Iconic communication

• US 8,375,327 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2006
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knapp Investment Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Zlango Ltd.
• Inventors: Spiegel, Ehud, Lorch, Yoav
• Primary Examiner(s): ENGLAND, SARA M
• Application Number:
  US11/795,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20080216022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,584 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/846, 715/854
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging

Abstract

A method of sending a message on a mobile communication network, including, activating an icon entering interface on a mobile device, said interface including at least 50 icons, at least 25 of which include an associated name stored on said mobile device; entering a message including at least three consecutive icons, using said activated interface; and transmitting said message to a remote communication device.

Claims

1. A method of sending a message on a mobile communication network, comprising:

receiving potential names and icons on a mobile device;

rejecting at least one undesired icon from said received icons;

sending a vote including an association of at least one name with at least one icon responsive to said rejecting of the at least one undesired icon;

activating an icon entering interface on said mobile device, said interface including at least 50 icons, at least 25 of which include an associated name stored on said mobile device;

entering a message including at least three consecutive icons, using said activated interface; and

transmitting said message to a remote communication device;

wherein said interface hierarchically arranges said at least 50 icons under a plurality of different categories, each category including one or more associated icons, and wherein at least one icon of said at least 50 icons is included in more than one category of said different categories; and

wherein at least 3 icons and their negatives are overlaid such that an icon and its negative occupy a same screen location and are switched.

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising displaying names associated with said icons as part of at least one of a preview before sending and of displaying when receiving said transmission.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said displaying comprises selectively displaying.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein selective displaying comprises toggling display.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein displaying comprises displaying in a predetermined position on a screen, relative to said icons.

6. A method according to claim 2, wherein said displaying comprises displaying simultaneously for all said icons.

7. A method according to claim 2, wherein said displaying comprises displaying sequentially.

8. A method according to claim 2, wherein said displaying comprises displaying as said message is entered.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least two different names are associated with at least 10 icons of said interface.

10. A method according to claim 9, comprising automatically selecting which of said different names to display in a displaying act.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein automatically selecting comprises selecting according to newness of a name.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein automatically selecting comprises selecting according to context.

13. A method according to claim 9, wherein said different names have different meanings.

14. A method according to claim 9, wherein said different names are in different languages.

15. A method according to claim 1, comprising selecting said names to be phonetically distinguished.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein said message includes at least 10 icons.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein said message includes at least sequence of alphanumeric symbols.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein said icons are not standard representations of a spoken language.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein said icons are non-language icons.

20. A method according to claim 1, wherein said icons include at least 10 icons whose meaning does not follow intuitively from their image, but is memorable after said icon and its name are known.

21. A method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of categories comprises a category including at least 5 icons representing people.

22. A method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of categories comprises a category including at least 5 icons representing time.

23. A method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of categories comprises a category including at least 5 icons representing places, a category including at least 5 icons representing actions, and a category including at least 5 icons representing people.

24. A method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of categories comprises a category including at least 5 icons representing places.

25. A method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of categories comprises a category including at least 5 icons representing actions.

26. A method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of categories comprises a category including at least 5 icons representing leisure activities or places.

27. A method according to claim 1, wherein said icons include at least 5 icons each of concepts suitable for subjects, actions and receipts of actions.

28. A method according to claim 1, wherein said icons do not include more than 5 icons indicating a relationship between icons.

29. A method according to claim 1, wherein said icons include at least 3 abstract concepts.

30. A method according to claim 29, wherein said concepts include “

soon”

, “

want” and

“

finish”

.

31. A method according to claim 1, wherein said icons include at least 5 motifs, each of said motifs is used as a basis for at least 5 icons.

32. A method according to claim 1, wherein said icons include at least 5 but less than 50 icons relating to emotions and body.

33. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least 4 and fewer than 20 categories are displayed at any time.

34. A method according to claim 1, wherein said categories are mapped to input keys.

35. A method according to claim 1, wherein said categories are arranged as a 3×

3 matrix.

36. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least 3 icons serve both as categories and as individual icons.

37. A method according to claim 1, wherein said interface is arranged to minimize input actions for selecting frequently used icons.

38. A method according to claim 1, wherein said categories include standard categories and at least one personal category shared by a group of users.

39. A method according to claim 1, wherein said interface comprises a store of icon and/or text phrases.

40. A method according to claim 1, wherein entering comprises automatic completion of an entry.

41. A method according to claim 1, wherein entering comprises entry by menu navigation.

42. A method according to claim 1, wherein entering comprises entry by alphanumeric symbol entry.

43. A method according to claim 1, wherein said interface allows entry of at least 100 icons with fewer than 4 inputs.

44. A method according to claim 1, wherein said interface allows an escape from icon entry to a temporary text entry mode.

45. A method according to claim 1, wherein said mobile device is not programmed to support data entry in a non-alphabetic language.

46. A method according to claim 1, wherein entering comprises defining at least one of formatting and animation for an icon or a text segment.

47. A method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting comprises converting said icons into identification codes each smaller than 4 bytes.

48. A method according to claim 47, wherein transmitting comprises transmitting said codes over an SMS protocol and decoding said codes at a receiver.

49. A method according to claim 48, wherein transmitting comprises downloading at least one icon image from a server responsive to said code, at a receiver.

50. A method according to claim 1 wherein a server downloads a Website link to said remote communication device for viewing said message, by determining that said remote communication device is unable to display said message.

51. A method of claim 1 wherein one or more categories in said plurality of categories comprises hierarchically-related subcategories.

53. A method according to claim 1 wherein less than 30% of control options in said icon entering interface are dedicated to text entry.

52. A method of sending a message on a mobile communication network, comprising:

receiving potential names and icons on a mobile device;

rejecting at least one undesired icon from said received icons;

sending a vote including an association of at least one name with at least one icon responsive to said rejecting of the at least one undesired icon;

activating an icon entering interface on a said mobile device, said interface including at least 50 icons, at least 25 of which include an associated name stored on said mobile device;

entering a message including at least three consecutive icons, using said activated interface; and

transmitting said message to a remote communication device;

wherein said interface hierarchically arranges said at least 50 icons under a plurality of different categories, each category including one or more associated icons, and wherein at least one icon of said at least 50 icons is included in more than one category of said different categories; and

wherein one or more categories in said plurality of categories comprises a same icon in a top level and in a secondary level of said hierarchical arrangement.

54. A method of sending a message on a mobile communication network, comprising:

activating an icon entering interface on a mobile device, said interface including at least 50 icons, at least 25 of which include an associated name stored on said mobile device;

entering a message including at least three consecutive icons, using said activated interface; and

transmitting said message to a remote communication device;

wherein said interface hierarchically arranges said at least 50 icons under a plurality of different categories, each category including one or more associated icons, and wherein at least one icon of said at least 50 icons is included in more than one category of said different categories; and

wherein at least 3 icons and their negatives are overlaid such that an icon and its negative occupy a same screen location and are switched.

55. A method of sending a message on a mobile communication network, comprising:

activating an icon entering interface on a mobile device, said interface including at least 50 icons, at least 25 of which include an associated name stored on said mobile device;

entering a message including at least three consecutive icons, using said activated interface; and

transmitting said message to a remote communication device;

wherein said interface hierarchically arranges said at least 50 icons under a plurality of different categories, each category including one or more associated icons, and wherein at least one icon of said at least 50 icons is included in more than one category of said different categories; and

wherein one or more categories in said plurality of categories comprises a same icon in a top level and in a secondary level of said hierarchical arrangement.