Wireless child communication device

• US 8,086,283 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2003
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert I. Berg, Stephen B. Parker
• Original Assignee: Robert I. Berg, Stephen B. Parker
• Inventors: Parker, Stephen B., Berg, Robert I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Application Number:
  US10/636,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20040132480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,063 Days
• Field of Search: 455/565, 455/411, 455/458
• US Class Current: 455/575.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6775 by providing access to preprogrammed keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72424 with manual activation of emergency-service functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages

Abstract

A wireless child phone that includes means for making calls to only a preset set of individuals and/or means for receiving calls from only a preset set of individuals.

Claims

1. A wireless child phone, comprising:

a) a handheld phone unit with a user interface having keys and/or voice receivers;

b) said wireless phone being configured to make calls to only a preset set of individuals;

c) said wireless phone being configured to receive calls from only a preset set of individuals;

d) wherein said wireless child phone does not have a common key pad with dialing keys having respective digits 0-9, neither covered nor uncovered, and has a user interface with substantially less dialing keys than said common key pad;

e) wherein the configuring of said wireless phone above in b) includes not more than six keys configured to call a preset set of callees;

f) wherein said set includes the child'"'"'s parents;

g) wherein said set includes a preset other callee identified by the parent;

h) wherein said user interface includes a key pad having two adjacent keys with visual identifications for a mother and a father for visual identification by a child; and

i) wherein said phone is programmed so as to automatically direct or to redirect a call to at least one callee.

2. The wireless child phone of claim 1,

wherein said child phone is remotely programmed via an external telephone and/or via an Internet Web Site, for setting said callee set of numbers and/or for setting said caller set of numbers that can call to said child phone.

3. The wireless child phone of claim 1 wherein said visual identifications for a mother and a father are directly on said keys.

4. The child phone of claim 1, wherein said adjacent keys are located substantially symmetrically about a vertical centerline of said front of said handheld unit, such that said two adjacent keys are horizontally next to one another when viewed from a front of said unit with said unit in an upright orientation.

5. The child phone of claim 4, wherein said visual identifications include text designating a mother and a father on respective ones of said keys.

6. The child phone of claim 5, wherein said visual identifications include an image or picture representation of a mother and a father on respective ones of said keys.

7. The child phone of claim 1, wherein said handheld phone unit includes a display screen that displays identifications of a mother and/or a father associated with at least one key.

8. The child phone of claim 1, including means for remote programming via the Internet for setting callee telephone numbers for said child phone.

9. The child phone of claim 1, including means for remote programming via the Internet for setting numbers that can call to said child phone.

10. The child phone of claim 1, including means for establishing a conference call with plural entities upon pressing a single dialing key.

11. The child phone of claim 1, including means for establishing a conference call with a mother and a father of a child.

12. The child phone of claim 1, wherein said phone does not include any numerical indicia on any dialing keys, and wherein said phone has not more than six dialing keys.

13. The child phone of claim 12, wherein said phone has not more than four dialing keys.

14. A method of having a child use a child phone according to claim 1, including having a child use said phone so as to selectively call the child'"'"'s mother or father and so as to selectively call said present other callee identified by the parent.

15. The method of claim 12, further including having the child use said phone to select between calling the child'"'"'s mother, father and an emergency callee.

16. A wireless child phone system, comprising:

a handheld phone unit with a user interface having keys and/or voice receivers;

said wireless child phone being configured to make calls to only a preset set of individuals;

said wireless child phone being configured to receive calls from only a preset set of individuals;

wherein said wireless child phone does not have a common key pad with dialing keys having respective digits 0-9, neither covered nor uncovered, and has a user interface with substantially less dialing keys than said common key pad;

wherein said user interface includes not more than six keys configured to call a preset set of callees;

wherein said set includes the child'"'"'s parents;

wherein said set includes a preset other callee identified by the parent;

wherein said user interface includes visual identifications for a mother and/or a father for visual identification by a child; and

wherein said phone is programmed so as to automatically direct or to redirect a call to at least one callee.

17. The child phone of claim 16, including means for controlling said child phone remotely, wherein said means includes means to cause said child phone to automatically answer a telephone call.

18. The child phone of claim 16, including means for controlling said child phone remotely, wherein said means includes means to cause said child phone to send an audio transmission.

19. The child phone of claim 16, including means for controlling said child phone remotely, wherein said means includes means to cause said child phone to send a visual transmission.

20. The child phone of claim 16, including means for controlling said child phone remotely, wherein said means includes means for changing a callee telephone number reached by said child phone remotely.

21. The child phone of claim 20, wherein said means for changing a callee telephone number includes an Internet Web Site.

