Portable terminal system, portable terminal, method of controlling portable terminal, and storage medium storing program for controlling portable terminal

• US 7,017,125 B1
• Filed: 10/06/2000
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Hidehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHUONG, TRUC T
• Application Number:
  US09/680,479
• Time in Patent Office: 1,992 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/169, 345/172, 345700-705, 345/715, 345/764, 345/810, 345/831, 345/835, 345/864, 455/461, 455/426, 455/426.1, 715/705, 715/709, 715/764, 715/831, 715/864
• US Class Current: 715/864
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/56 including a user help function

Abstract

A portable terminal provided with a text browser for perusing text contents which are supposed to be displayed on a display of the portable terminal, and a help browser for perusing help contents showing methods of utilizing the text contents. When a certain message is inputted from outside, it is determined whether the input message is a text message or a help message, according to which either the text browser or the help browser is activated. The help browser outputs the help contents through text, voice, static images, or moving images. The portable terminal sets each of a plurality of switch keys to an effective state or an ineffective state in accordance with the contents of the help contents. In setting certain switch keys to effective states, LEDs, etc. provided corresponding to those switch keys are lighted. When the rest of the switch keys are set to ineffective states and any operation by those switch keys are made ineffective, not only the operation by the user becomes simple, but also false operation can be prevented.

Claims

1. A portable terminal system comprising:

a server which stores text content and help content, wherein the help content includes specific information regarding how to retrieve or use the text content; and

a portable terminal comprising a text browser which accesses and processes the text content stored in said server, and a help browser which processes the help content stored in said server,

wherein at least one hardware function of the portable terminal is automatically controlled based on the processed help content in order to assist the user in utilizing the text content,

wherein said portable terminal further comprises a plurality of switch keys for use in operations for using said text content, and a switch-key controlling means for individually setting each of said plurality of switch keys to either an effective state or an ineffective state based on said help content.

2. A portable terminal system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said portable terminal further comprises a judging means for determining whether a message which is received by the portable terminal is text content or help content, wherein said judging means activates the text browser if the message is determined to be text content and activates the help browser if the message is determined to be help content.

3. A portable terminal system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said help browser outputs said help contents as any one of text, voice, static images, and moving images.

4. A portable terminal system as claimed in claim 1 wherein if said switch keys are set to the effective state by the switch-key controlling means, said switch-key controlling means illuminates light emitting sections corresponding to the switch keys which are set to the effective state.

5. A portable terminal system as claimed in claim 1 wherein if said switch keys are set to the effective state by the switch-key controlling means, said switch-key controlling means vibrates operation buttons for those switch keys which are set to the effective state.

6. A portable terminal system as recited in claim 1, wherein said portable terminal is a mobile telephone.

7. A portable terminal system as recited in claim 1 wherein said portable terminal is a personal digital assistant (PDA).

8. A portable terminal system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one hardware function includes one or more of vibrating certain portions of the portable terminal, illuminating certain portions of the portable terminal, displaying certain text or graphic messages on a display portion of the portable terminal, playing certain audible sounds on the portable terminal, and either activating or inactivating certain portions of the portable terminal.

9. A portable terminal comprising:

a text browser which accesses and processes text content, wherein the text content which is processed is displayed at a display section of the portable terminal;

a help browser which processes help content, wherein the help content includes specific information regarding how to retrieve or use the text content;

a plurality of switch keys for use in operations for using said text content, and

a switch-key controlling means for individually setting each of said plurality of switch keys to either an effective state or an ineffective state based on said help content,

wherein at least one hardware function of the portable terminal is automatically controlled based on the processed help content in order to assist a user in utilizing the text content.

10. A portable terminal as claimed in claim 9 further comprising:

a judging means for determining whether a message which is received by the portable terminal is text content or help content, wherein the judging means activates the text browser if the message is determined to be help content and activates the help browser if the message is determined to be help content.

11. A portable terminal as claimed in claim 10 wherein;

said help browser outputs said help contents as at least one of text, voice, static images and moving images.

