Arrangement for dynamic allocation of space on a small display of a telephone terminal

• US 6,415,164 B1
• Filed: 03/17/1999
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Tuttle, Susan L., Dempski, David R., Herbst, Steven M., Katis, Nicholas H., Blanchard, Harry Edward, Palermo, Susan A., Chylinski, Kathleen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): APPIAH, CHARLES NANA
• Application Number:
  US09/271,036
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 379/355, 379/457, 379/387.01, 379/354, 379/93.17, 455/575, 455/145, 455/158.4, 455/566, 455/564, 455/550, 455/412, 455/414, 455/90, 345/146, 345/173, 345/333, 345/353, 345/352, 345/356, 345/357, 345/661, 345/810, 345/848
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

An arrangement for dynamically varying how space on a small display is allocated for presentation of various types of user information is provided. The arrangement optimizes utilization of space on small displays by dynamically allocating lines on the display for presentation of status or header-type information as well as menu item-type information. The arrangement configures the display such that lines therein are dedicatable in any combination to displaying these two types of information.

Claims

1. An arrangement for configuring a telephone terminal for displaying selectable information at the terminal, the arrangement comprising:

means for providing a first type of information comprising status or header type information available for display at a predetermined position in each one of a plurality of selectable display screens in the telephone terminal;

means for providing a second type of information comprising menu type information available for display at said predetermined position in each one of said plurality of selectable display screens in the telephone terminal; and

means for assigning a priority to said first or said second type of information for displaying in said predetermined position, said priority being determined by a selected one of said selectable display screens in which said information is displayed.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the first type of information is status type information.

3. The arrangement of claim 2 wherein the second type of information is menu-item type information.

4. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said information type without said assigned priority is assigned to a second predetermined position for display in said selected one of said selectable screens.

5. The arrangement of claim 4 wherein each of said display screens comprise a 4-line display.

6. The arrangement of claim 5 wherein responsive to said assigning means one of said four lines in said 4-line display is configured with said first type of information and three of said four lines in said display are configured with said second type of information.

7. The arrangement of claim 5 wherein responsive to said assigning means two of said four lines in said 4-line display are configured with said first type of information and two of said four lines in said display are configured with said second type of information.

8. The arrangement of claim 5 wherein responsive to said assigning means three of said four lines in said 4-line display are configured with said first type of information and one of said four lines in said display is configured with said second type of information.

9. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein the first type of information is status type information.

10. The arrangement of claim 9 wherein the second type of information is menu-item type information.

11. A method of configuring a telephone terminal for displaying selectable information at the terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a first type of information comprising status or header type information available for display at a predetermined position in each one of a plurality of selectable display screens in the telephone terminal;

providing a second type of information comprising menu type information available for display at said predetermined position in each one of said plurality of selectable display screens in the telephone terminal; and

assigning a priority to said first or said second type of information for displaying in said predetermined position, said priority being determined by a selected one of said selectable display screens in which said information is displayed.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said information type without said assigned priority is assigned to a second predetermined position for display in said selected one of said selectable screens.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein each of said display screens comprise a 4-line display.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein responsive to said assigning step one of said four lines in said 4-line display is configured with said first type of information and three of said four lines in said display are configured with said second type of information.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein responsive to said assigning means two of said four lines in said 4-line display are configured with said first type of information and two of said four lines in said display are configured with said second type of information.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein responsive to said assigning means three of said four lines in said 4-line display are configured with said first type of information and one of said four lines in said display is configured with said second type of information.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the first type of information is status type information.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the second type of information is menu-item type information.

19. An arrangement for configuring a telephone terminal for displaying selectable information at the terminal, the arrangement comprising:

means for providing a first type of information comprising status or header type information available for display at a predetermined position in each one of a plurality of selectable display screens in the telephone terminal;

means for assigning a priority to said first or said second type of information for displaying in said predetermined position, said priority being determined by a selected one of said selectable display screens in which said information is displayed; and

means for dynamically varying how space is allocated on the display for said first and second information to provide a flexible manner of organizing and presenting said first and second information.

20. A method of configuring a telephone terminal for displaying selectable information at the terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a first type of information comprising status or header type information available for display at a predetermined position in each one of a plurality of selectable display screens in the telephone terminal;

providing a second type of information comprising menu type information available for display at said predetermined position in each one of said plurality of selectable display screens in the telephone terminal;

assigning a priority to said first or said second type of information for displaying in said predetermined position, said priority being determined by a selected one of said selectable display screens in which said information is displayed; and

dynamically varying how space is allocated on the display for said first and second information to provide a flexible manner of organizing and presenting said first and second information.

21. An interactive display arrangement for dynamically varying how lines on a small display are allocated and configuring a telephone terminal for displaying selectable information at the terminal, the arrangement comprising:

means for providing a first type of information comprising status or header type information available for display at a predetermined position in each one of a plurality of selectable display screens in the telephone terminal;

means for providing a second type of information comprising menu type information available for display at said predetermined position in each one of said plurality of selectable display screens in the telephone terminal;

means for assigning a priority to said first or said second type of information displaying in said predetermined position, said priority being determined by a selected one of said selectable display screens in which said information is displayed; and

means for dynamically allocating one or more lines of said small display between the first and second types of information.