Telephone apparatus having automatic display function

• US 5,615,248 A
• Filed: 10/17/1994
• Issued: 03/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Norimatsu, Noriko
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): TROST IV, WILLIAM GEORGE
• Application Number:
  US08/324,464
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/61, 379/354, 379/355, 455/33.1, 455/54.1, 455/89
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2745 using static electronic memories, e.g. chips
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27457 Management thereof, e.g. manual editing of data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/58 including a multilanguage function

Abstract

In a mobile telephone apparatus, a currently-used telephone number is stored, and a display mode corresponding to a part of the currently-used telephone number is displayed.

Claims

1. A displaying method for a mobile telephone apparatus, comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of telephone numbers assigned to said mobile telephone apparatus;

receiving an input from a user to select one of the plurality of telephone numbers as a currently assigned telephone number;

storing the selected one of the telephone numbers as the currently assigned telephone number for the mobile telephone apparatus;

comparing a most significant number of digits of the currently assigned telephone number with a comparable number of digits of a first of a plurality of numbers stored in a first memory within the mobile telephone apparatus;

if a successful comparison is made with the first of the plurality of numbers stored in the first memory displaying data in accordance with a part of the currently assigned telephone number,

wherein said part of the currently assigned telephone number indicates a particular geographical area,

wherein the data is displayed based also on information retrieved using the first of the plurality of numbers stored in the first memory;

if a successful comparison is not made with the first of the plurality of numbers stored in the first memory, comparing the most significant number of digits of the currently assigned telephone number with a comparable number of digits of a next of the plurality of numbers stored in the first memory within the mobile telephone apparatus; and

if a successful comparison is made with the second of the plurality of numbers stored in the first memory, displaying data in accordance with a part of the currently assigned telephone number and on information retrieved using the next of the plurality of numbers stored in the first memory.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of display modes; and

selecting one of the plurality of display modes in accordance with the part of the currently assigned telephone number,

said data displaying step displaying the data in accordance with the selected display mode.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of display modes each corresponding to one of a plurality of predetermined geographical areas; and

determining what predetermined geographical area said telephone apparatus is located in in accordance with the part of the currently assigned telephone number,

said data displaying step displaying one of the display modes corresponding to the determined geographical area.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3, wherein, when said geographical area determining step determines that said telephone apparatus is not located in any of said predetermined geographical areas, said data displaying step displays a default mode.

5. A mobile telephone apparatus comprising:

means for storing a plurality of telephone numbers allocated to said mobile telephone apparatus;

means for receiving an input from a user to select one of the plurality of telephone numbers as a currently assigned telephone number;

means for storing the selected one of the telephone numbers as the currently assigned telephone number for the mobile telephone apparatus; and

means for displaying data in accordance with a part of the currently assigned telephone number,

wherein said part of the currently assigned telephone number indicates a particular geographical area,

wherein said displaying means displays the data based on comparing a most significant number of digits of the currently assigned telephone number with a comparable number of digits of a plurality of numbers stored in the storing means for storing the plurality of numbers the comparing being done between the currently assigned telephone number add the plurality of numbers in a predetermined order;

wherein if a successful comparison is made with one of the plurality of numbers, the comparing stops and the data that is displayed is retrieved from the storing means for storing the plurality of numbers based on the comparable number of digits of the one of the plurality of numbers, and

wherein the displaying means automatically displays the data based only on the input from the user to select the one of the plurality of telephone numbers without any more inputs required from the user.

6. A mobile telephone apparatus as set forth in claim 5, further comprising:

means for storing a plurality of display modes; and

means for selecting one of the plurality of display modes in accordance with the part of the currently assigned telephone number,

said data displaying means displaying the data in accordance with the selected display mode.

7. A mobile telephone apparatus as set forth in claim 5, further comprising:

means for storing a plurality of display modes each corresponding to one of a plurality of predetermined geographical areas; and

means for determining what predetermined geographical area said telephone apparatus is located in in accordance with the part of the currently assigned telephone number,

said data displaying means displaying one of the display modes corresponding to the determined geographical area.

8. A mobile telephone apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein, when said geographical area determining means determines that said telephone apparatus is not located in any of said predetermined geographical areas, said data displaying means displays a default mode.

9. A displaying method for a mobile telephone apparatus, comprising the steps of:

a) storing a plurality of telephone numbers in a first memory of said mobile telephone apparatus;

b) displaying said plurality of telephone numbers stored in said first memory of said mobile telephone apparatus;

c) receiving a user-selected choice of one of said plurality of telephone numbers as a user-selected telephone number for said mobile telephone apparatus;

d) storing said user-selected telephone number in a second memory in said mobile telephone apparatus; and

e) displaying data in accordance with said user-selected telephone number,

wherein said data displayed in step e) includes a name of a telephone system that said user-selected telephone number is assigned to,

wherein said data displayed in step e) further includes a geographical location of the telephone system that said user-selected telephone number is assigned to,

wherein the data displayed in step e) is determined based on comparing a most significant number of digits of the user-selected telephone number with a comparable number of digits of a plurality of numbers stored in a third memory, the comparing being done between the user-selected telephone number and the plurality of numbers in a particular order, and

wherein if a successful comparison is made with one of the plurality of numbers, the comparing stops and the data displayed in step e) is retrieved from a fourth memory based on the comparable number of digits of one of the plurality of numbers that corresponds to the successful comparison made with the most significant number of digits.