Multi-service mobile station

• US 6,445,932 B1
• Filed: 02/19/1997
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Rautiola, Markku, Sormunen, Toni, Toivanen, Jari, Soini, Veli-Matti, Halminen, Harri, Mäkelä, Jarmo J
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Application Number:
  US08/802,715
• Time in Patent Office: 2,022 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556, 455/557, 455/418, 455/74, 455/66, 455/90, 455/566, 455/567, 455/575
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/18 including more than one keyboard unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A multi-service mobile station comprises a module (42) for connecting the device by radio to a telecommunication network in order to utilize typical mobile station services, such as speech and data services. Additionally, the multi-service mobile station provides processing memory (41, 40, 47) for using various information processing services (P1, P2), such as telefax service and electronic mail service. When using information processing services, the information processed by the user is automatically saved in the memory (40, 47) of the multi-service mobile station when a certain criterium is met. The criteria are, e.g., shifting from one service to another, going over to current saving mode, or, in a two-section multi-service terminal device, folding the device together. It is also characteristic of the multi-service mobile station disclosed, that the automatic data storing and current saving methods operate in a close-knit cooperation with operating system, resulting in the longest possible battery operating time for the multi-service mobile station.

Claims

1. A multi-service mobile communication station which comprises:

means for connecting said mobile station by radio to a telecommunication network for using information processing services; and

a volatile memory for holding information;

a user interface for selecting said information processing service between at least a first service and a second service, and for receiving at least one command from a user and for allowing the user to edit information held in the volatile memory in the information processing service selected;

processing means for processing information related to the service selected, in accordance with the information processing service selected, and for processing information according to said at least one command and the user'"'"'s editing,

automatic storing means comprising a non-volatile memory for automatically storing in the non-volatile memory both information related to the service selected and the information edited by the user in response to meeting a predetermined criterion.

2. A multi-service mobile station according to claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises means for displaying information, and said automatic storing means stores status information related to said first and second service used in said automatic storage means and the information in said display, when a predetermined criterion is met.

3. A multi-service mobile station according to claim 2, wherein said processing means, responsive to when one of said first and second services is started, restores the status information related to said started service and the information which was in the display from said storage means, to the display of the multi-service mobile station in the form in which said status information and the information in the display were when said started service was last exited.

4. A multi-service mobile station to claim 3, wherein said central processing unit is arranged to start the last active service and to restore the status information related to said last active service and the latest information in display from said memory means to said display of the multi-service mobile station, when said first section and second section are unfolded apart from each other.

5. A multi-service mobile station according to claim 1, wherein said criterion is shifting from said first service over to said second service.

6. A multi-service mobile station according to claim 1, wherein the multi-service mobile station comprises means for measuring the operating voltage over battery and that said criterium is the dropping of said operating voltage below a certain, predetermined limiting value.

7. A multi-service mobile station according to claim 1, wherein said criterium is the moment when the multi-service mobile station is shifting to current saving mode.

8. A multi-service mobile station according to claim 1, wherein said criterion is the time elapsed since the previous storing in the non-volatile memory of both information related to the service selected and information edited by a user.

9. A multi-service mobile station according to claim 1, wherein the multi-service mobile station comprises means for using said first service and said second service simultaneously.

10. A multi-service mobile station according to claim 1, wherein said multi-service mobile station has at least two constructional sections, comprising a first section and a second section, which are arranged to fold in relation to each other utilizing a joint element, which is fixed to both sections, allowing the multi-service mobile station to be folded into a first position and a second position, and that said criterium is folding said first section and second section from said first position to second position or vice versa.

11. A multi-service mobile station according to claim 10, wherein said multi-service mobile station comprises a first user interface and a second user interface, and that when the multi-service mobile station is folded in a position in which said first section and second section draw apart, said first user interface is switched off and said second user interface is activated.

12. A multi-service mobile station according to claims 11, wherein said first user interface comprises a microphone and a loudspeaker for using the multi-service mobile station like a mobile station, and said second user interface comprises a microphone and a loudspeaker for using the multi-service mobile station like a hands-free telephone.

13. A multi-service mobile station according to claim 10, wherein said multi-service mobile station comprises a first user interface and a second user interface, and that when the multi-service mobile station is folded in a position in which said first section and second section fold against each other, said second user interface is switched off, and said first user interface is activated.

16. A multi-service mobile station according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined criterion is that the amount of the user input exceeds a predetermined limiting value.

14. A multi-service mobile station which comprises:

means for connecting said mobile station by radio to a telecommunication network for using typical mobile communication services, said communication services comprising at least one of speech and data services, and for using information processing services; and

a user interface for selecting an information processing service between at least a first service and a second service, and wherein the improvement comprises information storing means comprising;

automatic storage means for automatically storing information related to the one of said first and second services in use, and

user information storage means for storing information processed by a user, when a predetermined criterion is met and said criterion is met when the amount of information fed by a user to the multi-service mobile station exceeds a predetermined limiting value.

15. A multi-service mobile station comprising:

a processor for processing information in an information processing service;

a radio receiver for receiving information for use of the information processing service;

a volatile memory for receiving the information from the radio receiver;

a user interface for receiving user input;

wherein the processor is configured to process the information in the information processing service according to the user input; and

a non-volatile memory;

wherein the processor has been configured to automatically store, in response to a predetermined criterion, from the volatile memory into the non-volatile memory the information processed by the processor.

17. A multi-service mobile communication station having means for connecting said mobile station by radio to a telecommunication network for using mobile communication services which include speech and information retrieval services, said mobile communication station comprising:

a user interface for selecting among said mobile communication services, entering commands relating to said communication services, and for allowing the user to edit information obtained from said selected information retrieval services;

processing means for processing said information and commands entered through said user interface and controlling said information related to the service selected;

a volatile memory for storing information received from said selected service, including information edited through said user interface;

a non-volatile memory for storing information as directed by said processor;

wherein said processor automatically transfers information from said volatile memory to said non-volatile memory in response to the meeting of at least one predetermined criterion.

18. A multi-service mobile communication station having means for connecting said mobile station by radio to a telecommunication network for using mobile communication services which include speech and information retrieval services, said mobile communication station, as described in claim 17, wherein said at least one criterion is selected from the following events:

communication service changed, volatile memory storage limits exceeded, and/or power depleted below a predetermined limit.