Pager with a touch-sensitive display screen and method for transmitting a message therefrom

• US 6,633,746 B1
• Filed: 11/16/1998
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Inventors: Walsh, Patrick Jay, Myers, Theodore James
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US09/192,908
• Time in Patent Office: 1,793 Days
• Field of Search: 455/31.1, 455/31.2, 455/31.3, 455/566, 455/38.4, 455/550, 455/575, 455/517, 345/173, 345/174, 345/175, 345/176, 345/177, 340/825.26, 340/7.2, 340/7.21, 340/7.22, 340/7.55
• US Class Current: 340/7.55
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/171 by use of digital ink
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/401 for selecting or indicating operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry

Abstract

An improved pager with a touch-sensitive display screen and method for transmitting a message therefrom is provided. Inputting a message onto the touch-sensitive display screen greatly facilitates sending a message from the pager and is more versatile than using navigation or soft keys to transmit built-in messages or using a small keyboard to type in messages. The pager of the preferred embodiments is operative to convert the inputted symbols into a text message and transmit the text message to a paging network. Because the pager transmits the content represented by the inputted symbols, the pager of the preferred embodiments is more versatile than pagers using ink-based systems, which merely transmit the image of the inputted symbol. If the pager is equipped with a browser application, the message from the pager can take the form of a request to a server located in a telecommunication network.

Claims

1. A pager comprising:

a touch-sensitive display screen;

an input detector coupled with the touch-sensitive display screen and operative to detect a symbol written on the touch-sensitive display screen;

an input-to-text converter coupled with the input detector and operative to convert the detected symbol into a text character;

an application module coupled with the input-to-text converter and operative to create a text message comprising the text character; and

a communication module coupled with the application module and operative to transmit the text message from the pager;

wherein the application module comprises a browser application.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the browser application comprises a thin device-based browser.

3. A pager comprising:

a touch-sensitive display screen operative to receive a written symbol;

an input-to-text converter coupled with the touch-sensitive display screen and operative to convert the written symbol into a text character;

an application module coupled with the input-to-text converter, the application module comprising a browser application; and

a communication module coupled with the input-to-text converter and operative to transmit a text message comprising at least the converted character from the pager.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein the input-to-text converter comprises a handwriting recognition module.

5. The invention of claim 3 wherein the input-to-text converter comprises a notational language module.

6. The invention of claim 3, wherein the browser application comprises a thin device-based browser.

7. A pager comprising:

a touch-sensitive display screen;

first means for receiving a symbol written on the touch-sensitive display screen;

second means for converting the received symbol into a text character;

third means for transmitting a text message from the pager, the text message comprising at least the converted text character; and

a browser application.

8. The invention of claim 7, wherein the browser application comprises a thin device-based browser.

9. A method for transmitting a text message from a pager comprising a touch-sensitive display screen, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a symbol written on a touch-sensitive display screen of a pager;

(b) converting the received symbol into a text character; and

(c) with a browser application on the pager, transmitting a text message from the pager, the text message comprising at least the text character converted in (b).

10. The method of claim 9, wherein (c) comprises transmitting a text message from the pager to a second pager, the text message comprising at least the text character converted in (b).

11. The method of claim 9, wherein (c) comprises transmitting a text message from the pager to a server in a telecommunications network, the text message comprising at least the text character converted in (b).

12. The invention of claim 9, wherein the browser application comprises a thin device-based browser.

13. A method for transmitting a request from a pager to a server in wireless communication with the pager, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a display region on a touch-sensitive display screen of a pager;

(b) receiving a signal indicating selection of the display region on the touch-sensitive display screen;

(c) with a browser application, transmitting a request associated with the selected display region from the pager to a server in wireless communication with the pager;

(d) receiving a symbol written on the touch-sensitive display screen of the pager;

(e) converting the received symbol into a text character; and

(f) transmitting a text message from the pager to the server, the text message comprising at least the text character converted in (e).

14. A method for transmitting a request from a pager to a Web server in wireless communication with the pager, the method comprising:

(a) with a browser application on a pager, displaying a Universal Resource Locator link on a touch-sensitive display screen of the pager;

(b) receiving a signal indicating selection of the Universal Resource Locator link on the touch-sensitive display screen;

(c) transmitting a request from the pager to a Web server associated with the selected Universal Resource Locator link;

(d) receiving a symbol written on the touch-sensitive display screen of the pager;

(e) converting the received symbol into a text character; and

(f) transmitting a text message from the pager to the server, the text message comprising at least the text character converted in (e).