Telephone personal information manager

• US 7,142,841 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2000
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Almassy, Nikolaus P. W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ewart, James D.
• Application Number:
  US09/672,359
• Time in Patent Office: 2,252 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/413, 455/415, 455/458, 455/567, 379/70, 379/88.18, 379/88.19, 379/88.21, 379/88.25, 379/93.03, 379/179, 379/183, 379/207.14, 379/207.15, 379/214.01
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A personal information manager (PIM) has been provided for use in controlling telephone call message responses for a wireless communications network mobile station telephone. The PIM permits a telephone user to program a unique response for each calling party. Typical responses including the normal audible alert, automatically transferring the call to voice mail, and silent ringing with no voice mail, to name but a few options. In addition, the matrix of calling parties and corresponding message responses can be modified for different times of the day or circumstances. For example, the PIM can be programmed to deliver a different set of responses during normal work hours than the responses provided at night, or during a business meeting.

Claims

1. In a wireless communications network having at least one mobile station, a method for said mobile station to control the receipt of messages uniquely at each of said at least one mobile station from a remote calling party, the method comprising:

providing said at least one mobile station;

uniquely at each of said at least one mobile station;

identifying a calling party;

creating a plurality of message response groups;

selecting a message response from the plurality of message response groups in response to the identity of the calling party; and

supplying the selected message response;

wherein selecting a message response group from the plurality of message response groups includes selecting a message response group in response to factors including the time of day communication activity level, and manual selection;

wherein creating a group of message responses includes creating a hierarchy of message responses; and

the method further comprising;

creating a hierarchy of priority groups;

inserting calling party identities into the priority groups;

creating a matrix of the priority group hierarchy cross-referenced to message response hierarchy; and

wherein selecting a message response from the group of message responses, in response to the identity of the calling party, includes;

locating the calling party in a priority group; and

selecting a message response in response to locating the priority group.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a calling party security code;

in response to receiving the security code, providing an override message response.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile station has a display mechanism, and further comprising:

showing the identity of the calling party, regardless of the selected message response.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein creating a hierarchy of priority groups includes adding special identities to the hierarchy of priority groups;

wherein creating a matrix of the priority group hierarchy cross-referenced to message response hierarchy includes cross-referencing the special identities to message responses; and

wherein selecting a message response from the group of message responses, in response to the identity of the calling party, includes;

prior to locating a calling party identity in a priority group, locating the calling party identity in the special identities; and

selecting a message response in response to locating the calling party in the special identities.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein creating a plurality of message response groups includes creating a plurality of message response hierarchies;

and

the method further comprising;

creating matrices of the priority group hierarchy cross-referenced to each of the plurality of message response hierarchies; and

wherein selecting a message response group from the plurality of message response groups includes identifying the priority group-message response matrix to be used for cross-referencing the located priority group.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

editing the matrices to modify a relationship between a priority group and a message response.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

editing the matrices to modify the relationship between a calling party identity and a priority group.

8. The method of claim 5 in which the mobile station includes a local memory, a microprocessor, and a software application of microprocessor instructions;

and

the method further comprising;

loading the selected priority group-message response matrix into the local memory; and

wherein locating the calling party in a priority group includes locating the calling party in a priority group stored in the local memory; and

wherein selecting a message response in response to locating the priority group includes selecting a message response stored in the local memory.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

loading the priority group-message response matrices into local memory; and

wherein selecting a message response group from the plurality of message response groups includes using the software application to select a priority group-message response matrix from memory for use in cross-referencing the located priority group.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein a remote memory is included, and further comprising:

loading the priority group-message response matrices into the remote memory; and

wherein selecting a message response group from the plurality of message response groups includes loading a priority group-message response matrix into local memory from the remote memory for use in cross-referencing the located priority group.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein selecting a message response group from the plurality of message response groups includes the mobile station periodically requesting that the current priority group-message response matrix be loaded into local memory from the remote memory.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein loading the priority group-message response matrix into local memory includes transmitting the message by wireless communication messages selected from the group including short message service (SMS) and general message service.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

preceding the loading of the priority group-message response matrix into local memory, manually sending a request that the priority group-message response matrix be transmitted.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the remote memory has an Internet address, and wherein selecting a message response group from the plurality of message response groups includes accessing the Internet address to load the priority group-message response matrix into local memory.

15. The method of claim 14 in which the mobile station includes a software browser application, and wherein selecting a message response group from the plurality of message response groups includes using the mobile station browser to access the Internet address through a wireless communications message.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein editing the matrices to modify the relationship between a priority group and a message response group includes accessing the remote memory through the Internet address;

and

wherein editing the matrices to modify the relationship between a calling party identity and a priority group includes accessing the remote memory through the Internet address.

17. The method of claim 5 in which a remote site memory, software application of machine executable instructions, and microprocessor are included;

and

the method further comprising;

loading the priority group-message response matrices into remote memory; and

wherein selecting a message response group from the plurality of message response groups includes using the remote site software application to select a priority group-message response matrix from remote memory for use in cross-referencing the located priority group; and

wherein supplying the message response includes supplying the message response to the mobile station from the remote site.

