving a signal corresponding to connecting the conference call.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 5, further comprising instructions that cause the processing system to display through the telephony application a user selectable option on a touch screen of the computing device.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, further comprising instructions that cause the processing system to display, through the telephony application, the user selectable option as a selectable switch on the touch screen.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, further comprising instructions that cause the processing system to associate a physical button on the computing device with the user selectable option.

9. A method for dialing a telephone number, the method comprising:

receiving a string of alphabet letters corresponding to at least a portion of a telephone number;

translating each alphabet letters of the string of alphabet characters into a dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) tone; and

dialing the telephone number using the translated DTMF tone of each alphabet letter.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the string of alphabet letters is one alphabet letter.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the string of alphabet letters corresponds to a mnemonic.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprises applying a heuristic to the received string of alphabet letters and using keystrokes corresponding to up to 11 characters for the telephone number.

13. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon, the instructions, when executed by a processing system cause the processing system to:

receive a string of alphabet letters corresponding to at least a portion of a telephone number;

translate each alphabet letters of the string of alphabet characters into a dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) tone; and

dial the telephone number using the translated DTMF tone of each alphabet letter.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the string of alphabet letters is one alphabet letter.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the string of alphabet letters corresponds to a mnemonic.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions that cause the processing system to apply a heuristic to the received string of alphabet letters and use keystrokes corresponding to up to 11 characters for the telephone number.