12. A portable terminal as claimed in claim 9 wherein if said switch-keys are set to the effective state by the switch-key controlling means, said switch-key controlling means illuminates light emitting sections corresponding to the switch keys which are set to the effective state.

13. A portable terminal as claimed in claim 9 wherein if said switch-keys are set to the effective state by the switch-key controlling means, said switch-key controlling means vibrates operation buttons for those switch keys which are set to the effective state.

14. A method of controlling a portable terminal comprising:

determining whether a message which is received by a portable terminal is text content or help content; and

activating either a text browser, which processes the text content, if the message is determined to be text content, wherein the text content is displayed at a display section of the portable terminal, or a help browser, which processes the help content, if the message is determined to be help content, wherein the help content includes information regarding how to retrieve or use the text content,

wherein at least one hardware function of the portable terminal is automatically controlled based on the processed help content in order to assist a user in utilizing the text content, and

wherein a plurality of switch keys are provided for use in operations for using said text content and each of said plurality of switch keys are individually set to either an effective state or an ineffective state based on said help content.

15. A method of controlling a portable terminal as claimed in claim 14 wherein in said step of activating a text browser or a help browser, said help contents are outputted as at least one of text, voice, static images and moving images.

16. A computer readable storage medium storing a program for controlling a portable terminal, said program comprising:

determining whether a message which is received by the portable terminal is text content or help content; and

activating either a text browser, which processes the text content, if the message is determined to be text content, wherein the text content is displayed at a display section of the portable terminal, or a help browser, which processes the help content, if the message is determined to be help content, wherein the help content includes information regarding how to use or retrieve the help content,

wherein at least one hardware function of the portable terminal is automatically controlled based on the processed help content in order to assist a user in utilizing the text content, and

wherein a plurality of switch keys are provided for use in operations for using said text content and each of said plurality of switch keys are individually set to either an effective state or an ineffective state based on said help content.

17. A computer readable storage medium storing a program for controlling a portable terminal as claimed in claim 16 wherein in said step of activating a text browser or a help browser, said help contents are outputted as at least one of text, voice, static images and moving images.

18. A portable terminal communication system as claimed in claim 17, wherein switch-keys that have been rendered operable by the judgment device are lit-up.

19. A portable terminal communication system as claimed in claim 17, wherein switch-keys that have been rendered operable by the judgment device are controlled to vibrate.

20. A portable terminal communication system comprising:

an information source server connected to a wireline network and operable to separately store target content and help content, wherein the help content is ancillary to the target content and is provided to assist in retrieval of the target content;

a wireless device connected to a wireless network and operable to receive the target content and the help content in respective target and help browsers; and

a radio gateway server connected to both the wireline network and the wireless network and operable to communicate with said information source server through the wireline network and communicate with said wireless device through the wireless network,

wherein at least one hardware function of the wireless device is automatically controlled based on the help content which is received to enable a user of the wireless device to assist a user in utilizing the target content, and

wherein said wireless devices comprises a plurality of switch keys for use in operations for using said target content and a judgment device which determines whether received data is target content or help content and further renders the switch-keys operable or inoperable based on the determination.

21. A portable terminal communication system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the switch-keys of the wireless device are specifically designated for operation in response to the help content.

22. A portable device comprising:

a radio communication port which interfaces with a radio gateway server through a wireless network and receive and segregate target data and help data;

a target display processor which receives the target data, processes the target data and displays the target data on a target data display;

a help display processor which receives the help data, process the help data and display the help data, wherein the help data is exclusively for assisting a user in retrieval of the target data,

a plurality of switch keys for use in operations for using said target content; and

a judgment device which determines whether received data is target content or help content and further renders the switch-keys operable or inoperable based on the determination,

wherein at least one hardware function of the portable terminal is automatically controlled based on the processed help data in order to assist a user in utilizing the target content.

23. A portable device as claimed in claim 22 further comprising:

a vibrator which vibrates only selected switch-keys, wherein said selected switch keys are selected based on said help data.

24. A portable device as claimed in claim 22 further comprising:

a lighting device which illuminates only selected switch-keys, wherein said selected switch keys are selected based on said help data.