Method and apparatus for displaying a message which has been received

• US 6,351,656 B1
• Filed: 09/05/1997
• Issued: 02/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lerner, Kenneth S., Burgan, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester G.
• Application Number:
  US08/924,261
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 455/38.1, 455/38.4, 455/31.1, 455/67.7, 455/550, 455/566, 455/527, 455/528, 455/466, 329/355, 329/58, 340/825.41, 340/825.44, 340/825.45, 340/825.5, 713/340, D14/138
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/227 with call or message storage means

Abstract

A communication device such as pager (100) includes a controller (110) which decodes an incoming high priority message (402) and stores it in memory (112). A user control (116) such as a “Read” control switch is then used to present at least a portion of the high priority message on a display (106). Once the high priority message has been read, the message data of the high priority message is persistently presented on display until a user decides to delete the message. Depending on the size of the display, a portion or all of the message data is presented. If the display is too small to accommodate at one time all message data of a high priority message, portions of the message data of the high priority message are displayed for a predetermined period on a rotating basis. If there are more than one high priority message that are to be persistently displayed, each high priority message is displayed for a predetermined period on a rotating basis.

Claims

1. A method at a battery-powered communications device for presenting messages on a display of the communication device after reception of the messages at the communication device, including at least one message pre-designated by a sender of the message prior to reception of the message at the communication device as a high priority message, the messages including message data, the device having a user control, the display also for presenting other function information, comprising the steps of:

(a) presenting on the display message data of one message of the messages in response to activating the user control; and

(b) activating the user control to present on the display other function information, and in response thereto,

presenting on the display both the other function information and at least a portion of the message data of the one message of step (a) if the one message of step (a) was pre-designated a high priority message by the sender of the one message prior to reception of the one message at the communication device, otherwise

presenting on the display the other function information and none of the message data of the one message of step (a).

2. A method for presenting messages on a display of a communication device after reception of the messages at the communication device, including at least one message pre-designated prior to reception of the message at the communication device as a high priority message, the messages including message data, the device having a user control, comprising the steps of:

presenting on the display message data of a first message in response to activating the user control; and

activating the user control to present on the display message data of a second message, and in response thereto,

presenting on the display both at least a portion of the message data of the second message and at least a portion of the message data of the first message if the first message was pre-designated a high priority message by the sender of the first message prior to reception of the first message at the communication device, otherwise

presenting on the display at least a portion of the message data of the second message and none of the message data of the first message.

3. In a communication device having a display for presenting message data of messages received by the communication device, a method of presenting the messages on the display, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a high priority message, the high priority message having been pre-designated by a sender of the high priority message as a high priority message prior to being received by the communication device;

(b) presenting the high priority message;

(c) designating the high priority message as having been read by the user of the communication device;

(d) dividing the message data of the high priority into a plurality of portions; and

(e) presenting the message data of the high priority message in a persistent manner after the high priority message had been designated by the user of the communication device as having been read by the user by repeatedly presenting the portions in an alternating fashion so that the user can read the whole high priority message.

4. The method of claim 3, including, subsequent to step (e), the step of:

(f) stopping the presenting of step (e) in response to the user deleting the high priority message.

5. In a communication device having a display for presenting message data of a plurality of messages received by the communication device, at least two messages of the plurality of messages having been pre-designated by a sender of the at least two messages as high priority messages prior to being received by the communication device, a method of presenting the plurality of messages on the display, comprising the steps of:

(a) presenting at least a portion of the message data of a first high priority message in a persistent manner after the first high priority message had been designated by a user of the communication device as having been read by the user of the communication device;

(b) presenting another high priority message;

(c) designating the another high priority message as having been read;

(d) subsequent to step (c), removing from the display the at least a portion of the message data of the first high priority message and presenting in its place for only a predetermined period of time at least a portion of the message data of the other high priority message; and

(e) at the end of the predetermined period of time, removing from the display the at least a portion of the message data of the other high priority message and presenting for only the predetermined period of time at least a portion of the message data of the first high priority message.

6. The method of claim 5, including, subsequent to step (e), the step of:

(f) repeating steps (d) and (e) until at least one of the high priority message and the other high priority message is deleted by the user of the communication device.