Method of facilitating the operation of terminals intelecommunications systems

• US 5,831,598 A
• Filed: 12/05/1996
• Issued: 11/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel NV (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel NV (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Lucke, Wilfried, Kauffert, Uwe
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CHANH DUY
• Application Number:
  US08/759,447
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/173, 345/168, 345/169, 345/172, 341/20, 341/21, 341/22, 341/23, 364/709.01, 364/709.14, 364/709.11, 364/709.15
• US Class Current: 345/168
• 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 1/2472 with programmable function keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/56 including a user help function

Abstract

Operation of a terminal equipped with an input keyboard whose function keys can be given fixed and/or variable function assignments and having a display unit on which a text explaining the function of the function keys can be displayed, is facilitated. Execution of a respective function, as well as display of text explaining the respective function, is effected solely by actuation of a respective function key by determining the manner and/or extent of the actuation of the respective function key.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating the operation of a terminal equipped with an input keyboard whose function keys are given fixed and/or variable function assignments, the terminal further including a display unit on which help text explaining the function of the function keys is displayable, comprising:

1) enabling the terminal to selectively perform;

a) execution of the respective function, or

b) displaying help text explaining the respective function, wherein performance of either the execution or the displaying by the terminal is initiated by actuation of the respective function key;

2) determining whether to effect said execution or said displaying with the terminal by at least one of;

a) detecting the way in which actuation of the respective function key is performed by an operator, and/or

b) detecting the extent of the actuation of the respective function key by the operator; and

wherein, prior to step

     2), variations in the detection of the way and/or the extent of actuation of the respective function key are selected by manually presetting at least one of the variations by the operator according to the operator'"'"'s knowledge of the terminal.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the displaying of help text explaining a function is performed by the terminal when it is determined by detecting in step 2b that the respective function key is actuated a first time for a relatively long period of time, and

wherein execution of the function is performed by the terminal when it is determined by detecting in step 2b that the same function key is actuated a second time for a relatively short period of time.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the displaying of help text explaining a function is performed by the terminal when it is determined by detecting in step 2b that the respective function key is depressed for either the same length or longer than an adjustable minimum time.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining step 2 further comprises:

c) detecting and counting operation errors for the respective function key and/or all function keys, and comparing with an operation error quota;

wherein the initiation of the displaying of help text explaining a function is initiated when the operation errors counted exceeds the adjustable operation error quota.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

3) cancelling a display of help text explaining a function of a first one of the function keys when it is determined by detecting in steps 2a or 2b that a second one of the function keys is actuated.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein when actuation of a reset key is determined by detecting in steps 2a or 2b, the terminal is reset to an initial state.

12. A method to claim 6, wherein when actuation of a reset key is determined by detecting in steps 2a or 2b, the terminal is reset to an initial state.

7. A method of facilitating the operation of a terminal equipped with function keys and a display unit, comprising:

1) when one of the function keys is actuated, enabling the terminal to selectively perform;

a) execution of a function assigned to the actuated function key, or

b) displaying help text, on the display unit, explaining the function of the actuated function key;

2) determining whether to effect said execution or said displaying with the terminal by at least one of;

a) detecting the way in which actuation of the actuated function key was performed by an operator, and

b) detecting the extent of the actuation of the actuated function key by the operator; and

wherein, prior to step

     2), one of a plurality of variations in the detection of at least one of the way and the extent of actuation of the actuated function key is selected either manually by the operator according to the operator'"'"'s knowledge of the terminal, or automatically by the terminal.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the displaying of help text explaining a function is performed by the terminal when it is determined by detecting in step 2b that the actuated function key was actuated a first time for a relatively long period of time, and

wherein execution of the function is performed by the terminal when it is determined by detecting in step 2b that the same function key was actuated a second time for a relatively short period of time.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the displaying of help text explaining a function is performed by the terminal when it is determined by detecting in step 2b that the actuated function key was depressed for longer than a predetermined minimum time.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein step 2 further comprises:

c) detecting and counting operation errors for at least one of the function keys, and comparing the count with an operation error quota;

wherein the initiation of the displaying of help text explaining a function is initiated when the operation errors counted exceeds the operation error quota.

11. A method according to claim 7, further comprising:

3) cancelling a display of help text explaining the function of the actuated function key if another of the function keys is subsequently actuated.

13. A method for facilitating the operation of a terminal equipped with function keys and a display unit, comprising:

selecting one out of a plurality of operational modes for the terminal;

manually actuating one the function keys in a first manner associated with the selected mode or in a second manner associated with the selected mode, the first and second manners differing from one another in at least one of the way and the extent that the function key is activated; and

detecting whether the actuated function key was actuated in the first or second manner associated with the selected mode;

executing a function assigned to the actuated function key if it was actuated in the first manner; and

displaying help text on the display unit about the function assigned to the actuated function key if it was actuated in the second manner.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein, for one of the operational modes, the second manner of actuation is a first depression of the function key and the first manner of actuation is a second depression of the function key.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein, for another of the operational modes, the first manner of actuation is depression of the function key for a first time period and the second manner of actuation is depression of the function key for a second time period that is longer than the first time period.

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising determining an operator error rate, and wherein, for a further one of the operational modes, the first manner of actuation is depression of the function key by an operator whose operator error rate is below a predetermined level and the second manner of actuation is depression of the function key by an operator whose operator error rate is above the predetermined level.

17. A method according to claim 13, wherein, for another of the operational modes, the first manner of actuation is depression of the function key for a first time period and the second manner of actuation is depression of the function key for a second time period that is longer than the first time period.

18. A method according to claim 13, further comprising determining an operator error rate, and wherein, for a further one of the operational modes, the first manner of actuation is depression of the function key by an operator whose operator error rate is below a predetermined level and the second manner of actuation is depression of the function key by an operator whose operator error rate is above the predetermined level.

19. A method according to claim 13, wherein the selecting step is conducted manually by an operator.

20. A method according to claim 13, wherein the selecting step is conducted automatically by the terminal.