Pager with a Touch-Sensitive Display Screen and Method for Transmitting a Message Therefrom

• US 20120244890A1
• Filed: 06/05/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walsh, Patrick Jay, Myers, Theodore James
• Granted Patent: US 8,564,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/171 by use of digital ink
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/401 for selecting or indicating operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry

Abstract

An improved pager with a touch-sensitive display screen and method for transmitting a message therefrom is provided. Inputting a message onto the touch-sensitive display screen greatly facilitates sending a message from the pager and is more versatile than using navigation or soft keys to transmit built-in messages or using a small keyboard to type in messages. The pager of the preferred embodiments is operative to convert the inputted symbols into a text message and transmit the text message to a paging network. Because the pager transmits the content represented by the inputted symbols, the pager of the preferred embodiments is more versatile than pagers using ink-based systems, which merely transmit the image of the inputted symbol. If the pager is equipped with a browser application, the message from the pager can take the form of a request to a server located in a telecommunication network.

Claims

1. A pager comprising:

a communication module operative to connect with a network and to receive from the network an instruction to display a page, the page including at least one display region associated with a request;

a touch-sensitive display screen in communication with the communication module and operative to display the page of information including the at least one display region associated with the request, the touch-sensitive screen including an input detector operative to identify a selected area of the touch-sensitive display screen;

an input-to-text converter in communication with the input detector and operative to define at least one text character representative of one or more symbols hand-written on the touch-sensitive display screen;

an application module in communication with the input detector, the input-to-text converter, and the communication module, the application module including a messaging application operative to receive the at least one text character from the input-to-text converter.

2. The pager of claim 1, wherein the messaging application is further operative to place the at least one text character into a text message.

3. The pager of claim 2, wherein the messaging application is further operative to transmit the text message to the network.

4. The pager of claim 3, wherein the application module further includes a browser application operative to display a web page in response to the identification of the selected area.

5. The pager of claim 4, wherein the web page is of a stock quoting service.

6. The pager of claim 5, wherein the browser application is further operative to receive the at least one text character from the input-to-text converter,

place the at least one text character into a stock quote request in response to the identification of the selected area associated with the request for the stock quote,

transmit, over the network, the stock quote request, and

display a received stock quote on the touch-sensitive display screen.

7. The pager of claim 4, wherein the browser application comprises a web browser.

8. The pager of claim 1, further comprising a screen driver in communication with the touch-sensitive display screen and operative to generate the display region associated with the request on the touch-sensitive display screen.

9. The pager of claim 1, wherein the selected area of the touch-sensitive display screen is identified by depression from a stylus.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a communication from a network;

displaying a page including a display region on a touch-sensitive display screen, the display region being associated with a request;

displaying a message on the touch-sensitive display screen based on the received communication;

identifying a selected area of the touch-sensitive display screen as a handwritten symbol;

converting the handwritten symbol into at least one text character.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising placing the at least one text character into a text message.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting the text message to the network.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying a web page upon converting the at least one text character.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the web page is of a stock quoting service.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising

placing the at least one text character into a stock quote request;

transmitting the stock quote request to the network; and

displaying a received stock quote on the touch-sensitive display screen.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the identification of the selected area of the touch-sensitive display screen is by depression from a stylus.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying the at least one text character on the touch-sensitive display screen when the at least one text character is converted.

18. A computer-usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein that when executed by a processor performs functions comprising:

receiving a communication from the network;

displaying a page including a display region on a touch-sensitive display screen, the display region being associated with a request;

displaying a message on the touch-sensitive display screen based on the received communication;

identifying a selected area of the touch-sensitive display screen as a handwritten symbol;

converting the handwritten symbol into at least one text character.

19. The computer-usable medium of claim 18, wherein the computer readable program code, when executed by the processor, performs further functions including

placing the at least one text character into a text message;

transmitting the text message to the network; and

displaying a web page upon converting the at least one text character.

20. The computer-usable medium of claim 19, wherein the computer readable program code, when executed by the processor, performs further functions including

placing the at least one text character into a stock quote request;

transmitting the stock quote request to the network; and

displaying a received stock quote on the touch-sensitive display screen.