Telephone set having a help key and methods and systems for use therewith

• US 6,618,478 B1
• Filed: 09/27/1999
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ameritech Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pelletier, Karen Jeanne, Stuckman, Bruce Edward, Heinmiller, Wayne Robert, Israelski, Edmond W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US09/406,215
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 379/355.01, 379/116, 379/52, 379/216.01
• US Class Current: 379/355.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/56 including a user help function

Abstract

A telephone set comprises a help key, a telephone service key to initiate a telephone service, and a logic circuit. The logic circuit detects a simultaneous actuation of the help key and the telephone service key, and in response thereto, retrieves help information specific to the telephone service.

Claims

1. A telephone set comprising:

a help key;

a first telephone service key to initiate a first telephone service; and

a logic circuit to detect a simultaneous actuation of the help key and the first telephone service key, and in response thereto, to retrieve help information specific to the first telephone service, wherein the help information comprises a message explaining a function of the first telephone service key.

2. The telephone set of claim 1 further comprising a second telephone service key to initiate a second telephone service, wherein the logic circuit is to detect a simultaneous actuation of the help key and the second telephone service key, and in response thereto, to retrieve help information specific to the second telephone service.

3. The telephone set of claim 1 further comprising a memory having the help information.

4. The telephone set of claim 1 further comprising an audio output device to audibly present the help information.

5. The telephone set of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of telephone dialing keys including ten digit keys, a pound key, and an asterisk key.

6. The telephone set of claim 1 further comprising a display device to visibly present the help information.

7. A telephone set comprising:

an audio output device;

a plurality of keys comprising a help key, a first telephone service key to initiate a first telephone service, a second telephone service key to initiate a second telephone service, and a plurality of dialing keys, the plurality of dialing keys comprising ten digit keys, a pound key, and an asterisk key;

a memory having first help information specific to the first telephone service and second help information specific to the second telephone service, wherein the at least one of the first help information and the second help information comprises a message explaining a function of at least one of the first telephone service key and the second telephone service key; and

a logic circuit responsive to the keys to retrieve the first help information for audible presentation using the audio output device in response to detecting a simultaneous actuation of the help key and the first telephone service key, to retrieve the second help information for audible presentation using the audio output device in response to detecting a simultaneous actuation of the help key and the second telephone service key, to dial a first vertical service code associated with the first telephone service in response to detecting actuation of the first telephone service key and non-actuation of the help key, and to dial a second vertical service code associated with the second telephone service in response to detecting actuation of the second telephone service key and non-actuation of the help key.

8. A system comprising:

a telephone server having help information specific to a first telephone service, and

a telephone set comprising a help key and a first telephone service key to initiate the first telephone service, the telephone set to place a telephone call to the telephone server in response to an actuation of the help key, and to transmit a first telephone service code within the telephone call in response to an actuation of the first telephone service key, wherein the help information comprises a message explaining a function of the first telephone service key;

wherein the telephone server is to receive the first telephone service code within the telephone call, and in response thereto, to provide help information specific to the first telephones service within the telephone call.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the telephone set further comprises a second telephone service key to initiate a second telephone service, wherein the telephone set is to transmit a second telephone service code within the telephone call in response to an actuation of the second telephone service key, and wherein the telephone server is responsive to receiving the second telephone service code to provide help information specific to the second telephone service within the telephone call.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the telephone set further comprises an audio output device to audibly present the help information.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the telephone set further comprises a plurality of telephone dialing keys including ten digit keys, a pound key, and an asterisk key.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the telephone set further comprises a display device to visibly present the help information.

13. A method comprising:

(a) providing a telephone set comprising a help key and a first telephone service key to initiate a first telephone service;

(b) detecting a simultaneous actuation of the help key and the first telephone service key; and

(c) retrieving help information specific to the first telephone service based on act (b), wherein the help information comprises a message explaining a function of the first telephone service key.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the telephone set further comprises a second telephone service key to initiate a second telephone service, the method further comprising:

(d) detecting a simultaneous actuation of the help key and the second telephone service key; and

(e) retrieving help information specific to the second telephone service based on act (d).

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

(d) audibly presenting the help information.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

(d) visibly presenting the help information.

17. A method comprising:

providing a telephone set comprising an audio output device, a memory, and a plurality of keys, the plurality of keys comprising a help key, a first telephone service key to initiate a first telephone service, a second telephone service key to initiate a second telephone service, and a plurality of dialing keys, the plurality of dialing keys comprising ten digit keys, a pound key, and an asterisk key, the memory having first help information specific to the first telephone service and second help information specific to the second telephone service;

retrieving the first help information for audible presentation using the audio output device in response to detecting a simultaneous actuation of the help key and the first telephone service key, wherein the first help information comprises a message explaining a function of the first telephone service key;

dialing a first vertical service code associated with the first telephone service in response to detecting an actuation of the first telephone service key and non-actuation of the help key;

retrieving the second help information for audible presentation using the audio output device in response to detecting a simultaneous actuation of the help key and the second telephone service key, wherein the second help information comprises a message explaining a function of the second telephone service key; and

dialing a second vertical service code associated with the second telephone service in response to detecting an actuation of the second telephone service key and non-actuation of the help key.

18. A method comprising:

providing a telephone set comprising a help key and a first telephone service key;

placing a telephone call to a telephone server in response to an actuation of the help key;

communicating, within the telephone call to the telephone server, a first telephone service code in response to an actuation of the first telephone service key; and

receiving, at the telephone server, the first telephone service code within the telephone call, and in response thereto, providing help information specific to the first telephone service within the telephone call, wherein the help information comprises a message explaining a function service key.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the telephone set further comprises a second telephone service key to initiate a second telephone service, the method further comprising:

communicating, within the telephone call to the telephone server, a second telephone service code in response to an actuation of the second telephone service key; and

receiving, at the telephone server, the second telephone service code within the telephone call, and in response thereto, providing help information specific to the second telephone service within the telephone call.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the telephone set further comprises an audio output device, the method further comprising audibly presenting the help information using the audio output device.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the telephone set further comprises a display device, the method further comprising visibly presenting the help information using the display device.

22. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a telephone set, comprising a help key and a first telephone service key to initiate a first telephone service, to detect a simultaneous actuation of the help key and the first telephone service key, and to retrieve help information specific to the first telephone service based thereon, wherein the help information comprises a message explaining a function of the first telephone service key.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein the telephone set further comprises a second telephone service key to initiate a second telephone service, and wherein the contents further cause the telephone set to detect a simultaneous actuation of the help key and the second telephone service key, and to retrieve help information specific to the second telephone service based thereon.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein the contents further cause the telephone set to audibly present the help information.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein the contents further cause the telephone set to visibly present the help information.