Method and apparatus for improved personal communication devices and systems

• US 7,426,264 B1
• Filed: 10/04/1996
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• 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:
  US08/726,024
• Time in Patent Office: 4,365 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.15, 379/88.17, 379/88.19, 379/88.2, 379/88.21, 379/142, 379/142.17, 379/142.04, 379/142.15, 379/142.07, 340/825.44, 340/7.54, 455/415
• US Class Current: 379/142.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2745 using static electronic memories, e.g. chips
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs

Abstract

Picture messages are transmitted to a wireless device with a paging notification that includes the telephone number of a message originator and are used by the message recipient to identify who is sending the message.

Claims

1. Under message originator control as to when a page including a message can be sent to a message center, a method of communicating information from a message originator having a telephone connected to a communication network that automatically provides caller identification information and a picture to a message recipient having a wireless portable communication drive that is pageable over the communications network in communication with a message center, such message center in communication with the communications network, comprising the steps of:

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

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

,

causing the communications network to wirelessly transmit the caller ID and the picture 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 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 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 which is transmitted to the wireless portable communication device.

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

12. The method of Claim 10, wherein 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, further 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 in 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 17, further including the step of:

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

19. 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 communication network by transmitting the stored caller ID to the communications network.

20. 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.

21. The method of Claim 1, wherein the communication network includes a cellular communication network and the wireless portable communication device-comprises a combined cellular telephone device and pager device.

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

23. 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 message recipient only upon entry of a valid password.

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

25. The method of Claim 24, wherein the wireless portable computing device includes a personal digital assistant.

26. The method of Claim 24, wherein the wireless portable computing device has two-way radio communications capabilities.

27. 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.

28. 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.

29. 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.