Method for forming an icon

• US 6,362,841 B1
• Filed: 02/19/1999
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Nykänen, Petri
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US09/253,126
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326, 345/339, 345/341, 345/349, 345/355, 345/356, 345/357, 345/700, 345/764, 345/784, 345/835, 345/839, 345/848, 345/853, 345/854, 709/202, 709/203, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for forming a device-specific icon (22,23) related to an external device (MS1, MS2, MS3) in a data processor (PC), in which the optical properties of the pixels are changed in order to present desired information. In this method, a local area link is established in order to transmit information between the said data processor and external device (MS1, MS2, MS3). In the external device (MS1, MS2, MS3) or in a determined communications address at least some device-specific information has been stored in advance. The icon information required to form the icon (22,23) is transmitted to the data processor (PC) from the external device (MS1, MS2, MS3), or the address indicating the storage location of the icon information is transferred to the data processor (PC) from the external device (MS1, MS2, MS3), wherein at least some of the icon information is transmitted from the storage location indicated in the storage address with the help of the data processor (PC). On the basis of the transmitted icon information the optical properties of the pixels in the display of the data processor (PC) are controlled in order to form and present an icon according to the icon information on the display (4).

Claims

1. A method for forming a device-specific icon (22,23) related to an external device (MS1, MS2, MS3) in a data processor (PC), in which the optical properties of pixels are changed in order to present desired information, comprising the steps of

a local area link is established in order to transmit information between said data processor (PC) and external device (MS1, MS2, MS3),

at least some device-specific icon information has been previously stored in the external device,

the icon information required to form an icon (22,23) is transmitted to the data processor (PC) from the external device (MS1, MS2, MS3),

and that on the basis of transferred icon information the optical properties of the pixels in the display (4) of the data processor (PC) are controlled in order to form and present an icon according to the icon information on the display (4).

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of the icon information being retrieved at the stage when the external device (MS1, MS2, MS3) is identified, wherein the retrieved icon information is stored in the data processor (PC).

3. A method according to claim 1, in which it is possible to set up a data transmission connection from the data processor (PC) to the Internet communication network, comprising the steps of the icon information being stored in a storage location in the Internet communication network, and a URL address, or the like, is stored in the external device (MS1, MS2, MS3).

4. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of the visual information presented in the display (4) is stored in a display memory (15).

5. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of the icon information is transmitted in a wireless manner to the data processor (PC).

6. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of the icon information is formed of icon information elements stored in two or more storage locations.

7. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of the external device (MS1, MS2, MS3) is a wireless communication device.

8. A wireless communication device (MS1, MS2, MS3), comprising means (3,10) for establishing a local area link for data transmission between a data processor (PC) and the wireless communication device (MS1, MS2, MS3), in which the data processor (PC) comprises a display (4) and means (14, 16R, 16G, 16B) for changing the optical properties of pixels in the display (4), and means for forming an icon on the display (4), the wireless communication device(MS1, MS2, MS3) comprises further:

means (3,10) for establishing the local area link for the data transmission between the data processor (PC) and the wireless communication device (MS1, MS2, MS3), and icon information or a storage location address of the icon information stored in a storage medium (9) for forming an icon (22,23) related to the wireless communication device (MS1, MS2, MS3) in the data processor (PC).

9. A wireless communication device (MS1, MS2, MS3) according to claim 8, further comprising the icon information contains at least two icon information elements.

10. A wireless communication device (MS1, MS2, MS3) according to claim 9, further comprising at least one icon information element contains user-specific wireless communication device information, such as the name or phone number of the user.

11. A method for forming a device-specific icon (22,23) related to an external device (MS1, MS2, MS3) in a data processor (PC), in which the optical properties of pixels are changed in order to present desired information, comprising the steps of a local area link is established in order to transmit information between said data processor (PC) and external device (MS1, MS2, MS3), an address indicating storage location of the device-specific icon information is transmitted to the data processor (PC) from an external device (MS1, MS2, MS3), wherein at least some icon information is transmitted by the data processor (PC) from the storage location indicated in a storage address, and that on the basis of transferred icon information the optical properties of the pixels in the display (4) of the data processor (PC) are controlled in order to form and present an icon according to the icon information on the display (4).

12. A method according to claim 11, comprises the step of the visual information presented in the display (4) being stored in a display memory (15).

13. A method according to claim 11, comprises the step of the icon information being transmitted in a wireless manner to the data processor.

14. A method according to claim 11, comprises the step of the icon information being formed of icon information elements stored in two or more storage locations.

15. A method according to claim 11, comprises the step of the external device (MS1 MS2, MS3) being a wireless communication device.

16. An electronic device (MS1, MS2, MS3) comprising means (3,10) for establishing a local area link for data transmission between a second electronic device (MS1, MS2, MS3, LPC, PR, PC) and said electronic device (MS1, MS2, MS3), said electronic device comprising a display (4);

and means (14, 16R, 16G, 16B) for changing the optical properties of pixels on the display (4); and

means for forming an icon related to the second electronic device on the display (4) on the basis of a device-specific information which the second electronic device has provided to said electronic device.

17. An electronic device (MS1, MS2, MS3) according to claim 16, comprising the device-specific icon information or address of such device-specific icon information being provided by the second electronic device contains at least two icon information elements.

18. An electronic device (MS1, MS2, MS3) according to claim 16, further comprises that at least one icon information element contains user-specific communication device information, such as the name or phone number of the user.

19. An electronic device (MS1, MS2, MS3) according to claim 16, further comprises that at least one electronic device may be a wireless communication device.