Filtered in-box for voice mail, e-mail, pages, web-based information, and faxes

• US 7,511,603 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2003
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hellebust, Kent A., Trinneer, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Brian A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Nam V
• Application Number:
  US10/644,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20050248437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,051 Days
• Field of Search: 340/7.5, 340 751- 759, 340/7.6, 455/458, 455/38.1, 455/33.3, 455/426, 345/329, 345/340, 345/326, 395/650
• US Class Current: 340/7.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/041 Encoding the ringing signal, i.e. providing distinctive or selective ringing capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system for displaying, organizing, and prioritizing the incoming information on a wireless device. Using the present invention the wireless device can display the number of voice mails, e-mails, pages, and Internet information alerts that have been received by the wireless device during a specified time period. The invention also allows the incoming information to be separated by any number of user-specified criteria such as the originating sender, or divided by work related and personal messages. The present invention allows the wireless device user to see at a glance what kind of information has been received and is being stored on the wireless device.

Claims

1. A mobile wireless communication device configured to communicate with a wireless infrastructure, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a plurality of messages of a first format and a plurality of messages of a second format, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the plurality of messages from a base station in the wireless infrastructure;

the receiver configured to receive at least one message-classification rule from a database memory, wherein the database memory is associated with the wireless infrastructure at a location separate from the wireless device, wherein the message-classification rule being at least for prioritizing the messages;

a processor connected to the receiver, the processor being configured to determine, based on the at least one message-classification rule, classification information for the plurality of messages of the first format and the plurality of messages of the second format, the classification information including at least a prioritization of the messages; and

a display connected to the processor and configured to present the classification information associated with the messages of the first format and of the second format.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to produce updated classification information, and the display is configured to present the updated classification information.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the receiver is configured to receive classification information associated with messages from the plurality of messages of the first format and the plurality of messages of the second format, and the display is configured to display a number of messages of the first format or a number of messages of the second format.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the classification information includes information about an origin of at least one received message.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the receiver is configured to receive a plurality of messages of a third format.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1, where the first format is a voice mail format.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the first format is a fax format.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the first format is an e-mail format.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the first format is a paging format.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the first format is a short message service format.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the first format is based on a Wireless Markup Language.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the memory is further configured to receive the at least one message rule by the user calling into an interactive voice-response system.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the memory is further configured to receive the at least one message rule by the user performing touch-tone key presses.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the memory is further configured to receive the at least one message rule by the user using a computer interface via the Internet or World Wide Web.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one message rule facilitates searching of messages, incoming into the wireless communication device, for key words or phrases.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one message rule facilitates classification of messages, incoming into the wireless communication device, based on one or more of type of message, size of message, time of day at which message is received, week day on which message is received, and source of message.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one message rule facilitates grouping of messages, incoming into the wireless communication device, based on a nested category.

18. A mobile wireless device for communicating with a wireless infrastructure, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive messages of at least two types for a wireless network user who is using the network device, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the messages from a base station in the wireless infrastructure;

the receiver configured to receive at least one message-classification rule from a database memory, wherein the database memory is associated with the wireless infrastructure at a location separate from the wireless device, wherein the message-classification rule being at least for prioritizing the messages; and

a processor connected to the receiver, the processor being configured to evaluate the received messages based on the at least one rule set and to produce associated message classifications based on the evaluations.

19. The mobile wireless device of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to produce an updated message count associated with numbers of messages associated with the message classifications.

20. A mobile wireless device in wireless communication with a wireless infrastructure, the wireless device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive messages of at least one format from the wireless infrastructure and to provide the messages to a user of the wireless device, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the plurality of messages from a base station in the wireless infrastructure;

an input device configured to be used by the user of the wireless device for inputting, into a database memory, at least one message-classification rule for at least prioritizing the messages, wherein the database memory is associated with the wireless infrastructure at a location separate from the wireless device;

a processor connected to the receiver and to the input device, the processor being configured to recall the at least one message-classification rule from the database memory and to determine, based on the at least one message-classification rule, classification information pertaining to the message; and

a display connected to the processor and configured to present the classification information to the user of the wireless device.

21. The wireless device of claim 20, further comprising a message memory connected to the processor, wherein the processor stores, in the message memory, incoming messages organized according to the respective classification information determined by the processor for the messages.

22. The wireless device of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to:

update the display to reflect receipt of the message,

determine, based on the classification information determined for the received message and according to the at least one message-classification rule, whether the received message is of sufficient priority, and if the message is of sufficient priority, alert the user.

23. A wireless device in wireless communication with a wireless infrastructure, the wireless device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive messages of at least one format from the wireless infrastructure and to provide the messages to a user of the wireless device;

an input device configured to be used by the user of the wireless device for inputting, into a database memory, at least one message-classification rule for at least prioritizing the messages, wherein the database memory is associated with the wireless infrastructure at a location separate from the wireless device;

a processor connected to the receiver and to the input device, the processor being configured, with respect to a message received by the receiver, (a) to recall the at least one message-classification rule from the database memory and to determine, based on the at least one message-classification rule, classification information pertaining to the message, and (b) to organize the message according to the classification information; and

a display connected to the processor and configured to present the classification information to the user of the wireless device.