Integrated handheld computing and telephony system and services

• US 7,555,727 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2005
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hawkins, Jeffrey Charles, Haitani, Robert Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Muhebbullah; Sajeda
• Application Number:
  US11/231,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• Field of Search: 715/816, 715/780, 715/864, 379/93.23
• US Class Current: 715/816
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2748 by matching character strings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set
• 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 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting

Abstract

Disclosed is an integrated handheld computer and telephony system. Integration of the handheld computer and telephony system is at the physical and operational level. For example, the integrated handheld computer and telephony system physically integrates a handheld computer with a mobile (e.g., cellular) telephone. In addition, the handheld computer is distinct from telephony system in that they are logically separable. However, they are also operationally integrated, for example, the telephony system executes a telephone application on the processor of the handheld computer. Likewise, the handheld computer can execute applications, for example, a phone book, that can be used to launch the telephony application.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a subset of entries from a list of entries in a computer system, each of said entries comprising a first string of characters and a second string of characters, said method comprising:

accepting a first input for a first character;

selecting a first subset from said list of entries responsive to accepting the first input, the first subset comprising entries having a first string of characters beginning with said first character;

accepting a second input for a second character; and

selecting a second subset from said first subset of entries responsive to accepting the second input, the second subset comprising one or more entries each having a first string of characters beginning with said first character and a second string of characters beginning with said second character.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting the first character further comprising receiving the first input from an alphanumeric keyboard.

3. A computer program product comprising instructions executable by a processor, the instructions to select a subset from a list of entries in a computer system, each of said entries comprising a first string of characters and a second string of characters, the instructions when executed cause the processor to:

receive a first input corresponding to a first character;

select a first subset from the list of entries responsive to receiving the first input, the first subset comprising entries having a first string of characters beginning with the first character;

receive a second input corresponding to a second character; and

select a second subset from the first subset of entries responsive to receiving the second input, the second subset comprising one or more entries each having a first string of characters beginning with the first character and a second string of characters beginning with the second character.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the instructions that when executed cause the processor to receive the first input further comprise instructions that when executed cause the processor to receive the first desired letter input from an alphanumeric keyboard.

5. A method in a computing system for retrieving a subset from a set of entries in a database, each of the entries comprising a first string of characters and a second string of characters, the method comprising:

receiving a first input corresponding to a first character;

selecting from the set a first subset of entries responsive to receiving the first input, the first subset comprising entries having the first string of characters beginning with the first character;

receiving a second input corresponding to a second character; and

selecting a second subset from the set responsive to receiving the second input, the second subset having entries from the first subset and having the second string of characters beginning with the second character.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of entries comprises a set of contacts in an address book.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising contrasting in each entry the first character and the second character from other characters in each entry.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the character comprises at least one of an alphabet letter, a numeral, and a symbol.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving the input corresponding to the first character further comprises receiving the input from an alphanumeric keyboard.

10. A computer program product comprising instructions for retrieval of a subset from a set of entries in a database executable by a processor, each of the entries comprising a first string of characters and a second string of characters, the instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

receive a first input corresponding to a first character;

select from the set a first subset responsive to receiving the first input, the first subset having entries in the set having the first string of characters beginning with the first character;

receive a second input corresponding to a second character; and

select a second subset from the set responsive to receiving the second input, the second subset having entries from the first subset and having the second string of characters beginning with the second character.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the set of entries comprises a set of contacts in an address book.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to contrast in each entry the first character and the second character from other characters in each entry.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the first or second character comprises at least one of an alphabet letter, a numeral, and a symbol.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions that when executed cause the processor to receive the input corresponding to the first character further comprise instructions that when executed cause the processor to receive the input from an alphanumeric keyboard.

15. A method in a computing system for selecting a subset from a plurality of entries within a database, each entry comprising a first string of characters and a second string of characters, the method comprising:

receiving a first input corresponding to a first character;

selecting a first subset of the entries responsive to receiving the first input, the first subset including entries in which a first string of characters begins with the first character;

receiving a second input corresponding to a second character; and

selecting a second subset of the entries responsive to receiving the second input, the second subset having entries from the first subset and having entries that have a first string of characters that begins with the first character and a second string of characters that begins with the second character.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first character string comprises a first part of a name and the second character string comprises a second part of a name.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the database comprises an address book.

18. The method of claim 17, farther comprising retrieving at least one entry in response to matching of the first part of the name beginning with the first character, the second part of the name beginning with the second character.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the character comprises at least one of an alphabet letter, a numeral, and a symbol.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising contrasting in each entry the first character and the second character from other characters in each entry.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the receiving the input corresponding to the first character further comprises receiving the input from an alphanumeric keyboard.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising retrieving from the second subset of the entries, one entry having the first character and the second character.

23. A computer program product comprising instructions for selecting a subset from a plurality of entries within a database, each entry comprising a first string of characters and a second string of characters, the instructions when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

receive a first input corresponding to a first character;

select a first subset of the entries, the first subset including entries in which a first string of characters begins with the first character;

receive a second input corresponding to a second character; and

select a second subset of the entries responsive to receiving the second input, the second subset having entries from the first subset and having entries that have a first string of characters that begins with the first character and a second string of characters that begins with the second character.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the first character string comprises a first part of a name and the second character string comprises a second part of a name.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the database comprises an address book.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to retrieve at least one entry in response to matching of one of the first part of the name beginning with the first character and the second character, the second part of the name beginning with the first character and the second character, or the first part of the name beginning with the first character and the second part of the name beginning with the second character.

27. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the character comprises at least one of an alphabet letter, a numeral, and a symbol.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising contrasting in each entry the first desired character and the second desired character from other characters in each entry.

29. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the receiving the input corresponding to the first character further comprises receiving the input from an alphanumeric keyboard.

30. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising retrieving from the second subset of the entries, one entry having the first character and the second character.