System and method for configuring a telephone

• US 5,461,666 A
• Filed: 08/11/1994
• Issued: 10/24/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Gammel, Michele B., McMahan, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Application Number:
  US08/289,481
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• Field of Search: 379/1, 379/10, 379/27, 379/96, 379/157, 379/164, 379/165, 379/201, 379/354, 379/357, 379/142, 379/67
• US Class Current: 379/88.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2471 Configurable and interactive telephone terminals with subscriber controlled features modifications, e.g. with ADSI capability [Analog Display Services Interface] systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers H04M3/42; administration or customization of services H04M3/42136; by downloading data to substation equipment H04M3/42178
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2765 implemented by means of portable magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment

Abstract

A method and system are provided for configuring a telephone (10). A connection (20) is formed between the telephone (10) and a telephone environment (60). A list of services offerable through at least one type of telephone environment is generated (100). A list of candidate procedures for establishing each listed service through the telephone environment is generated (102). Ones of the listed procedures are executed (104) to determine whether each listed service is supported by the connection (20).

Claims

1. A method of configuring a programmable telephone, comprising the steps of:

providing said programmable telephone with a speech recognition unit;

forming a connection between said programmable telephone and a telephone environment;

generating a list of a plurality of services offerable through said telephone environment;

generating a list of a plurality of candidate procedures for establishing each of said plurality of services through said telephone environment;

executing at least one of said plurality of candidate procedures for establishing each of said plurality of services to determine whether said each of said plurality of services is supported by said connection to generate a supported service;

displaying a representation of said supported service on a screen of said programmable telephone;

recording a phrase stated by said user into a handset of said programmable telephone using said speech recognition unit;

associating said recorded phrase with said supported service; and

performing said supported service associated with said recorded phrase in response to a user orally restating said phrase into said handset of said programmable telephone.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

programming a function into said programmable telephone;

associating said programmed function with a region on said screen of said programmable telephone; and

performing said function associated with said region in response to a user selecting said region on said screen of said programmable telephone.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said programming step includes the step of programming said programmable telephone to display a previous screen of said programmable telephone.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said programming step includes the step of programming said programmable telephone to store said programmed function to a removable memory card.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said programming step includes the step of programming said programmable telephone to retrieve said programmed function from a removable memory card.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said programming step includes the step of programming said programmable telephone to perform said recording step.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said programming step includes the steps of:

displaying a list of stored names and associated telephone numbers in a directory region on said screen of said programmable telephone;

highlighting one of said stored names and associated telephone numbers in response to a user selecting said one of said stored names and associated telephone numbers;

allowing said user to change said highlighted one of said stored names and associated telephone numbers in response to said user selecting a change name region on said screen of said programmable telephone;

allowing said user to delete said highlighted one of said stored names and associated telephone numbers in response to said user selecting an erase name region on said screen of said programmable telephone;

allowing said user to add a new name and associated telephone number to said list in response to said user selecting an add name region on said screen of said programmable telephone;

dialing said associated telephone number in response to said user selecting a dial region on said screen of said programmable telephone; and

updating said display of said list of names and associated telephone numbers in response to said user selecting one of a scroll up region, a scroll down region and a character region.