HANDHELD ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20100203900A1
• Filed: 11/16/2009
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Khokhlov, Vladimir
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

PDAs can be used to provide their users with a variety of functions. One function provided by PDAs is enabling their users to contact particular users of other devices who are stored as contacts, for example by a telephone call or text message. The present invention provides a PDA in which contacts that the user of the PDA may be more likely to want to contact at any given time can be determined and displayed. Whether or not a user may be likely to want to contact a user at any given time may be based on the status of the user of the PDA, and optionally also the status of the other user'"'"'s PDA. For example, if the user of the PDA is listening to a particular genre of music, then they may want to contact other contacts who a also listening to that particular genre of music. Similarly, if the user is at their place of work, then they may want to contact a specific list of contacts related to work. In this way, the user of the PDA can be provided with a list of relevant contacts.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic device for use in a network to which other electronic devices are connected, the handheld electronic device comprising:

a screen configured to display information to a user of the handheld electronic device; and

a receiving unit configured to receive status information relating to the users of other electronic devices, wherein the handheld electronic device is configured to be able to;

determine users of other electronic devices connected to the network who the user of the handheld electronic device may be interested in contacting, the determination being based on a status of the electronic device of the other user matching a status of the handheld electronic device; and

display information relating to at least one of the determined users of other electronic devices on the screen.

2. A handheld electronic device according to claim 1, configured to receive said status information relating to the users of other electronic devices from a server.

3. A handheld electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the handheld electronic device is configured to obtain said status information from the server as XML data forming in an RSS feed.

4. A handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the status of the handheld electronic device, on which status said determination is based, relates to at least one of:

(i) the function that the handheld electronic device is performing;

(ii) the location of the handheld electronic device; and

(iii) the power status of the handheld electronic device.

5. A handheld electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the function includes at least one of:

displaying videos;

displaying photographs;

taking photographs;

playing music;

sending emails;

accessing the internet;

playing games; and

acting as a telephone.

6. A handheld electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the information relating to the determined users that is displayed on the screen comprises at least one of:

(i) contact information for the determined users; and

(ii) status information relating to the determined user.

7. A handheld electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the status information relating to the determined users comprises at least one of:

(i) what function the electronic device of the determined user is performing;

(ii) the power status of the electronic device of the determined user; and

(iii) the location of the electronic device of the determined user.

8. A handheld electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the function includes at least one of:

displaying videos;

displaying photographs;

taking photographs;

playing music;

sending emails;

accessing the internet;

playing games; and

acting as a telephone.

9. A handheld electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising hardware configured to determine the status of the handheld electronic device.

10. A handheld electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising software configured to determine the status of the handheld electronic device.

11. A handheld electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitting unit configured to transmit status information about the handheld electronic device.

12. A handheld electronic device according to claim 11, configured to transmit status information about itself to a server.

13. A handheld electronic device according to claim 11, configured to transmit status information about itself as XML data forming an RSS feed.

14. A handheld electronic device according to claim 1, further configured to re-determine the users of other electronic devices who the user of the handheld electronic device may be interested in contacting when the status of the handheld electronic device changes.

15. A handheld electronic device according to claim 1, further configured to be able to display the location of the determined users on a map.

16. A method of determining specific contacts for display on the screen of a handheld electronic device comprising:

receiving status information relating to another electronic device;

comparing the received status information with the status of the handheld electronic device; and

determining whether the user of the handheld electronic device may be interested in contacting the user of the other electronic device, the determination being based on a status of the other electronic device matching a status of the handheld electronic device.

17. A method of determining specific contacts for display on the screen of a handheld electronic device according to claim 16, comprising receiving status information relating to a plurality of other electronic devices, and performing the comparing and determining steps for each of the plurality of electronic devices.

18. A method of determining specific contacts for display on the screen of a handheld electronic device according to claim 16, further comprising:

displaying information relating to users of other electronic devices who it is determined that the user of the handheld electronic device may be interested in contacting.

19. A method of determining specific contacts for display on the screen of a handheld electronic device according to any one of claims claim 16, wherein the method steps are performed by the handheld electronic device.