Picture phone with caller id

• US 7,257,210 B1
• Filed: 02/11/2005
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellect Wireless Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Intellect Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Henderson, Daniel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anwah; Olisa
• Application Number:
  US11/055,846
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/68, 379/70, 379/74, 379/80, 379/82, 379/85, 379/88.07, 379/88.08, 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.23, 379/88.26, 379/142.17, 379/142.04, 379/142.15, 379/88.15, 379/88.21, 379/88.2, 455/415, 340/7.56
• US Class Current: 379/142.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile

Abstract

Pictures are transmitted to a wireless picture phone with caller ID from a message originator and used by the message recipient to identify who is to sending the picture. In one embodiment the pictures are sent to a message center along with the caller ID of the message originator, with a caller ID and picture transmitted from the message center to the picture phone. The picture message may be encrypted, compressed or encoded. Additionally, the received caller ID may be used by the message recipient to place a call to the message originator using a cellular or wireless network.

Claims

1. A method of communicating information from a message originator to a message recipient having a wireless portable communication device, comprising the steps of:

initiating a message from a message originator to a message recipient under the control of the message originator as to when the message is sent to a message center, the message center being coupled to a communications network;

receiving at the message center both message originator information provided automatically by the communications network as the caller ID identifying the telephone number of the message originator, and a non-facsimile picture obtained from the message originator prior to transmitting the caller ID to a wireless portable communication device; and

,

causing the communications network to wirelessly transmit the caller ID and the picture from the message center to the wireless portable communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the caller ID comprises numeric data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the caller ID comprises alphanumeric data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the caller ID is provided as FSK data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the caller ID is provided from an ISDN connection.

6. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

obtaining verification from the message originator prior to transmitting the caller ID to the wireless portable communication device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining optional data from the message originator prior to transmitting the caller ID to the wireless portable communication device; and

,

transmitting the optional data to the wireless portable communication device.

8. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

compressing the picture prior to transmission to the wireless portable communication device.

9. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

encrypting the picture prior to transmission to the wireless portable communication device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the picture includes a voice or video message that is transmitted to the wireless portable communication device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein voice or video message is compressed prior to transmission to the wireless portable communication device.

12. The method of claim 10, the voice or video message is encrypted prior to transmission to the wireless portable communication device.

13. The method of claim 7, further including the step of:

storing the caller ID and the optional data in contiguous memory locations in the wireless portable communication device.

14. The method of claim 7, including the step of:

storing the caller ID and the optional data in associated non-contiguous memory locations in the wireless portable communication device.

15. The method of claim 7, further including the step of:

comparing the received caller ID with information stored in an associated memory in the message center; and

selectively transmitting the caller ID and the optional data to the wireless portable communication device as a result of the comparison.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the caller ID is transmitted to the wireless portable communication device only if the received caller ID matches an entry the associated memory.

17. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

at the wireless portable communication device, annunciating the caller ID.

18. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

storing the caller ID within the wireless portable communication device; and

initiating a new connection over the communications network by transmitting the stored caller ID to the communications network.

19. The method of claim 1, and further including the step of:

storing the caller ID within the wireless portable communication device; and

initiating a new connection over a cellular telephone network by transmitting the stored caller ID to the cellular telephone network.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications network includes a cellular communication network and the wireless portable communication device comprises a combined cellular telephone device and pager device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the communications network transmits the caller ID to the wireless portable communication device utilizing the cellular communication network.

22. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

indicating to the message recipient that a message has been received;

accepting a password entered by the message recipient into the wireless portable communication device; and

providing voice signals representative of the caller ID to the called party message recipient only upon entry of a valid password.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless portable communication device includes a portable computing device having radio communications capabilities.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the wireless portable updating device includes a personal digital assistant.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the wireless portable computing device has two-way radio communications capabilities.

26. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

applying the caller ID to a voice synthesizer unit to generate voice signals representative of the caller ID at the wireless portable communication device.

27. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

storing the caller ID and the picture in contiguous memory locations by the message center.

28. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

storing the caller ID and the picture in associated non-contiguous memory locations by the message center.

29. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

simultaneously displaying the caller ID on a display of the wireless portable communication device.