18. The method of claim 1 in which the wireless communication system provides Caller ID services;

and

wherein identifying the calling party includes using the Caller ID service to identify the calling party.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a calling party includes determining a calling party identity from factors including the complete phone number, area code, unknown number, and blocked number.

20. In a wireless communications network having at least one mobile station, a system to control the receipt of messages uniquely at each of said at least one mobile station, the system comprising:

at least one mobile station having a wireless communications port to accept calls, the mobile station including a microprocessor,

software for application of machine executable instructions and

a memory with a group of message responses, the mobile station having means for identifying a calling party and selecting a message response from the group of message responses;

in response to the identity of the calling party;

wherein the stored message response group is a message response group selected from a plurality of stored message response groups,

wherein the mobile station further includes a switch;

wherein the message response group stored in memory is selected in response to factors including the time of day, communication activity level, and manual selection using the switch;

wherein the memory includes calling party identities being stored in priority groups; and

wherein the software application creates a matrix of the priority group hierarchy cross-referenced to the message response hierarchy, the software application locating the calling party in a priority group, in response to the calling party being identified, and selecting a message response in reaction to locating the priority group.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the mobile station memory includes an override priority group;

wherein the mobile station receives a calling party security code to trigger the override priority group; and

wherein the software application provides the override message response from memory in response to receiving the security code.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the mobile station further includes a display;

and

wherein the software application shows the identity of the calling party on the display, regardless of the message response selected in reaction to locating the priority group.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein special identities to the hierarchy of priority groups are stored in memory and cross-referenced to message responses;

and

wherein the software application locates a calling party identity in the special identities and selects a message response in response to locating the special identity.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the memory includes a plurality of message response hierarchies, and matrices of the priority group hierarchy cross-referenced to each of the plurality of message response hierarchies;

and

wherein the software application identifies the priority group-message response matrix to be used for cross-referencing the located priority group.

25. The system of claim 24 further comprising:

a remote memory including matrices of priority group-message responses, the remote memory having a port to transmit wireless communications; and

wherein the mobile station port accepts a priority group-message response matrix transmitted by the remote memory for storage in the mobile station memory.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the mobile station software application periodically requests that the current priority group-message response matrix in a wireless transmission through the communications port;

and

wherein the remote memory transmits the current priority group-message response matrix to the mobile station in response to the request.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein the mobile station request of the priority group-message response matrix is transmitted with a wireless message selected from the group including short message service (SMS) and general message service;

and

wherein the remote memory transmits the priority group-message response matrix by wireless communication messages selected from the group including SMS and general message service.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the mobile station switch is used to manually request the transmission of the priority group-message response matrix from the remote memory.

29. The system of claim 24 wherein the remote memory is accessible through an Internet address;

and

wherein the mobile station includes a browser to request the current priority group-message response matrix, via a wireless communications to the remote memory Internet address.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the mobile station browser is used to access the remote memory, to edit the matrices, modifying the relationships between a priority group and a message response, and to modify the relationship between a calling party identity and a priority group.

31. In a wireless communications network having one or more mobile stations, a method for said mobile station to control the receipt of messages uniquely at each of said one or more mobile stations from a remote calling party, the method comprising:

providing at each of said one or more mobile stations a local memory, a microprocessor, and a software application of microprocessor instructions;

uniquely at each of said one or more mobile stations;

identifying a calling party;

creating a plurality of message response groups including a selected priority group-message response matrix;

selecting a message response from the plurality of message response groups in response to the identity of the calling party; and

supplying the selected message response;

loading a selected priority group-message response matrix into the local memory;

locating the calling party in the priority group-message response matrix;

selecting a message response in response to locating the priority group stored in the local memory; and

selecting a message response group from the plurality of message response groups includes using the software application to select a priority group-message response matrix from memory for use in cross-referencing the located priority group.

32. In a wireless communications network having one or more mobile stations, a method for said mobile station to control the receipt of messages uniquely at each of said one or more mobile station from a remote calling party, the method comprising:

providing said one or more mobile stations including at each said one or more mobile stations a local memory, a microprocessor, and a software application of microprocessor instructions;

uniquely at each of said one or more mobile station;

identifying a calling party;

creating a plurality of message response groups including a selected priority group-message response matrix;

selecting a message response from the plurality of message response groups in response to the identity of the calling party; and

supplying the selected message response;

loading a selected priority group-message response matrix into the local memory;

locating the calling party in the priority group-message response matrix;

providing a remote memory; and

loading the priority group-message response matrices into the remote memory;

wherein selecting a message response group from the plurality of message response groups includes loading a priority group-message response matrix into local memory from the remote memory for use in cross-referencing the located priority group.

33. In a wireless communications network having one mobile stations, a system to control the receipt of messages uniquely at each of said one or more mobile stations, the system comprising:

one or more mobile stations having a wireless communications port to accept calls, each of said one or more mobile stations including;

a microprocessor,

software for application of machine executable instructions;

a memory at said mobile station with a group of message responses, the mobile station having means for identifying a calling party and selecting a message response from the group of message responses, in response to the identity of the calling party; and

a remote memory including matrices of priority group-message responses, the remote memory having a port to transmit wireless communications;

the mobile station port accepting a priority group-message response matrix transmitted by the remote memory for storage in the mobile station memory.