Telephone system and method for selectively ringing a portable phone based on the self-detected geographical position of the portable phone

• US 7,251,494 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2005
• Issued: 07/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
• 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): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US11/196,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20060079243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/417, 455/421, 455/445, 455/456.1, 455/456.5, 455/458, 455/456.6, 455/422.1, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 379/210, 379/211, 379/212.01, 379/204.01, 379/216.01
• US Class Current: 455/456.6
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/045 Call privacy arrangements, e.g. timely inhibiting the ring signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver

Abstract

A portable phone is equipped with a position detector that detects the geographical position of the portable phone, and the function of the phone can be changed according to its geographical position. One or more “regions” may be defined by the user of the portable phone, and the ring parameters for each region may be set independently of the other regions. In this manner a phone in accordance with the preferred embodiments may ring with one tone at home, ring with a different tone at work, ring with a louder volume when on a job site, not ring at all when in church, and ring with a vibration when at the theater. The preferred embodiments further allow assigning a telephone number to a defined geographical region, and ringing the portable phone only when within the geographical region that corresponds to the phone number.

Claims

1. A telephone system comprising:

a portable phone that includes a position detector that detects geographical position of the portable phone;

a defined geographical region that is assigned a telephone number;

a processor in the portable phone that determines from the position detector the geographical position of the portable phone, that receives a call for the assigned telephone number of the defined geographical region, and in response to receiving the call, the processor rings the portable phone if the portable phone is within the defined geographical region, and does not ring the portable phone if the portable phone is outside the defined geographical region; and

a voice message mechanism that provides a voice message to a caller when there is no assigned portable phone in the defined geographical region, wherein the voice message includes a voice menu that allows the caller to ring a portable phone that is closest to the defined geographical region.

2. The telephone system of claim 1 wherein the position detector comprises a global positioning system (GPS) detector.

3. A method for receiving a call on a portable phone, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a position detector within the portable phone that detects geographical position of the portable phone;

detecting the geographical position of the portable phone using the position detector;

assigning a telephone number to a defined geographical region;

dialing the telephone number assigned to the defined geographical region;

the portable phone receiving a call corresponding to the dialed telephone number assigned to the defined geographical region;

in response to receiving the call corresponding to the dialed telephone number assigned to the defined geographical region, the portable phone causing itself to ring if the detected geographical position of the portable phone is within the defined geographical region and the portable phone causing itself not to ring if the portable phone is outside the defined geographical region; and

when there is no assigned portable phone in the defined geographical region, providing a voice message to a caller, wherein the voice message includes a voice menu that allows the caller to ring a portable phone that is closest to the defined geographical region.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the position detector comprises a global positioning system (GPS) detector.