Mobile phone business administration tool

• US 7,224,959 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2003
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Narang, Anand, Benner, Jens, Pedersen, Claus Aagaard, Koch, Povl, Lunoe, Henning, Soerensen, Lone Tram, Pinomaa, Juha, Viitanen, Mikko, Kraft, Christian, Makinen, Mikko E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer, Temica
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONTEE, JOY KIMBERLY
• Application Number:
  US10/729,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20050124321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.3, 455/414.1, 455/411, 455/556, 455/90, 455/556.1, 455/556.2
• US Class Current: 455/407
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3255 using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3415 Cards acting autonomously as pay-media
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3576 Multiple memory zones on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A mobile telephone is configured to handle business relations and business activities. The telephone comprises means for receiving a command from a user via a user interface, means for acting on said command resulting in an activation of a functional unit comprising means for receiving user commands and data, means for manipulating said data, means for storing said data in any of a customer database, a resource booking database and a cash register database and means for presenting output data to the user.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone configured to handle business relations and business activities, said telephone comprising means for:

receiving a command from a user via a user interface,

acting on said command resulting in an activation of a functional unit comprising means for;

receiving user commands and data,

manipulating said data,

storing said data in any of a customer database that can at least track customer/supplier data exchanges and credit/debit amounts, a resource booking database that can at least track available business resources and customer requests for those resources and a cash register database that can at least track sales and generate sales reports,

presenting output data to the user.

2. A mobile telephone according to claim 1, further comprising means for:

exchanging data with a phonebook database.

3. A mobile telephone according to claim 1, further comprising means for:

exchanging data with a calendar database.

4. A mobile telephone according to claim 1, further comprising means for:

exchanging data between any of the customer database, the resource booking database and the cash register database.

9. A mobile telephone according to claim 1, further comprising means for rotating an orientation of a content of a display of the mobile telephone substantially 180°

to enable a person in a position opposite from an operator of the mobile phone to read the content.

10. A mobile telephone according to claim 1, further comprising means for the resource booking database to compare a customer request with information stored in at least one database within the telephone to determine if the request can be met.

11. A mobile telephone according to claim 1, further comprising means for the customer database to display logging information corresponding to a selected name.

5. A method for handling business relations and business activities in a mobile telephone, said method comprising:

receiving a command from a user via a user interface,

acting on said command resulting in an activation of a functional unit capable of;

receiving user commands and data,

manipulating said data,

storing said data in any of a customer database for at least tracking customer/supplier data exchanges and customer credit/debit amounts, a resource booking database for at least tracking available business resources and customer requests for those resources and a cash register database for at least tracking sales and generating sales reports,

presenting output data to the user.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

exchanging data with a phonebook database.

7. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

exchanging data with a calendar database.

8. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

exchanging data between any of the customer database, the resource booking database and the cash register database.

12. A method according to claim 5, further comprising rotating an orientation of a content of a display of the mobile telephone substantially 180°

to enable a person in a position opposite from an operator of the mobile phone to read the content.

13. The method according to claim 12 further comprising activating a function in a cash register application of the mobile telephone to rotate the orientation of the display.

14. A method according to claim 5, further comprising comparing a customer request with information stored in at least one database within the telephone to determine if the request can be met.

15. A method according to claim 5, wherein presenting output data to the user includes at least displaying logging information corresponding to a selected name.