Automatic NAM programming of radio telephone

• US 6,052,581 A
• Filed: 06/06/1997
• Issued: 04/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: O'Connell, Donal, McKillop, Tony, Yiu, Donald, Grimmett, Alan, Butler, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): TROST IV, WILLIAM GEORGE
• Application Number:
  US08/870,891
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/414, 455/550, 455/551, 455/564-565
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

Apparatus for remotely programming a radio telephone with identification data. The apparatus receives and decodes DTMF signals indicative of the identification data and controls storage of the identification data at predetermined memory locations in the radio telephone.

Claims

1. A method for programming a radio telephone comprising the steps:

receiving signals by the telephone, received in response to a user'"'"'s request, at an antenna of the telephone, the signals being representative of character indicative frequencies;

decoding the received signals provided in response to the user'"'"'s request by circuitry inside the telephone;

storing data derived from the decoded signals at predetermined memory locations in the radio telephone;

enabling a menu function having user selectable settings in response to the derived data being stored at the predetermined memory locations such that a user can select between the user selectable settings of the enabled menu function, the step of enabling comprising determining which menu functions are available to a user by reviewing at least one look up table stored in the telephone,

wherein, prior to enabling the menu function, the selectable settings were not available to a user of the radio telephone, and wherein contents of the at least one look up table are programmed, at least partially, with use of the received signals.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the signals representative of character indicative frequencies are signals indicative of frequency pairs.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein the predetermined memory locations are in the at least one look up table and the step of storing stores the data derived from the decoded signals in the at least one look up table.

4. A method for programming a radio telephone comprising steps of:

receiving radio frequency signals by an antenna of the telephone;

programming contents of at least one look up table of the telephone based upon information contained in the received signals; and

enabling a previously unavailable menu function, in response to the step of programming, such that a user can select user selectable settings of the enabled menu function, wherein the step of enabling comprises determining which menu functions are available to the user and which menu functions are not available to the user based upon the contents of the at least one look up table.