Portable telephone set and communication inquiring method for portable telephone set

• US 7,167,702 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Otsuka, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, MICHAEL T
• Application Number:
  US10/383,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20040203628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.3, 455/412.2, 455/413, 455/412.1, 709/203, 709/206
• US Class Current: 455/413
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

The present invention provides a portable telephone set and a communication inquiring method wherein an inquiry regarding a telephone answering service and an inquiry regarding a mail service can be executed by one operation to achieve sufficient convenience to common users. When one of an inquiring operation as to whether or not a terminated telephone answering service call by the telephone answering service function is present and another inquiring operation as to whether or not a terminated mail by the mail service function is present is performed, an inquiring action corresponding to the one operation is executed first, and then an inquiring action corresponding to the other operation is automatically executed.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone communication inquiry method, for determining a status of each of two communication services, said method comprising:

setting a user determined prioritization of said two communication services, said prioritization being indicative of a higher priority communication service and a lower priority communication service of the two communication services; and

performing a communication service status inquiry, said status inquiry performing the steps of;

contacting said higher priority communication service;

determining a status of said higher priority communication service, said status indicating if communication content is presently being stored at a remote storage corresponding to said higher priority communication service;

retrieving said stored communication content corresponding to said higher priority communication service, if said status indicates that communication content is presently being stored at said higher priority communication service remote storage;

contacting said lower priority communication service after contacting said higher priority communication service;

determining a status of said lower priority communication service, said status indicating if communication content is presently being stored at a remote storage corresponding to said lower priority communication service and

retrieving said stored communication content corresponding to said lower priority communication service, if said status indicates that communication content is presently being stored at said lower priority communication service remote storage

said status inquiry retrieves said stored communication content corresponding to said higher priority communication service and said lower priority communication service in succession and in one inquiring operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a first communication service of said two communication services is a telephone answering service, and a second communication service of said two communication services is an electronic mail service.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said electronic mail service transmits said communication content by packet communication.

4. A mobile telephone set disposed for receiving voice and data communication content, said mobile telephone set comprising:

priority setting means for setting a user determined prioritization of two communication services, said prioritization being indicative of a higher priority communication service and a lower priority communication service of the two communication services, one communication service being voice-based and a second communication service being data-based; and

status inquiry means, said status inquiry means comprising;

first connection means for contacting said higher priority communication service;

first status determining means for determining a status of said higher priority communication service, said status indicating if communication content is presently being stored at a remote storage corresponding to said higher priority communication service;

first retrieval means for retrieving said stored communication content corresponding to said higher priority communication service, if said stats indicates that communication content is presently being stored at said higher priority communication service remote storage;

second connection means for contacting said lower priority communication service after contacting said higher priority communication service;

second stats determining means for determining a stats of said lower priority communication service, said stats indicating if communication content is presently being stored at a remote storage corresponding to said lower priority communication service and

second retrieval means for retrieving said stored communication content corresponding to said lower priority communication service, if said stats indicates that communication content is presently being stored at said lower priority communication service remote storage;

said stats inquiry means retrieves said stored communication content corresponding to said higher priority communication service and said lower priority communication service in succession and in one inquiring operation.

5. The mobile telephone set of claim 4, wherein said voice-based service is a telephone answering service, and said data-based service is an electronic mail service.

6. The mobile telephone set of claim 5, wherein said electronic mail service transmits said communication content by packet communication.