Mobile electronic communication device with lights to indicate received messages

• US 7,826,827 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2004
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Varia Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Varia Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Nelson, Jonathan O., Hull, Eric J., Mager, Gary N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard; Patrick N
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, JUSTIN YE
• Application Number:
  US10/791,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20040224670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,436 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.2, 455/566, 455/412.1, 455/404.1, 455/575.1, 455/550.1, 340/7.51, 340/7.59, 340/7.61, 709/206, 715/808
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• 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 mobile electronic communication device includes a processor unit, a transceiver, a keypad and a light unit. Each key of the keypad is associated with a contact of a contact list. The light unit can perform light functions to notify a user of the reception and/or status of messages received via the transceiver. The light functions include providing an indication of the age of a received message that was sent by a contact in the contacts list. The age of the message is indicated by a modulation of the illuminating light. In one embodiment, the age of a message is indicated as one of a set of predetermined age ranges, with each age range being represented by a unique color.

Claims

1. A mobile electronic communications device comprising:

a transceiver;

a touch-screen display configured to display a virtual keypad having a plurality of virtual keys; and

a processor unit coupled to the transceiver and touch-screen display, wherein the processor unit is configured to

associate the virtual keys with corresponding contacts of a contact list stored on the mobile electronic communications device, each of the virtual keys of said plurality being associated with only one corresponding contact of said contact list, wherein a first contact of said contact list is associated with a first virtual key of the plurality and a second contact of said contact list is associated with a second virtual key of the plurality;

compare received message data to said contact list,

determine, based on the comparison, that a first received message is from a first contact of the contact list and that a second received message is from a second contact of said contact list,

animate the first virtual key to indicate receipt of the first received message from the first contact of the contact list, wherein the animated first virtual key manifests an appearance of being in motion,

animate the second virtual key to indicate receipt of the second received message from the second contact of said contact list, wherein the lighted animated second virtual key manifests an appearance of being in motion,

cause the touch-screen display to display a first list of messages received from only the first contact in response to the selection, by a user, of the first virtual key, and

cause the touch-screen display to display a second list of messages received from only the second contact in response to the selection, by the user, of the second virtual key.

2. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 1, wherein the mobile electronic communication device is configured to receive messages of two or more types, wherein the processor unit is further configured to cause the light unit virtual keys to manifest a further appearance of illumination with modulation that depends on the type of message received from the corresponding contacts type.

3. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 2, wherein the message is a SMS message.

4. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 2, wherein the manifested modulation is a manifested modulation of color that depends on the age of a received message.

5. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 1, wherein each virtual key of said virtual keypad is a numeric virtual key associated with a contact of said contact list.

6. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 1, wherein the processor unit is configured to cause the virtual keys to manifest a color based on an age of a message received by the mobile electronic communication device from the corresponding contacts.

7. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 6, wherein the message is an unread message received from the corresponding contact.

8. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 6, wherein the age is indicated using a plurality of predetermined age categories.

9. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 8, wherein each predetermined age category of the plurality of predetermined age categories is represented by a predetermined color manifested by the virtual keys.

10. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 8, wherein each predetermined age category of the plurality of predetermined age categories is represented by a predetermined number of light flashes within a cycle manifested by the virtual key.

11. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 1, wherein the processor unit is further configured to operate the first and the second virtual keys in an alternate mode to

initiate a message operation addressed to the first contact in response to the selection, by the user, of the first virtual key, and

initiate a message operation addressed to the second contact in response to the selection, by the user, of the second virtual key.

12. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 1, wherein the manifested appearance of being in motion is a manifested appearance of blinking at a rate that indicates a number of unread messages received from a contact.

13. The mobile electronic communications device in claim 1, wherein the animated virtual key manifests an appearance of a motion selected from the group consisting of rotating, vibrating, and morphing into another image.

14. A mobile electronic communications device comprising:

a transceiver;

a touch-screen display configured to display a virtual keypad; and

a processor unit coupled to the transceiver and touch-screen display, wherein the processor unit is configured to

cause the touch-screen display to animate one of at least four virtual keys of the virtual keypad to indicate receipt of messages from one of at least four contacts of a contact list, the contact list being stored on the mobile electronic communications device and each of the at least four contacts being associated with one of the at least four virtual keys of the touch-screen display, a first of said at least four contacts being the only contact associated with a first virtual key, a second of said at least four contacts being the only contact associated with a second virtual key, a third of said at least four contacts being the only contact associated with a third virtual key and a fourth of said at least four contacts being the only contact associated with a fourth virtual key, and wherein the animated virtual keys manifest an appearance of a motion selected from the group consisting of blinking, rotating, vibrating, and morphing into another shape; and

cause the touch-screen display to display a list of messages to and from only the first of said at least four contacts in response to the selection, by a user, of the first virtual key, display list of messages to and from only the second of said at least four contacts in response to the selection, by the user, of the second virtual key, display list of messages to and from only the third of said at least four contacts in response to the selection, by the user, of the third virtual key, and display a list of messages to and from only the fourth of said at least four contacts in response to the selection, by the user, of the fourth virtual key.

15. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 14, wherein the mobile electronic communication device is configured to receive messages of two or more types, wherein the processor unit is configured to cause the virtual keys to manifest a further appearance of outputting light with modulation that depends on the received message'"'"'s type.

16. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 14, wherein the processor unit is further configured to operate at least the first, second, third and fourth virtual keys in an alternate mode to initiate a message operation addressed to a selected one of said at least four contacts in response to the selection, by the user, of the virtual key associated with the selected one.

17. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 14, wherein the processor unit is configured to cause virtual keys to manifest a further appearance of outputting of light with modulation that depends on an age of a message received by the mobile electronic communication device.

18. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 17, wherein the manifested modulated light has a manifested color that depends on the age of a received message.

19. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 17, wherein the manifested modulated light has a manifested blinking rate that indicates a number of unread messages received from a contact.

20. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 19, wherein the relative age is indicated using a plurality of predetermined age categories.

21. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 20, wherein each predetermined age category of the plurality of predetermined age categories is represented by a predetermined color of light manifested by the virtual light unit.

22. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 20, wherein each predetermined age category of the plurality of predetermined age categories is represented by a predetermined number of light flashes within a cycle manifested by the virtual key.

23. The mobile electronic communications device in claim 17, wherein the message is a most recent message received from a contact.

24. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 17, wherein the message is an unread message received from the contact.