Graphical user interface for a portable telephone

• US 6,282,435 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1999
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Herman, Jeffrey, Jellinek, Herbert, Booker, Susan, Wagner, Annette
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Application Number:
  US09/404,977
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550, 455/556, 455/557, 455/566, 455/535, 455/90, 455/158.4, 455/158.5, 345/333, 345/334, 345/369, 379/88.14
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A portable telephone provides a graphical user interface (GUI) using a high-resolution display. The GUI provides a Universal Mailbox for storing both electronic mail and voicemail messages, either of which can be accessed by a user from the same display screen. An automatic reply feature allows a user to initiate an outgoing reply to a received message with the touch of a button. For a reply to a voicemail message, the GUI accesses Caller ID information to automatically identify and dial out to the phone number of the sender of the original message. For an electronic mail reply, the GUI automatically displays a reply form addressed to the source address. Reply forms may be generic, custom designed for a specific source address, or provided by the sender. An advanced call control feature automatically checks an outgoing telephone number against a database to determine whether the phone number is currently appropriate. Alternative or more-appropriate phone numbers may be retrieved from the database and suggested to the user. An animated call duration indicator indicates the length of telephone calls. A ticker-tape display automatically displays scrolled text messages according to the context of what the user is doing.

Claims

1. A wireless portable telephone comprising:

control circuitry to control operation of the telephone to send and receive telephony signals over a wireless medium;

a transceiver coupled to the control circuitry to transmit and receive data and voice over the wireless medium; and

a display coupled to the control circuitry;

wherein the control circuitry is configured to automatically cause information to be scrolled across the display, wherein the telephone is operable in any of a plurality of user-selectable modes of use, including a news and information mode and an e-mail mode, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to automatically select the type of information to be scrolled across the display based on the currently selected mode of use of the telephone, wherein the information to be automatically scrolled comprises real-time news information received over the wireless medium when the telephone is in the news and information mode, and wherein the information to be scrolled comprises information relating to an e-mail message sent to the user of the telephone when the telephone is in the e-mail mode.

2. A wireless portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein the information comprises text information scrolled horizontally across the display.

3. A wireless portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein the telephone is configured to receive messages using the transceiver and to store the messages, and wherein the scrolled information comprises information indicating the presence of a received message.

4. A wireless portable telephone according to claim 3, wherein the scrolled information further comprises information identifying the source of the received message.

5. A wireless portable telephone according to claim 3, wherein the scrolled information further comprises information indicating the content of the received message.

6. A wireless portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein the scrolled information corresponds to data received from a remote source using the transceiver, the data having been previously requested by a user.

7. A wireless portable telephone according to claim 6, wherein the scrolled information is descriptive of the data received from the remote source.

8. A wireless portable telephone according to claim 1, further comprising a user input control, wherein the type of information scrolled across the display can be selected by the user from a plurality of selectable information types, using the user input control.

9. A wireless portable telephony device comprising:

control means for controlling operation of the telephone to send and receive voice over a wireless medium;

transceiver means for transmitting and receiving data and voice over the wireless medium;

display means for visually displaying a graphical user interface; and

scrolling means for automatically causing information to be scrolled across the display means, wherein the telephone is operable in any of a plurality of user-selectable modes of use, including a news and information mode and an e-mail mode, the scrolling means including means for automatically selecting the type of information to be scrolled based on the currently selected mode of use of the telephone, wherein the information to be automatically scrolled comprises real-time news information received over the wireless medium when the telephone is in the news and information mode, and wherein the information to be scrolled comprises information relating to a received e-mail message when the telephone is in the e-mail mode.

10. A wireless portable telephony device according to claim 9, wherein the information comprises text information scrolled horizontally across the display.

11. A wireless portable telephony device according to claim 9, wherein the telephone is configured to receive messages using the transceiver means and to store the messages, and wherein the scrolled information comprises information indicating the presence of a received message.

12. A wireless portable telephony device according to claim 11, wherein the scrolled information further comprises information identifying the source of the received message.

13. A wireless portable telephony device according to claim 11, wherein the scrolled information further comprises information indicating the content of the received message.

14. A wireless portable telephony device according to claim 9, wherein the scrolled information corresponds to data received from a remote source using the transceiver, the data having been previously requested by a user.