Arrangement for varying the display time for messages displayable on a telephone terminal

• US 5,392,337 A
• Filed: 01/04/1993
• Issued: 02/21/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Gary C., Tuttle, Susan L., Kall, Darren A., Baals, Kimberly A., Chylinski, Kathleen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEAVER, SCOTT LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US08/000,428
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 379/355, 379/356, 379/357, 379/368, 379/387, 379/388, 379/389, 379/396, 379/201, 379/96, 379/110, 379/111, 379/142, 340/712, 345/123, 345/124, 345/130, 345/146, 345/168, 345/169, 345/172, 345/902, 345/903
• US Class Current: 379/457
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2472 with programmable function keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/915 Soft key

Abstract

A telephone terminal provides display screens of information messages which are selectively arranged to be time-specific in accordance with the complexity content of the information in each message. The amount of text in an information message, the complexity of words in the message and whether any user action should follow the text presented in the message are factors used in optimizing the duration of the display screens for the messages timed specific to their content. A plurality of user selectable options for the duration of the display screens also are available. These selectable options alter the duration time of all the display screens as a set. Within each selected set the variable time accorded each display screen, in accordance with the time-specfic information messages, provides for optimum viewing of each message by a user of the telephone terminal.

Claims

1. A method of displaying screens of information messages in a display device at a telephone terminal connectable to a telecommunication switch, the method comprising the steps of:

generating in the telephone terminal a set of information messages, the information messages varying in amount of textual contents;

preselecting by a user of the telephone terminal one of selectable time periods for determining a length of time of display for each of the information messages on a screen of the display device; and

controlling in the telephone terminal the user preselected time period for which each of the information messages is displayed on the screen of the display device, said controlling step varying the user preselected time period for displaying each of said information messages for a period of time determined in accordance with the amount of the textual contents of each of the information messages.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying each of the information messages grouped according to the amount of the textual contents of each of the information messages, a first set of the information messages having a first amount of textual words being grouped together and a second set of the information messages having a second amount of textual words being grouped together, said second amount of textual words being fewer than said first amount of textual words.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of displaying said first set of the information messages for a first time period and said second set of the information messages for a second time period, said first time period being longer than said second time period.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlling step further comprises the step of selectively displaying each of the information messages for a period of time determined in accordance with specific textual contents of each of the information messages.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of displaying each of the information messages grouped according to said specific textual contents of each of the information messages, a first set of the information messages having predetermined complex words being grouped together in said first set of the information messages and a second set of the information messages having predetermined simple words being grouped together in said second set of the information messages, said complex words being predetermined to be more complex than said simple words.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of displaying said first set of the information messages for a first time period and said second set of the information messages for a second time period, said first time period being longer than said second time period.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the controlling step further includes the step of variably controlling the first and second time periods, said variably controlling step providing a plurality of third and fourth proportioned time periods respectively selectable as the first and second time periods.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein each one of the plurality of third time periods is associated with one of the plurality of fourth time periods, the associated one of the plurality of third time periods being longer than the associated one of the plurality of fourth time periods.

9. An arrangement for displaying screens of information messages in a display device at a telephone terminal connectable to a telecommunication switch, the arrangement comprising;

means for generating a set of information messages in the telephone terminal, the information messages varying in amount of textual contents;

means for a user preselecting at the telephone terminal one of selectable time periods for determining a length of time of display for each of the information messages on a screen of the display device; and

means in the telephone terminal for controlling the user preselected time period for which each of the information messages is displayed on the screen of the display device, said controlling means varying the user preselected time period for displaying each of said information messages for a period of time determined in accordance with the amount of the textual contents of each of the information messages.

10. The arrangement of claim 9 further comprising means for displaying each of the information messages grouped in accordance with the amount of the textual contents each of the information messages, a first set of the information messages having a first amount of textual words being grouped together and a second set of the information messages having a second amount of textual words being grouped together, said second amount of textual words being fewer than said first amount of textual words.

11. The arrangement of claim 10 further comprising means for displaying said first set of the information messages for a first time period and said second set of the information messages for a second time period, said first time period being longer than said second time period.

12. The arrangement of claim 9 wherein the controlling means further includes means for selectively displaying each of the information messages for a period of time determined in accordance with specific textual contents of each of the information messages.

13. The arrangement of claim 12 further comprising means for displaying each of the information messages grouped in accordance with said specific textual contents of each of the information messages, a first set of the information messages having predetermined complex words being grouped together in said first set of the information messages, and a second set of the information messages having predetermined simple words being grouped together in said second set of the information messages, said complex words being predetermined to be more complex than said simple words.

14. The arrangement of claim 13 further comprising means for displaying said first set of the information messages for a first time period and said second set of the information messages for a second time period, said first time period being longer than said second time period.

15. The arrangement of claim 14 wherein the controlling means further includes means for variably controlling the first and second time periods, said variably controlling means providing a plurality of third and fourth proportioned time periods respectively selectable as the first and second time periods.

16. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein each one of the plurality of third time periods is associated with one of the plurality of fourth time periods, the associated one of the plurality of third time periods being longer than the associated one of the plurality of fourth time periods.