Wearable accessories providing visual indicia of incoming events for wireless telecommunications device

• US 7,715,873 B1
• Filed: 06/23/2006
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Biere, Devon Leon, Gailloux, Michael Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly; Nghi H
• Application Number:
  US11/426,229
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 455/557, 455/566, 455/418, 455/456.1, 455/569.1, 455/575.2
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/048 Arrangements providing optical indication of the incoming call, e.g. flasher circuits

Abstract

A wearable accessory may provide visual indicia of an incoming network event for a wireless telecommunications device. The wireless telecommunications device may detect the presence of the wearable accessory within a wireless personal area network. After detecting the presence of the wearable accessory, the wireless telecommunications device may determine the display type of the wearable accessory and if any interface software is required to properly communicate a signal to the wearable accessory. Upon receipt of an incoming network event, the wireless telecommunications device may send a signal to the wearable accessory based on the display type of the wearable accessory, thereby causing the wearable accessory to provide visual indicia of the incoming network event.

Claims

1. A method on a wireless telecommunications device for coordinating communication with a wearable accessory to provide visual indicia of an incoming network event received on the wireless telecommunications device from a wireless telecommunications network, the method comprising:

detecting the presence of a wearable accessory within a wireless personal area network of the wireless telecommunications device;

requesting a display type of the wearable accessory, wherein the display type of the wearable accessory is one of a plurality of different display types capable of providing visual indicia of an incoming network event;

receiving a response from the wearable accessory providing an indication of the display type of the wearable accessory;

determining whether one or more interface parameters are available on the wireless telecommunications device for the display type of the wearable accessory, wherein the one or more interface parameters define data, corresponding to the display type of the wearable accessory, communicated from the wireless telecommunications device to the wearable accessory to cause the wearable accessory to provide visual indicia of the incoming network event;

when one or more interface parameters are not available on the wireless telecommunications device for the display type of the wearable accessory, obtaining the one or more interface parameters; and

upon receiving an incoming network event, sending a signal to the wearable accessory using the one or more interface parameters, the signal causing the wearable accessory to provide visual indicia of the incoming network event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless telecommunications device comprises at least one of a cell phone and a mobile phone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wearable accessory comprises at least one of an article of clothing and an article of jewelry having a display and control component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the display type comprises at least one of a liquid crystal display, a light emitting diode, an organic light emitting diode, and an electronic textile that has display properties.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the incoming wireless telecommunications network event comprises at least one of a voice call, a short message service (SMS) message, a text messages, a multimedia message, an alert, a game events, an instant message, a chat message, a push-to-talk message, a download, a datagram, an internet data packets, a data transmission, a socket communication, a remote procedure call, an email, and a voicemail.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining one or more interface parameters comprises downloading the one or more interface parameters from a network component accessible via the Internet.

7. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing the method of claim 1.

8. One or more computer storage media having computer executable instructions embodied thereon that when executed perform a method for providing visual indicia of an incoming network event received on a wireless telecommunications device from a wireless telecommunications network, wherein the visual indicia is provided by a wearable accessory communicating with the wireless telecommunications device over a wireless personal area network, the method comprising:

detecting the presence of the wearable accessory within the wireless personal area network of the wireless telecommunications device;

determining a display type of the wearable accessory, wherein the display type of the wearable accessory is one of a plurality of different display types capable of providing visual indicia of an incoming network event;

receiving an incoming network event from the wireless telecommunications network; and

in response to the incoming network event, providing a signal to the wearable accessory based on the display type of the wearable accessory, wherein the wearable accessory provides a visual indicia of the incoming network event based on the signal.

9. The computer storage media of claim 8, wherein the wireless telecommunications device comprises at least one of a cell phone and a mobile phone.

10. The computer storage media of claim 8, wherein the wearable accessory comprises at least one of an article of clothing and an article of jewelry having a display and control component.

11. The computer storage media of claim 8, wherein the display type comprises at least one of a liquid crystal display, a light emitting diode, an organic light emitting diode, and an electronic textile that has display properties.

12. The computer storage media of claim 8, wherein the incoming wireless telecommunications network event comprises at least one of a voice call, a short message service (SMS) message, a text messages, a multimedia message, an alert, a game events, an instant message, a chat message, a push-to-talk message, a download, a datagram, an internet data packets, a data transmission, a socket communication, a remote procedure call, an email, and a voicemail.

13. A system for providing visual indicia of an incoming network event for a wireless telecommunications device, the system comprising:

a wireless telecommunications device in communication with a wireless telecommunications network via a long-range radio frequency interface, the wireless telecommunications device being configured to receive an incoming network event from the wireless telecommunications network over the long-range radio frequency interface, the wireless telecommunications device also being configured to communicate over a wireless personal area network;

a wearable accessory in communication with the wireless telecommunications device via the wireless personal area network, the wearable accessory having a display and being configured to provide visual indicia of the incoming network event for the wireless telecommunications device; and

wherein the wearable accessory is configured to communicate a display type to the wireless telecommunications devices, wherein the display type of the wearable accessory is one of a plurality of different display types capable of providing visual indicia of an incoming network event and the wireless telecommunications device is configured to communicate a signal to the wearable accessory in response to the incoming network event, the signal being based on the display type and causing the wearable accessory to provide visual indicia of the incoming network event.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the wireless telecommunications device comprises at least one of a cell phone and a mobile phone.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the wearable accessory comprises at least one of an article of clothing and an article of jewelry having a display and control component.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the display type comprises at least one of a liquid crystal display, a light emitting diode, an organic light emitting diode, and an electronic textile that has display properties.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the incoming wireless telecommunications network event comprises at least one of a voice call, a short message service (SMS) message, a text messages, a multimedia message, an alert, a game events, an instant message, a chat message, a push-to-talk message, a download, a datagram, an internet data packets, a data transmission, a socket communication, a remote procedure call, an email, and a voicemail.