Method and system for remote activation of a telephone profile

• US 6,831,970 B1
• Filed: 09/21/2000
• Issued: 12/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Joe N., Awada, Faisal M., Crowley, Richard D., Rodriguez, Herman
• Primary Examiner(s): Deane, Jr., William J.
• Application Number:
  US09/666,273
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/201.05, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/212.01, 379/215.01, 379/88.12, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 455/456.4
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment

Abstract

A method and system for remotely and automatically selecting and activating a profile of a telephone. In particular, a user defines telephone profile activation information and communicates this information to the telephone to activate a desired profile during a certain event. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention includes a calendar application whereby the user may input scheduling information and profile associations so that calendar information and profile associations are transmitted by the calendar application to the telephone and activated upon occurrence and for the duration of an event. In an alternate embodiment, the method of the present invention includes having the telephone update the calendar application. The preset invention is capable of working in different time zones by converting the calendar information into the current time zone of the telephone.

Claims

1. A method for remotely activating a profile of a telephone, comprising:

creating at least one telephone profile that controls at least one function of the telephone;

inputting telephone profile activation information that associates an event scheduled on a calendar application of an external electronic device with the at least one telephone profile;

transmitting the telephone profile activation information and the at least one telephone profile to the telephone; and

automatically activating the at least one telephone profile by said telephone when the scheduled event occurs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein inputting is performed using a remote profile activator.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the external electronic device is a computer and the remote profile activator is a calendar application operating on the computer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the remote profile activator is at least one of:

(a) electronic mail;

(b) telephone;

(d) digital messaging;

(e) voice response system;

(f) online service provider.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

using the telephone to update telephone profile activation information; and

transmitting the updated telephone profile activation information to the remote profile activator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein telephone profile activation information comprises a plurality of telephone profiles.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the profile using features and functions of the telephone.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone is capable of receiving, storing and sequencing multiple profiles.

9. A method for automatically activating certain functions of a telephone, comprising:

associating calendar events of a calendar application located on an external electronic device with telephone profiles that control functions of the telephone;

transmitting the calendar information and the telephone profiles to the telephone; and

automatically activating the profiles by said telephone when associated events of the calendar application occurs.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the external electronic device is a computer and the calendar application operates on the computer and the event includes a duration of the event.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein associating calendar events of the calendar application is created by associating predetermined scheduled events with at least one profile.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein associating calendar events of the calendar application with the telephone profiles is created using the calendar application.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating a plurality of profiles for a corresponding plurality of telephones for the event.

14. A method for remotely activating a telephone certain functions of a telephone, comprising:

associating scheduled events of a calendar application operating on an external electronic device with telephone profiles to define telephone profile activation information and telephone profile associations;

receiving the telephone profile activation information and the telephone profile association from the calendar application; and

activating a one of the telephone profiles by said telephone on the telephone based on the telephone profile activation information and the telephone profile association.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the telephone receives the telephone profile activation information and the telephone profile association from an authorized remote profile activator.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the telephone is capable of receiving and storing a plurality of telephone profiles.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the telephone is capable of sequencing the plurality of telephone profiles such that each profile is activated at a desired time.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the telephone is capable of sequencing the plurality of telephone profiles such that each profile is activated for a desired duration of time.