Call override feature for mobile phones

• US 7,483,691 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2004
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Stephens, Debra K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhattacharya; Sam
• Application Number:
  US10/709,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20050227671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 379/67.1, 379/88.28
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/665 by checking the validity of a code
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2005 Temporarily overriding a service configuration

Abstract

A method of automatically answering a mobile phone. A mobile phone receives an incoming call and detects the calling party'"'"'s phone number using a caller ID function. The mobile phone then determines if the calling party'"'"'s phone number has been flagged as a phone number capable of causing the mobile phone to answer itself. If it is, the mobile phone automatically answers the call.

Claims

1. A method of automatically answering a mobile phone comprising:

receiving a call;

detecting the calling party'"'"'s phone number using a caller ID function;

determining if the calling party'"'"'s phone number has been flagged as a phone number capable of causing the mobile phone to answer itself; and

automatically answering the call when the calling party'"'"'s phone number is flagged as a phone number capable of causing the mobile phone to answer itself creating a full-duplex connection with the calling party.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile phone answers itself only after a pre-set number of rings.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the determining if the calling party'"'"'s phone number has been flagged as a phone number capable of causing the mobile phone to answer itself comprises:

accessing a table containing one or more phone number entries that have been identified as incoming calling phone numbers capable of causing the mobile phone to answer itself.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the determining if the calling party'"'"'s phone number has been flagged as a phone number capable of causing the mobile phone to answer itself comprises:

accessing the mobile phone'"'"'s contact/phonebook entries to determine if the incoming phone number matches a phone number in the mobile phone'"'"'s internal phonebook; and

determining whether an override flag has been set for the phone number in the mobile phone'"'"'s internal phonebook when a match is found, said override flag capable of causing the mobile phone to answer itself.

5. A method of automatically answering a mobile phone comprising:

receiving a call;

diverting the call to a voice mail feature if the call is not answered within a pre-set number of rings;

monitoring the keypad entries input by the calling party;

determining if the keypad entries input by the calling party match a pre-set code;

returning control of the call to the mobile phone when the keypad entries input by the calling party match the pre-set code; and

automatically answering the call creating a full-duplex connection with the calling party.

6. A system for automatically answering a mobile phone comprising:

means for receiving a call;

means for detecting the calling party'"'"'s phone number using a caller ID function;

means for determining if the calling party'"'"'s phone number has been flagged as a phone number capable of causing the mobile phone to answer itself; and

means for automatically answering the call when the calling party'"'"'s phone number is flagged as a phone number capable of causing the mobile phone to answer itself creating a full-duplex connection with the calling party.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the mobile phone answers itself only after a pre-set number of rings.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the means for determining if the calling party'"'"'s phone number has been flagged as a phone number capable of causing the mobile phone to answer itself comprises:

means for accessing a table containing one or more phone number entries that have been identified as incoming calling phone numbers capable of causing the mobile phone to answer itself.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the means for determining if the calling party'"'"'s phone number has been flagged as a phone number capable of causing the mobile phone to answer itself comprises:

means for accessing the mobile phone'"'"'s contact/phonebook entries to determine if the incoming phone number matches a phone number in the mobile phone'"'"'s internal phonebook; and

means for determining whether an override flag has been set for the phone number in the mobile phone'"'"'s internal phonebook when a match is found, said override flag capable of causing the mobile phone to answer itself.

10. A system for automatically answering a mobile phone comprising:

means for receiving a call;

means for diverting the call to a voice mail feature if the call is not answered within a pre-set number of rings;

means for monitoring the keypad entries input by the calling party;

means for determining if the keypad entries input by the calling party match a pre-set code;

means for returning control of the call to the mobile phone when the keypad entries input by the calling party match the pre-set code; and

means for automatically answering the call creating a full-duplex connection with the calling party.