Dynamically autoconfigured feature browser for a communication terminal

• US 6,791,586 B2
• Filed: 10/20/1999
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Baker, Albert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Mylinh T
• Application Number:
  US09/421,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20030080993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,791 Days
• Field of Search: 345/811, 345/812, 345/854, 345/160, 345/168, 345/738, 345/739, 345/733, 345/744, 345/745, 345/747, 345/825, 379/387, 379/93.17, 455/566
• US Class Current: 715/811
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• 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

A feature presentation order for a feature browser display of a communication system terminal is controlled in accordance with user-specific feature utilization history information. The utilization history information may include a set of utilization counters for each of a number of features supported by the system, and the presentation order may be determined by sorting the utilization values of the corresponding features in an increasing or decreasing order. Advantageously, the invention allows different user-specific utilization-based feature presentation orders to be provided to different users of the system.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an order of presentation of at least one feature on a display of a terminal in a communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining utilization history information for each of a plurality of features accessible through the display of the terminal, said terminal having a plurality of user-actuable keys arranged thereon, including at least a first key for navigating through the plurality of features of the terminal, one or more of the features of the terminal each corresponding to a function performed by the terminal, and a second key for activating a given one of the features having an identifier thereof displayed in a designated area of the display; and

determining a feature presentation order for presentation of at least a subset of the plurality of features on the display of the terminal based at least in part on the utilization history information for those features;

wherein the utilization history information comprises one or more of a plurality of feature presentation management tables, each of the feature presentation management tables being maintained for a corresponding one of a plurality of different terminal states, different feature presentation orders thereby being providable for each of the different terminal states.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the display displays an identifier of one of the features at a time, and the feature corresponding to the displayed identifier is activated by depression of a select key on the terminal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the display simultaneously displays identifiers of multiple features, and a particular one of the features corresponding to the displayed identifiers is activated by entry of at least one command on the terminal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the display in response to depression of at least one navigation key on the terminal sequentially displays feature identifiers in accordance with the determined presentation order.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the utilization history information is maintained for a particular user associated with the terminal.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the utilization history information comprises values of utilization counters associated with each of the plurality of features.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the presentation order is determined by sorting the utilization values of the corresponding features in an increasing or decreasing order.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein a reduction operation is periodically applied to each of the utilization counters.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of maintaining the utilization history information and determining the presentation order are implemented at least in part in processing elements associated with the terminal.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of maintaining the utilization history information and determining the presentation order are implemented at least in part in processing elements associated with a switch of the communication system.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the utilization history information is maintained for each of the plurality of features without regard to a particular state of the terminal.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of states comprise at least a subset of an on hook state, an off hook state and an active state.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the utilization history information and presentation order are in the form of at least one feature presentation management table, the feature presentation management table comprising for each of the features a feature identifier, a utilization counter and a presentation order number.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein a particular presentation order determined in accordance with the utilization history information is maintained without further utilization-based alteration upon entry of a corresponding command by a user at the terminal.

15. An apparatus for use in a communication system, comprising:

a terminal including a display, said terminal having a plurality of user-actuable keys arranged thereon, including at least a first key for navigating through a plurality of features of the terminal, one or more of the features of the terminal each corresponding to a function performed by the terminal, said one or more features being accessible through the display of the terminal, and a second key for activating a given one of the features having an identifier thereof displayed in a designated area of the display, wherein a feature presentation order for presentation of features on the display of the terminal is determined based at least in part on utilization history information maintained for those features;

wherein the utilization history information comprises one or more of a plurality of feature presentation management tables, each of the feature presentation management tables being maintained for a corresponding one of a plurality of different terminal states, different feature presentation orders thereby being providable for each of the different terminal states.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the utilization history maintenance and feature order presentation determination are implemented at least in part in the terminal.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the utilization history maintenance and feature order presentation determination are implemented at least in part in a switch of the communication system.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a communication system switch operative to interact with a terminal including a display, said terminal having a plurality of user-actuable keys arranged thereon, including at least a first key for navigating through a plurality of features of the terminal, one or more of the features of the terminal each corresponding to a function performed by the terminal, said one or more features being accessible through the display of the terminal, and a second key for activating a given one of the features having an identifier thereof displayed in a designated area of the display, wherein a feature presentation order for presentation of at least a subset of the features on the display of the terminal is determined based at least in part on utilization history information maintained for those features;

wherein the utilization history information comprises one or more of a plurality of feature presentation management tables, each of the feature presentation management tables being maintained for a corresponding one of a plurality of different terminal states, different feature presentation orders thereby being providable for each of the different terminal states.

19. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-readable storage medium storing one or more programs for implementing a method of controlling a terminal in a communication system, said terminal having a plurality of user-actuable keys arranged thereon, including at least a first key for navigating through a plurality of features of the terminal, one or more of the features of the terminal each corresponding to a function performed by the terminal, said one or more features being accessible through the display of the terminal, and a second key for activating a given one of the features having an identifier thereof displayed in a designated area of the display, wherein the one or more programs when executed maintain utilization history information for each of the plurality of features accessible through the display of the terminal, and determine a feature presentation order for presentation of at least a subset of the plurality of features on the display of the terminal based at least in part on the utilization history information for those features;

wherein the utilization history information comprises one or more of a plurality of feature presentation management tables, each of the feature presentation management tables being maintained for a corresponding one of a plurality of different terminal states, different feature presentation orders thereby being providable for each of the different terminal states.

20. A method of controlling an order of presentation of at least one feature on a display of a terminal in a communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining utilization history information for each of a plurality of features accessible through the display of the terminal; and

determining a feature presentation order for presentation of at least a subset of the plurality of features on the display of the terminal based at least in part on the utilization history information for those features,

wherein said plurality of features comprises at least one telephony-related feature including at least one of an autodial feature for placing a call from the terminal to a specified telephone number, a call hold feature for holding a telephone call placed to the terminal, a call conference feature for conferencing a plurality of calls connected with the terminal, and a call transfer feature for transferring a telephone call from the terminal to another communication device; and

wherein the utilization history information comprises one or more of a plurality of feature presentation management tables, each of the feature presentation management tables being maintained for a corresponding one of a plurality of different terminal states, different feature presentation orders thereby being providable for each of the different terminal states.

21. An apparatus for use in a communication system, comprising:

a terminal including a display, wherein a feature presentation order for presentation of features on the display of the terminal is determined based at least in part on utilization history information maintained for those features, wherein said features comprise at least one telephony-related feature including at least one of an autodial feature for placing a call from the terminal to a specified telephone number, a call hold feature for holding a telephone call placed to the terminal, a call conference feature for conferencing a plurality of calls connected with the terminal, and a call transfer feature for transferring a telephone call from the terminal to another communication device;

wherein the utilization history information comprises one or more of a plurality of feature presentation management tables, each of the feature presentation management tables being maintained for a corresponding one of a plurality of different terminal states, different feature presentation orders thereby being providable for each of the different terminal states.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a communication system switch operative to interact with a terminal including a display, wherein a feature presentation order for presentation of features on the display of the terminal is determined based at least in part on utilization history information maintained for those features, wherein said features comprise at least one telephony-related feature including at least one of an autodial feature for placing a call from the terminal to a specified telephone number, a call hold feature for holding a telephone call placed to the terminal, a call conference feature for conferencing a plurality of calls connected with the terminal, and a call transfer feature for transferring a telephone call from the terminal to another communication device;

wherein the utilization history information comprises one or more of a plurality of feature presentation management tables, each of the feature presentation management tables being maintained for a corresponding one of a plurality of different terminal states, different feature presentation orders thereby being providable for each of the different terminal states.

23. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-readable storage medium storing one or more programs for implementing a method of controlling a terminal in a communication system, wherein the one or more programs when executed maintain utilization history information for each of a plurality of features accessible through the display of the terminal, and determine a feature presentation order for presentation of at least a subset of the plurality of features on the display of the terminal based at least in part on the utilization history information for those features, wherein said plurality of features comprises at least one telephony-related feature including at least one of an autodial feature for placing a call from the terminal to a specified telephone number, a call hold feature for holding a telephone call placed to the terminal, a call conference feature for conferencing a plurality of calls connected with the terminal, and a call transfer feature for transferring a telephone call from the terminal to another communication device;

wherein the utilization history information comprises one or more of a plurality of feature presentation management tables, each of the feature presentation management tables being maintained for a corresponding one of a plurality of different terminal states, different feature presentation orders thereby being providable for each of the different terminal states.