Personal communication device and call process status signalling method

• US 6,359,550 B1
• Filed: 04/08/1999
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Van Schyndel, Andre, Brisebois, Michel A., French-St. George, Marilyn, Mahan, Laura A.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/288,309
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 340/407.1, 340/407.2, 340/311.2, 340/825.44, 340/825.46, 340/825.19, 341/21, 455/351, 455/347, 343/117
• US Class Current: 340/407.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/047 Vibrating means for incoming calls

Abstract

An array of stimulators associated with a personal communications device for providing the user with tactile messaging respecting call processing or call network status. The array is positioned on the device so as to be in contact with the user while the terminal is carried or worn, on a wrist, for example. The stimulators of the array, are activated independently so as to provide the user with an encoded message of call processes such as alerting, dial tone, busy signal, etc. Preferably each status is associated with one of a set of unique patterns of operation of the stimulators recognizable by the user as tactile image or pattern of operation, rather than necessitating tactile sensation of individual sequences of each stimulator. Advantageously audio and haptic signalling is synchronised to provide a tactile warning to alert user to impending audio signal, and thereby allow a lower level, i.e. quieter, audio signal to be used, because the user is primed by the tactile signal to expect the audio signalling. Thus the audio threshold for effective signalling is reduced and obtrusiveness of audio signalling in public places may be reduced when used in combination with tactile messaging.

Claims

1. A personal communication device capable of audio messaging and comprising a wearable unit carrying an array of actuatable stimulators for generating tactile messaging, the device comprising:

means for accepting network status and call progression signalling from a communications network,

means for generating audio signals indicating individual network status and call progression signals, and

means for converting the network status and call progression signalling into an encoded message for driving the stimulators in unique patterns providing a tactile signal associated with a corresponding audio signal indicating network status and call progression signals, the duration and sequence of each unique pattern being under network control and synchronized with associated audio signals,

whereby network status and call progression signalling is provided by synchronized audio messaging and tactile messaging.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein tactile messaging precedes audio messaging of network status and call progression signalling.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the network status and call progression signalling comprises one of alerting, ringing, dial tone, busy signal, call waiting, called party, ringback, network busy, and other indications of call status or network status.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein each network status and call progression signal is associated with a tactile encoded message corresponding to a unique pattern.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein individual stimulators of the array of stimulators are independently actuatable.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein each stimulator comprises a piezoelectric vibrator.

8. The device of claim 5 wherein at least one of said individual stimulators being located within a protective depression.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the diameter of said protective depression is variable.

10. A device according to claim 1 comprising wrist worn unit carrying the array of stimulators for providing a user with tactile messaging.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the array of stimulators comprises independently actuatable stimulators positioned for direct contact with a user of said device, the stimulators being actuatable by electro-mechanical means whereby tactile call process status messaging is delivered to said user.

12. The device of claim 11 being a wrist worn device.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the stimulators are located in a spaced relationship on the back face of the device.

14. The device of claim 13, having an associated band for securing said device to a user'"'"'s wrist, at least one of said stimulators being located on the band.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein the stimulators provide tactile messaging preceding audio messaging.

16. The device of claim 1 intended to be worn around a user'"'"'s neck.

17. The device of claim 1 intended to be carried in a user'"'"'s hand.

7. The device of claim wherein the array of stimulators comprises a plurality of electro-mechanical vibrators.

18. A method of signalling one of a plurality of network status and call progression status signals to a user of a personal communication device capable of audio messaging and comprising a wearable unit carrying an array of actuatable stimulators for generating tactile messaging, the method comprising:

accepting network status and call progression signalling from a communications network,

generating an audio signal indicating network status and call progression signalling, and

converting the network status and call progression signalling into an encoded message for driving the stimulators in unique patterns providing a tactile signal associated with the corresponding audio signal indicating network status and call progression signals, the duration and sequence of each unique pattern being under network control and synchronized with associated audio signal.

19. A method according to claim 18 comprising providing the tactile signal preceding the associated audio signal, and subsequently providing synchronized audio and tactile signals.

20. The method of claim 18 comprising independently driving each stimulator of the array to generate a vibratory pattern corresponding to each call process status signal.

21. The method according to claim 18 wherein network status and call progression signalling comprises one of alerting, ringing, dial tone, busy signal, call waiting, called party, ringback, network busy, and other indications of networks status or call progression status.

22. The method of claim 21 comprising generating a unique pattern for each respective status signal.

23. The method of claim 22 comprising independently driving each stimulator of the array to generate a vibratory pattern corresponding to each respective status signal.

24. The method of claim 18 comprising detecting signalling to said device;

converting said signalling into and encoded message comprising digitally encoded data; and

actuating the stimulators by supplying said encoded data to the array of actuatable stimulators.

25. A method as defined in claim 24 comprising independently actuating individual stimulators.

26. A method according to claim 18 comprising spatially and temporally encoding the tactile signal to correspond to conventional audio signals indicating network status and call progression signalling.

27. A personal communication device capable of audio messaging and comprising a wearable unit carrying an array of actuatable stimulators for generating tactile messaging, the device comprising:

an input for accepting network status and call progression signalling from a communications network

a processor for generating audio signals indicating individual network status and call progression signals, and for converting the call process status signalling into an encoded message for driving the stimulators in unique patterns providing a tactile signal associated with a corresponding audio signal indicating network status and call progression signals, the duration and sequence of each unique pattern being under network control and synchronized with associated audio signals,

whereby network status and call progression signalling is provided by synchronized audio and tactile messaging.