METHODS AND DEVICES FOR DYNAMIC MENU UPDATE

• US 20090178005A1
• Filed: 01/09/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Jheng, Yu-Syuan
• Granted Patent: US 8,364,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/825
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

A method for altering man machine interface (MMI) configurations for use in a device is provided. The method comprises the following steps. A status of a service is queried after detecting that an inspection condition is satisfied. The queried status is acquired from the currently associated network. A menu item of a service menu is enabled when the queried status indicates that the service is available. Otherwise, the menu item of the service menu is disabled or the menu item is removed from the service menu when the queried status indicates that the service is unavailable, preventing a user from requesting the service via the menu item.

Claims

1. A method for altering man machine interface (MMI) configurations for use in a device, comprising:

detecting that an inspection condition is satisfied;

querying a status of a service;

acquiring the queried status from the currently associated network;

enabling a menu item of a service menu when the queried status indicates that the service is available; and

disabling the menu item of the service menu or removing the menu item from the service menu when the queried status indicates that the service is unavailable, preventing a user from requesting the service via the menu item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting step further comprises:

receiving first location or network information from a first cell broadcast system resident on the currently associated network; and

detecting that the first location or network information is different from second location or network information that the device received from a second cell broadcast system resident on the previously associated network,

wherein the first location information indicates a geographic area where the first cell broadcast system situates, the second location information indicates a geographic area where the second cell broadcast system situates, the first network information indicates a first network operator providing communication services of the currently associated network, and the second network information indicates a second network operator providing communication services of the previously associated network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first or second location information comprises a location area identity (LAI), and the first or second network information comprises a Public-Land-Mobile-Network (PLMN) code, and the detecting step further comprises:

listening to a control channel provided by the first cell broadcast system, and receiving the first location or system information from the control channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is a supplementary service (SS) or a supported method, the SS modifies or supplements a basic telecommunication service, and the supported method corresponds to capacity of the first network operator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the querying step further comprises:

acquiring the status of the service by issuing a request to the currently associated network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the request is a supplementary service (SS) interrogation request, the queried status is carried by a SS interrogation response from the currently associated network, and the SS request modifies or supplements a basic telecommunication service provided by the currently associated network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting step further comprises:

switchingly associating with another type of network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting step further comprises:

disconnecting from a wireless telephony network and switchingly associating with a wireless network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless telephony network is the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network and the wireless network is the Wi-Fi network.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the request is a session initiation protocol (SIP) method “

OPTIONS”

issuing to a SIP server, the queried status is returned in a “

Supported”

header field of a return message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting step further comprising:

disconnecting from a wireless network and switchingly associating with a wireless telephony network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless telephony network is the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network and the wireless network is the Wi-Fi network.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the request is a supplementary service (SS) interrogation request, the queried status is carried by a SS interrogation response from the currently associated network, and the SS request modifies or supplements a basic telecommunication service provided by the currently associated network.

14. A device, comprising:

a storage device, storing man-machine interface (MMI) configurations;

a processing unit, querying a status of a service after detecting that an inspection condition is satisfied, acquiring the queried status from the currently associated network, enabling a menu item of a service menu by altering the stored MMI configurations when the queried status indicates that the service is available, and disabling the menu item of the service menu or removing the menu item from the service menu by altering the stored MMI configurations when the queried status indicates that the service is unavailable, preventing a user from requesting the service via the menu item; and

a display unit, displaying the menu item of the service menu according to the altered MMI configurations.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein storage device stores the second location or network information, the processing unit receives first location or network information from a first cell broadcast system resident on the currently associated network and detects that the first location or network information is different from second location or network information that the device received from a second cell broadcast system resident on the previously associated network, the first location information indicates a geographic area where the first cell broadcast system situates, the second location information indicates a geographic area where the second cell broadcast system situates, the first network information indicates a first network operator providing communication services of the currently associated network, and the second network information indicates a second network operator providing communication services of the previously associated network.

16. The device of claim 15, further comprising a radio frequency (RF) and baseband unit, wherein the first or second location information comprises a location area identity (LAI), the first or second network information comprises a Public-Land-Mobile-Network (PLMN) code, and the processing unit listening to a control channel provided by the first cell broadcast system, and receiving the first location or system information from the control channel via the RF and baseband unit.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the processing unit stores service information comprising the service with the queried status for indicating whether the service is supported by the currently associated network.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the MMI configurations further comprises the menu item with a display property for indicating whether the menu item is enabled, disabled or removed.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the processing unit queries the status of the service to the currently associated network after detecting that the device disconnects from a wireless telephony network and switchingly associates with a wireless network, the wireless telephony network is the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network and the wireless network is the Wi-Fi network.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein the processing unit queries the status of the service to the currently associated network after detecting that the device disconnects from a wireless network and switchingly associates with a wireless telephony network, the wireless telephony network is the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network and the wireless network is the Wi-Fi network.