Method and apparatus for defining a behavior region for a communication device

• US 7,103,366 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tomtom Global Content B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Cary Lee, Ryan, Jeffrey Michael, Santosuosso, John Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US11/149,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20050227714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 453 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/404.2, 4554561-457, 342/357.07, 342/357.08, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 701/213, 701/214, 701/216, 701/217
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/006 Call diverting means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A portable phone is equipped with a position detector that detects the geographical position of the portable phone, and a telephone system may ring one or more land-based phones or portable phones according to the geographical position of the portable phone. One or more geographical regions are defined, with corresponding telephone parameters defined for each region. When a portable phone enters a defined region, exits a defined region, or changes between two defined regions, the function of one or more land-based phones or portable phones may change. The preferred embodiments thus allow changing the function of one or more other phones based on the self-detected geographical position of a portable phone. In this manner the convenience of using portable phones is greatly enhanced.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically defining a region for a portable phone that includes an internal position detector, the method comprising:

(1) placing the portable phone in a dynamic region definition mode;

(2) moving the portable phone to a first boundary point;

(3) storing the first boundary point as a boundary point for the region as detected by the internal position detector;

(4) repeating acts (2) and (3) until all desired boundary points have been entered; and

(5) computing a region by connecting the boundary points.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein act (3) is performed in response to the user selecting a store boundary point function on the portable phone.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the store boundary point function is selected by a user pressing at least one key on the portable phone.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein act (C) is performed in response to the user selecting a compute region function on the portable phone.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the compute region function is selected by the user pressing at least one key on the portable phone.

6. A method for deploying computing infrastructure, comprising integrating computer readable code into a computing system, wherein the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing the method of claim 1.

7. A tangible, computer-readable signal bearing medium bearing computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

9. The portable phone of claim 6 wherein act (3) is performed in response to the user selecting a store boundary point function on the portable phone.

10. The portable phone of claim 7 wherein the store boundary point function is selected by a user pressing at least one key on the portable phone.

11. The portable phone of claim 6 wherein act (C) is performed in response to the user selecting a compute region function on the portable phone.

12. The portable phone of claim 9 wherein the compute region function is selected by the user pressing at least one key on the portable phone.

8. A portable phone comprising:

an internal position detector;

a dynamic region definition mechanism that allows dynamically defining a region for the portable phone using the internal position detector by a user of the portable phone performing the following acts;

(1) placing the portable phone in a dynamic region definition mode to activate the dynamic region definition mechanism;

(2) moving the portable phone to a first boundary point;

(3) storing the first boundary point as a boundary point for the region;

(4) repeating steps (2) and (3) until all desired boundary points have been entered; and

(5) computing a region by connecting the boundary points.