22. A wireless child phone system, comprising:

a handheld phone unit with a user interface having keys and/or voice receivers;

said wireless child phone being configured to make calls to only a preset set of individuals;

said wireless child phone being configured to receive calls from only a preset set of individuals;

wherein said wireless child phone does not have a common key pad with dialing keys having respective digits 0-9, neither covered nor uncovered, and has a user interface with substantially less dialing keys than said common key pad;

wherein said user interface includes not more than six keys configured to call a preset set of callees;

wherein said set includes the child'"'"'s parents;

wherein said set includes a preset other callee identified by the parent;

wherein said user interface includes visual identifications for visual identification by a child; and

wherein said phone is programmed so as to automatically direct or to redirect a call to at least one callee.

23. The child phone of claim 22, wherein said phone is programmed so as to automatically direct a call to a child'"'"'s mother or father upon activation.

24. The child phone of claim 22, wherein said phone is programmed so as to automatically direct an emergency call initially to a first callee and to later redirect the call to an emergency callee.

25. The child phone of claim 22, wherein said phone is configured so as to call a child'"'"'s mother or father upon the child verbally saying the parent'"'"'s identification or name.

37. The child phone of claim 22, further including said wireless child phone being configured to receive calls from only a preset set of individuals.

39. The child phone of claim 22, wherein said child phone is configured to connect to the Internet via browser software and is configured to limit site access to a number of preset URLs and/or Web Sites.

40. The child phone of claim 22, wherein said child phone is configured to limit email communications such as to send email communications to only a preset set of individuals and/or to receive email communications from only a preset set of individuals.

26. A method of having a child communicate with a parent or other entity, comprising:

providing a child with a handheld wireless child phone having a handheld phone unit with a user interface having keys and/or voice receivers, wherein said wireless child phone does not have a common key pad with dialing keys having respective digits 0-9, neither covered nor uncovered, and has said user interface configured with substantially less dialing keys than said common key pad;

providing the handheld phone unit with not more than six dialing keys, and no dialing keys having numerical indicia of a common phone key pad;

providing the handheld phone unit with a visual or textual identification of a mother and/or a father to be called via said child phone;

causing said child phone to only achieve outgoing telephone calls to a preset set of callees, including the mother and/or the father of the child and including a set of other callees selected by the parent of the child user;

causing said child phone to only achieve incoming telephone calls from a preset set of allowed callers, including the mother and/or the father of the child and including a set of other callers selected by the parent of the child user; and

causing said phone to automatically direct or to redirect a call to at least one callee.

27. The method of claim 26, further including remotely changing a telephone number for at least one of said callees.

28. The method of claim 27, further including remotely changing the telephone number for said at least one of said callees remotely via the Internet.

29. The method of claim 28, further including remotely changing a telephone number for at least one of said allowed callers remotely via the Internet.

30. The method of claim 26, further including providing said child phone with two adjacent keys with associated visual identifications for identification of at least one parent by a child.

31. The method of claim 26, further including remotely controlling said child phone.

32. The method of claim 31, further including having a parent remotely control said child phone via the Internet.

33. The method of claim 26, further including remotely controlling said child phone to send an audio transmission or to send an image transmission.

34. The method of claim 26, further including automatically directing a call upon activation, upon opening said phone, upon verbal command, or upon pressing a key.

35. The method of claim 26, further including having a child wear said child phone on the child'"'"'s body using a strap.

38. The method of claim 26, further including causing said child phone to only achieve incoming telephone calls from a preset set of allowed callers, including the mother and/or the father of the child and including a set of other callers selected by the parent of the child user.

41. The method of claim 26, further including configuring said child phone to connect to the Internet via browser software and limiting site access to a number of preset URLs and/or Web Sites.

42. The method of claim 26, further including limiting email communications such as to send email communications to only a preset set of individuals and/or to receive email communications from only a preset set of individuals.

36. A wireless child phone system, comprising:

a handheld phone unit with a user interface that includes less than the number of user inputs than on a common ten-digit telephone key pad, wherein said wireless child phone does not have a common key pad with dialing keys having respective digits 0-9, neither covered nor uncovered, and has said user interface configured with substantially less dialing keys than said common key pad;

said phone being configured to make calls to only a preset set of entities;

said phone being configured such that each single input establishes a call to a preset one of said entities;

said phone being configured such that said entities include;

a) a parent of a child user of the phone;

b) an emergency entity;

c) another entity selected by the parent of the child user;

said phone being configured such as to change a telephone number called by said child phone activated by at least one of said inputs, such that calling of at least one of said entities via the respective input results in calling of a different number;

said phone being configured to receive calls from only a preset set of individuals; and

wherein said phone is programmed so as to automatically direct or to redirect a call to at least one callee.