Method and apparatus for taking a note while in a call

• US 6,442,251 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2000
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Access Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Maes, Stephane, Vialle, Benoit, Twerdahl, Tim, Robertson, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US09/675,363
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93-7-, 379/93-3-, 379/110.01, 379/354-355, 379/356.01, 379/357-3-3
• US Class Current: 379/93.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/275 implemented by means of portable electronic directories
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/68 with means for recording information, e.g. telephone number during a conversation recording of telephone conversations H04M1/656

Abstract

A phone application includes a note button. During a call, when the note button is pressed, a note entry screen is presented to a user. The note entry screen is pre-populated with information already known about the phone call (number of caller, number dialed, name of caller, name of person called, etc.). The know information is retrieved from network data, including phone number and caller id for incoming calls, and the number dialed for outgoing calls, each in conjunction with the user'"'"'s address book. The user completes the note entry screen including any notes the user wishes to make regarding the phone call. Upon completion of the note, if an address book entry has not been made or is incomplete, an address book entry screen is presented to the user to make or complete an entry for the caller/person called. The phone application runs on a PDA having telephone capabilities.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a phone application configured to allow a user to place and receive telephone calls;

a note button; and

a note device that operates upon activation of said note button;

wherein;

said note device is configured to,

present a note entry screen to said user,

pre-populate, without user input, note fields of said note entry screen with information known about a phone call in which said user is currently engaged, and

take a note during a telephone call and

said information comprises data based on caller-id information of the telephone call.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said note button is accessible at least during telephone calls placed or received via said phone application.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said information known about the phone call comprises caller-id information.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said information known about the phone call comprises caller-id information that is placed in a note field that is selected by the note device based on a time of day in which the telephone call occurred.

5. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the selected note field is work phone when the phone call occurs during working hours and the selected note field is home phone when the phone call occurs during non-working hours.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said pre-populated note fields include at least one of a telephone number field, a name field, a date field, a time stamp field, and a duration field.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said note button is a physical hard button on said electronic device.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a touch sensitive screen;

wherein said note button is displayed on the touch sensitive screen.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein said note button is activated by anyone of a tap, tapping, touch, tap &

hold, mouse click, tab &

select, Alt+key, and other activation techniques.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

said note device is further configured to recognize a current phone call having a previous note entry, and to associate the current note taken with the previous note entry.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein said current note taken is appended to the previous note entry.

12. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display screen;

wherein said phone application further comprises,

a dialer device configured to display a dialing mechanism on said display screen for controlling telephone call operations, and

said dialing mechanism comprises at least a telephone keypad, telephone operation control buttons, and a note button.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein said dialing mechanism includes an input that reconfigures the arrangement of keys and buttons of said dialing mechanism.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein said reconfiguration comprises swapping locations of the buttons and keypad between each of configurations preferred for right hand and left hand operations.

15. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a processor device;

wherein said phone application and said note device are programs executed on said processor.

16. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

said note device is further configured to update an address book maintained on said electronic device, if an entry corresponding to the number of a received or dialed telephone call is not currently in the address book.

17. A method of operating a PDA, comprising the steps of:

receiving a note signal from a user during a telephone call;

opening a new note entry screen having at least one field for placement of data about said phone call, and a user modifiable note field;

pre-populating at least one of said data fields with information regarding said telephone call; and

displaying the new note entry screen;

wherein;

said information comprises data based on caller-id information about said phone call; and

said step of pre-populating is performed only by the PDA just prior to displaying the note entry screen without user input.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said information comprises at least one of date, time, name, and telephone number.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

checking for a telephone number of the caller or person called against an address book of said user; and

pre-populating said data fields with any data found in an address book entry matching said telephone number.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

updating an address book based on information collected regarding said telephone call in an address book entry having a same telephone number as said telephone call.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein said duration field is one of a duration of said telephone call and a duration of an amount of time required for the user to make a note.

22. A computer readable media having instructions stored thereon, said instructions, when loaded into and executed by a computer or processing device, perform the steps of:

receiving a note signal;

opening a new note entry screen having,

at least one field for placement of data about a telephone call placed or received by a user, and

a user modifiable note field;

pre-populating at least one of said data fields with information regarding said telephone call; and

displaying the new note entry screen;

wherein;

said information comprises data based on caller-id data of the telephone call.

23. The computer readable media according to claim 22, wherein said computer readable media is located on a Palm™

type PDA device having built in telephone capabilities configured to administer the telephone call.

24. The computer readable media according to claim 22, wherein said instructions, when loaded into and executed by a computer or processing device, further perform the steps of:

determining if there exists an address book entry corresponding to the telephone call in an address book maintained on a PDA executing the instructions stored on the computer readable media; and

if the corresponding address book entry does not exist, then, creating an address book entry with data used in pre-populating the data fields of the note.

25. The computer readable media according to claim 22, wherein the data fields include a work phone, data field, and a home phone data field, one of which is pre-populated with the call-id data based on a time of the telephone call.

26. An electronic device comprising:

a phone application configured to allow a user to place and receive telephone calls;

a note button; and

a note device that operates upon activation of said note button;

wherein;

said note device is further configured such that when the note button is pressed without a call in progress, a new note is created having a blank note area and at least one note field pre-populated by the note device with information regarding a last call of said phone application that has already terminated.

27. The electronic device according to claim 26, wherein said information is based on caller-id data of the already terminated last call.